3 This is now, beloved, the second epistle that I write unto you; and in both of them I stir up your sincere mind by putting you in remembrance; ² that ye should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour through your apostles: ³ knowing this first, that ^[a]in the last days mockers shall come with mockery, walking after their own lusts, ⁴ and saying, Where is the promise of his ^[b]coming? for, from the day that the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. ⁵ For this they wilfully forget, that there were heavens from of old, and an earth compacted out of water and ^[c]amidst water, by the word of God; ⁶ by which means the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: ⁷ but the heavens that now are, and the earth, by the same word have been ^[d]stored up for fire, being reserved against the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

⁸ But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some count slackness; but is longsuffering to you-ward, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the ^[e]elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be ^[f]burned up. ¹¹ Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness, ¹² looking for and ^[g]earnestly desiring the ^[h]coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the ^[i]elements shall melt with fervent heat? ¹³ But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

¹⁴ Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for these things, give diligence that ye may be found in peace, without spot and blameless in his sight. ¹⁵ And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, wrote unto you; ¹⁶ as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; wherein are some things hard to be understood, which the ignorant and unstedfast wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction. ¹⁷ Ye therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware lest, being carried away with the error of the wicked, ye fall from your own stedfastness. ¹⁸ But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and ^[j]for ever. Amen.