² to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the commandment of our Lord and Savior spoken^[a] through your apostles.

³ First of all you must understand this: In the last days mockers will come and, following their own desires, will ridicule us^{[b] 4} by saying, “What happened to the Messiah’s^[c] promise to return? Ever since our ancestors died,^[d] everything continues as it did from the beginning of creation.”