Purpose of This Letter

(A)Beloved, this is now the second letter I am writing to you in which I am (B)stirring up your sincere mind by way of a reminder, to (C)remember the words spoken beforehand by (D)the holy prophets and (E)the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.

The Coming Day of the Lord

(F)Know this first of all, that (G)in the last days (H)mockers will come with their mocking, (I)following after their own lusts, and saying, “(J)Where is the promise of His (K)coming? For ever since the fathers [a](L)fell asleep, all things continue just as they were (M)from the beginning of creation.” For [b]when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that (N)by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was (O)formed out of water and by water, through which (P)the world at that time was (Q)destroyed by being flooded with water. But by His word (R)the present heavens and earth are being reserved for (S)fire, kept for (T)the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people.

But do not let this one fact escape your notice, (U)beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and (V)a thousand years like one day. (W)The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but (X)is patient toward you, (Y)not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

A New Heaven and Earth

10 But (Z)the day of the Lord (AA)will come like a thief, in which (AB)the heavens (AC)will pass away with a roar and the (AD)elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and (AE)the earth and [c]its works will be [d]discovered.

11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 (AF)looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which (AG)the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the (AH)elements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His (AI)promise we are looking for (AJ)new heavens and a new earth, (AK)in which righteousness dwells.

14 (AL)Therefore, (AM)beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be (AN)found (AO)spotless and blameless by Him, at peace, 15 and regard the (AP)patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also (AQ)our beloved brother Paul, (AR)according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of (AS)these things, (AT)in which there are some things that are hard to understand, which the untaught and (AU)unstable distort, as they do also (AV)the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 You therefore, (AW)beloved, knowing this beforehand, (AX)be on your guard so that you are not carried away by (AY)the error of [e](AZ)unscrupulous people and (BA)lose your own [f]firm commitment, 18 but grow in the grace and (BB)knowledge of our (BC)Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (BD)To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Peter 3:4 I.e., died
  2. 2 Peter 3:5 Or they are willfully ignorant of this fact, that
  3. 2 Peter 3:10 Lit the works in it
  4. 2 Peter 3:10 I.e., as worthless; late mss burned up
  5. 2 Peter 3:17 Or disgraceful
  6. 2 Peter 3:17 Or firm hold

The Incarnate Word

What was (A)from the beginning, what we have (B)heard, what we have (C)seen with our eyes, what we (D)have looked at and (E)touched with our hands, concerning the (F)Word of Life— and (G)the life was revealed, and we have (H)seen and (I)testify and proclaim to you (J)the eternal life, which was (K)with the Father and was (L)revealed to us— what we have (M)seen and (N)heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our (O)fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. (P)These things we write, so that our (Q)joy may be made complete.

God Is Light

(R)This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that (S)God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. (T)If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we (U)lie and (V)do not practice the truth; but if we (W)walk in the Light as (X)He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and (Y)the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (Z)If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the (AA)truth is not in us. (AB)If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and (AC)cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 (AD)If we say that we have not sinned, we (AE)make Him a liar and (AF)His word is not in us.

Christ Is Our Advocate

(AG)My little children, I am (AH)writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, (AI)we have an [a](AJ)Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is (AK)the [b]propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also (AL)for the sins of the whole world.

(AM)By this we know that we have come to (AN)know Him, if we (AO)keep His commandments. The one who says, “(AP)I have come to (AQ)know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a (AR)liar, and (AS)the truth is not in him; but whoever (AT)follows His word, in him the (AU)love of God has truly been perfected. (AV)By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says that he (AW)remains in Him (AX)ought, himself also, walk just as He walked.

(AY)Beloved, I am (AZ)not writing a new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had (BA)from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard. [c]On the other hand, I am writing (BB)a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because (BC)the darkness is passing away and (BD)the true Light is already shining. The one who says that he is in the Light and yet (BE)hates his (BF)brother or sister is in the darkness until now. 10 (BG)The one who loves his brother and sister remains in the Light, and there is nothing in him to cause stumbling. 11 But the one who (BH)hates his brother or sister is in the darkness and (BI)walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has (BJ)blinded his eyes.

12 I am writing to you, (BK)little children, because (BL)your sins have been forgiven you on account of His name. 13 I am writing to you, fathers, because you know Him (BM)who has been from the beginning. I am writing to you, young men, because (BN)you have overcome (BO)the evil one. I have written to you, children, because (BP)you know the Father. 14 I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him (BQ)who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are (BR)strong, and the (BS)word of God remains in you, and (BT)you have overcome the evil one.

Do Not Love the World

15 Do not love (BU)the world nor the things in the world. (BV)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, (BW)the lust of the flesh and (BX)the lust of the eyes and (BY)the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 (BZ)The world is passing away and also its lusts; but the one who (CA)does the will of God continues to live forever.

18 Children, (CB)it is the last hour; and just as you heard that (CC)antichrist is coming, (CD)even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 19 (CE)They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, (CF)so that [d]it would be evident that they all are not of us. 20 [e]But you have an (CG)anointing from (CH)the Holy One, and (CI)you all know. 21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but (CJ)because you do know it, and [f]because no lie is (CK)of the truth. 22 Who is the liar except (CL)the one who denies that Jesus is the [g]Christ? This is (CM)the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. 23 (CN)Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also. 24 As for you, see that what you heard (CO)from the beginning remains in you. If what you heard from the beginning remains in you, you also (CP)will remain in the Son and in the Father.

The Promise Is Eternal Life

25 (CQ)This is the promise which He Himself [h]made to us: eternal life.

26 These things I have written to you concerning those who are trying to (CR)deceive you. 27 And as for you, the (CS)anointing which you received from Him remains in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing (CT)teaches you about all things, and is (CU)true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, [i]you remain in Him.

28 Now, (CV)little children, remain in Him, so that when He (CW)appears, we may have (CX)confidence and (CY)not [j]draw back from Him in shame [k]at His (CZ)coming. 29 If you know that (DA)He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness also (DB)has been born of Him.

Children of God Love One Another

See [l](DC)how great a love the Father has given us, that we would be called (DD)children of God; and in fact we are. For this reason the world does not know us: because (DE)it did not know Him. (DF)Beloved, now we are (DG)children of God, and (DH)it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He (DI)appears, we will be (DJ)like Him, because we will (DK)see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this (DL)hope set on Him (DM)purifies himself, just as He is pure.

Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and (DN)sin is lawlessness. You know that He (DO)appeared in order to (DP)take away sins; and (DQ)in Him there is no sin. No one who remains in Him (DR)sins continually; no one who sins continually has seen Him or [m](DS)knows Him. (DT)Little children, make sure no one (DU)deceives you; (DV)the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is (DW)of the devil; for the devil [n]has been sinning from the beginning. (DX)The Son of God (DY)appeared for this purpose, (DZ)to destroy the works of the devil. No one who has been (EA)born of God practices sin, because His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin continually, because he has been born of God. 10 By this the (EB)children of God and the (EC)children of the devil are obvious: [o]anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who (ED)does not love his (EE)brother and sister.

11 (EF)For this is the message (EG)which you have heard from the beginning, (EH)that we are to love one another; 12 not as (EI)Cain, who was of (EJ)the evil one and murdered his brother. And for what reason did he murder him? Because (EK)his own deeds were evil, but his brother’s were righteous.

13 Do not be surprised, brothers and sisters, if (EL)the world hates you. 14 We know that we have (EM)passed out of death into life, (EN)because we love the brothers and sisters. The one who does not love remains in death. 15 Everyone who (EO)hates his brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that (EP)no murderer has eternal life remaining in him. 16 We know love by this, that (EQ)He laid down His life for us; and (ER)we ought to lay down our lives for the (ES)brothers and sisters. 17 But (ET)whoever has worldly goods and sees his brother or sister in need, and (EU)closes his [p]heart [q]against him, (EV)how does the love of God remain in him? 18 (EW)Little children, let’s not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and (EX)truth. 19 We will know by this that we are (EY)of the truth, and will set our heart at ease before Him, 20 that if our heart condemns us, that God is greater than our heart, and He knows all things. 21 (EZ)Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have (FA)confidence [r]before God; 22 and (FB)whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we (FC)keep His commandments and do (FD)the things that are pleasing in His sight.

23 This is His commandment, that we [s](FE)believe in (FF)the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as (FG)He [t]commanded us. 24 The one who (FH)keeps His commandments (FI)remains in Him, and He in him. (FJ)We know by this that (FK)He remains in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

Footnotes

  1. 1 John 2:1 Or Intercessor
  2. 1 John 2:2 I.e., means of reconciliation with God by atoning for sins; or sin-offering
  3. 1 John 2:8 Lit Again
  4. 1 John 2:19 Lit they would be revealed
  5. 1 John 2:20 Lit And
  6. 1 John 2:21 Or you know that no lie
  7. 1 John 2:22 I.e., Messiah
  8. 1 John 2:25 Lit promised us
  9. 1 John 2:27 Or remain in Him (a command)
  10. 1 John 2:28 Lit be put to shame from Him
  11. 1 John 2:28 Or in His presence
  12. 1 John 3:1 Lit what kind of love
  13. 1 John 3:6 Or has known
  14. 1 John 3:8 Lit sins
  15. 1 John 3:10 Lit everyone
  16. 1 John 3:17 Lit inward parts
  17. 1 John 3:17 Lit from
  18. 1 John 3:21 Lit toward
  19. 1 John 3:23 Or believe the name
  20. 1 John 3:23 Lit gave us a commandment

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