2 Peter 2 - 1 John 2

New King James Version

Destructive Doctrines

2 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be ^(A)false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. ³ By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction ^[a]does not slumber.

Doom of False Teachers

⁴ For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to ^[b]hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; ⁵ and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; ⁶ and turning the cities of ^(B)Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; ⁷ and ^(C)delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked ⁸ (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, ^(D)tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds)— ⁹ then ^(E)the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment, ¹⁰ and especially ^(F)those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. ^(G)They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of ^[c]dignitaries, ¹¹ whereas ^(H)angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.

Depravity of False Teachers

¹² But these, ^(I)like natural brute beasts made to be caught and destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, and will utterly perish in their own corruption, ^13 (J)and will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure ^(K)to ^[d]carouse in the daytime. ^(L)They are spots and blemishes, ^[e]carousing in their own deceptions while ^(M)they feast with you, ¹⁴ having eyes full of ^[f]adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. ^(N)They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. ¹⁵ They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of ^(O)Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; ¹⁶ but he was rebuked for his iniquity: a dumb donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.

^17 (P)These are wells without water, ^[g]clouds carried by a tempest, for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness ^[h]forever.

Deceptions of False Teachers

¹⁸ For when they speak great swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through lewdness, the ones who ^[i]have actually escaped from those who live in error. ¹⁹ While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of ^[j]corruption; ^(Q)for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into ^[k]bondage. ²⁰ For if, after they ^(R)have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are ^(S)again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. ²¹ For ^(T)it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. ²² But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: ^(U)“A dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

God’s Promise Is Not Slack^(V)

3 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which ^(W)I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), ² that you may be mindful of the words ^(X)which were spoken before by the holy prophets, ^(Y)and of the commandment of ^[l]us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, ³ knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, ^(Z)walking according to their own lusts, ⁴ and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of ^(AA)creation.” ⁵ For this they willfully forget: that ^(AB)by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth ^(AC)standing out of water and in the water, ^6 (AD)by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. ⁷ But ^(AE)the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for ^(AF)fire until the day of judgment and ^[m]perdition of ungodly men.

⁸ But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and ^(AG)a thousand years as one day. ^9 (AH)The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but ^(AI)is longsuffering toward ^[n]us, ^(AJ)not willing that any should perish but ^(AK)that all should come to repentance.

The Day of the Lord

¹⁰ But ^(AL)the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which ^(AM)the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be ^[o]burned up. ¹¹ Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be ^(AN)in holy conduct and godliness, ^12 (AO)looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will ^(AP)be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will ^(AQ)melt with fervent heat? ¹³ Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for ^(AR)new heavens and a ^(AS)new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Be Steadfast

¹⁴ Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent ^(AT)to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; ¹⁵ and consider that ^(AU)the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, ¹⁶ as also in all his ^(AV)epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the ^(AW)rest of the Scriptures.

¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, ^(AX)since you know this beforehand, ^(AY)beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; ^18 (AZ)but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

^(BA)To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.

What Was Heard, Seen, and Touched^(BB)

1 That ^(BC)which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have ^(BD)seen with our eyes, ^(BE)which we have looked upon, and ^(BF)our hands have handled, concerning the ^(BG)Word of life— ^2 (BH)the life ^(BI)was manifested, and we have seen, ^(BJ)and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was ^(BK)with the Father and was manifested to us— ³ that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is ^(BL)with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. ⁴ And these things we write to you ^(BM)that ^[p]your joy may be full.

Fellowship with Him and One Another

^5 (BN)This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that ^(BO)God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. ^6 (BP)If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we ^(BQ)walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and ^(BR)the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we ^(BS)confess our sins, He is ^(BT)faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to ^(BU)cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we ^(BV)make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

The Test of Knowing Christ

2 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, ^(BW)we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ² And ^(BX)He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but ^(BY)also for the whole world.

The Test of Knowing Him

³ Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a ^(BZ)liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵ But ^(CA)whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God ^[q]is perfected ^(CB)in him. By this we know that we are in Him. ^6 (CC)He who says he abides in Him ^(CD)ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

^7 [r]Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had ^(CE)from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard ^[s]from the beginning. ⁸ Again, ^(CF)a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, ^(CG)because the darkness is passing away, and ^(CH)the true light is already shining.

^9 (CI)He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. ^10 (CJ)He who loves his brother abides in the light, and ^(CK)there is no cause for stumbling in him. ¹¹ But he who ^(CL)hates his brother is in darkness and ^(CM)walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Their Spiritual State

Do Not Love the World

^15 (CR)Do not love the world or the things in the world. ^(CS)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, ^(CT)the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. ¹⁷ And ^(CU)the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.

Deceptions of the Last Hour

^18 (CV)Little children, ^(CW)it is the last hour; and as you have heard that ^(CX)the^[t] Antichrist is coming, ^(CY)even now many antichrists have come, by which we know ^(CZ)that it is the last hour. ^19 (DA)They went out from us, but they were not of us; for ^(DB)if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out ^(DC)that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

²⁰ But ^(DD)you have an anointing ^(DE)from the Holy One, and ^(DF)you^[u] know all things. ²¹ I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

^22 (DG)Who is a liar but he who denies that ^(DH)Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son. ^23 (DI)Whoever denies the Son does not have the ^(DJ)Father either; ^(DK)he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.

Let Truth Abide in You

²⁴ Therefore let that abide in you ^(DL)which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, ^(DM)you also will abide in the Son and in the Father. ^25 (DN)And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.

²⁶ These things I have written to you concerning those who try to ^[v]deceive you. ²⁷ But the ^(DO)anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and ^(DP)you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing ^(DQ)teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you ^[w]will abide in Him.

The Children of God

²⁸ And now, little children, abide in Him, that ^[x]when He appears, we may have ^(DR)confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. ^29 (DS)If you know that He is righteous, you know that ^(DT)everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him.