Moses Makes New Tablets

34 The Lord said to Moses, ^(A)“Cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first, ^(B)and I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets, ^(C)which you broke. ² Be ready by the morning, and come up in the morning to Mount Sinai, and present yourself there to me ^(D)on the top of the mountain. ³ No ^(E)one shall come up with you, and let no one be seen throughout all the mountain. Let no flocks or herds graze opposite that mountain.” ⁴ So Moses cut two tablets of stone like the first. And he rose early in the morning and went up on Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand two tablets of stone. ⁵ The Lord ^(F)descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and ^(G)proclaimed the name of the Lord. ⁶ The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ^(H)“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and ^(I)gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast ^(J)love and faithfulness, ^7 (K)keeping steadfast love for thousands,^{[a] (L)}forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but ^(M)who will by no means clear the guilty, ^(N)visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.” ⁸ And Moses quickly ^(O)bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. ⁹ And he said, “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please ^(P)let the Lord go in the midst of us, for ^(Q)it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for ^(R)your inheritance.”

The Covenant Renewed

¹⁰ And he said, “Behold, ^(S)I am making a covenant. Before all your people ^(T)I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the Lord, for it is an ^(U)awesome thing that I will do with you.

¹¹ “Observe what I command you this day. Behold, ^(V)I will drive out before you the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ^12 (W)Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it become a ^(X)snare in your midst. ¹³ You shall ^(Y)tear down their altars and ^(Z)break their pillars and cut down their ^(AA)Asherim ¹⁴ (for ^(AB)you shall worship no other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God), ^15 (AC)lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and when they ^(AD)whore after their gods and sacrifice to their gods and ^(AE)you are invited, you eat of his sacrifice, ¹⁶ and you take of ^(AF)their daughters for your sons, and their daughters ^(AG)whore after their gods and make your sons whore after their gods.

^17 (AH)“You shall not make for yourself any gods of cast metal.

^18 (AI)“You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in ^(AJ)the month Abib, for in the month Abib you came out from Egypt. ^19 (AK)All that open the womb are mine, all your male^[b] livestock, the firstborn of cow and sheep. ²⁰ The ^(AL)firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And ^(AM)none shall appear before me empty-handed.

^21 (AN)“Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest. In plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. ^22 (AO)You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end. ^23 (AP)Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the Lord God, the God of Israel. ²⁴ For I will ^(AQ)cast out nations before you and ^(AR)enlarge your borders; ^(AS)no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the Lord your God three times in the year.

^25 (AT)“You shall not offer the blood of my sacrifice with anything leavened, ^(AU)or let the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover remain until the morning. ^26 (AV)The best of the firstfruits of your ground you shall bring to the house of the Lord your God. ^(AW)You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk.”

²⁷ And the Lord said to Moses, “Write these words, for in accordance with these words ^(AX)I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” ^28 (AY)So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he ^(AZ)wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.^[c]

The Shining Face of Moses

²⁹ When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with ^(BA)the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face ^(BB)shone because he had been talking with God.^{[d] 30} Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face ^(BC)shone, and they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. ³² Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he ^(BD)commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. ³³ And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a ^(BE)veil over his face.

³⁴ Whenever Moses ^(BF)went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, ³⁵ the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face was ^(BG)shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Greeting

1 Simeon^[a] Peter, a servant^[b] and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained ^(A)a faith of equal standing with ours ^(B)by the righteousness of our ^(C)God and Savior Jesus Christ:

^2 (D)May grace and peace be multiplied to you ^(E)in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Confirm Your Calling and Election

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him ^(F)who called us to^[c] his own glory and excellence,^{[d] 4} by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become ^(G)partakers of the divine nature, ^(H)having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith ^(I)with virtue,^[e] and virtue ^(J)with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control ^(K)with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness ^(L)with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection ^(M)with love. ⁸ For if these qualities^[f] are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or ^(N)unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he ^(O)is blind, having forgotten that he was ^(P)cleansed from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers,^[g] be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and ^(Q)election, for if you practice these qualities ^(R)you will never fall. ¹¹ For in this way there will be richly provided for you ^(S)an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

¹² Therefore I intend ^(T)always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in ^(U)the truth that you have. ¹³ I think it right, as long as I am in this ^(V)body,^{[h] (W)}to stir you up by way of reminder, ^14 (X)since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, ^(Y)as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

Christ's Glory and the Prophetic Word

¹⁶ For we did not follow ^(Z)cleverly devised ^(AA)myths when we made known to you ^(AB)the power and ^(AC)coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but ^(AD)we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ^(AE)“This is my beloved Son,^[i] with whom I am well pleased,” ¹⁸ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on ^(AF)the holy mountain. ¹⁹ And ^(AG)we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention ^(AH)as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until ^(AI)the day ^(AJ)dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, ²⁰ knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. ²¹ For ^(AK)no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God ^(AL)as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

False Prophets and Teachers

2 But ^(AM)false prophets also arose among the people, ^(AN)just as there will be false teachers among you, who will ^(AO)secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master ^(AP)who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth ^(AQ)will be blasphemed. ³ And ^(AR)in their greed they will exploit you ^(AS)with false words. ^(AT)Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

⁴ For if God did not spare ^(AU)angels when they sinned, but ^(AV)cast them into hell^[j] and committed them to chains^[k] of gloomy darkness ^(AW)to be kept until the judgment; ⁵ if he did not spare the ancient world, but ^(AX)preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought ^(AY)a flood upon the world of the ungodly; ⁶ if by ^(AZ)turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, ^(BA)making them an example of ^(BB)what is going to happen to the ungodly;^{[l] 7} and ^(BC)if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked ⁸ (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, ^(BD)he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); ⁹ then ^(BE)the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials,^[m] and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, ¹⁰ and especially ^(BF)those who indulge^[n] in the lust of defiling passion and ^(BG)despise authority.

Bold and willful, they do not tremble ^(BH)as they blaspheme the glorious ones, ^11 (BI)whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. ^12 (BJ)But these, like irrational animals, ^(BK)creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, ¹³ suffering wrong as ^(BL)the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure ^(BM)to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions,^[o] while ^(BN)they feast with you. ¹⁴ They have eyes full of adultery,^{[p] (BO)}insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts ^(BP)trained in greed. ^(BQ)Accursed children! ¹⁵ Forsaking the right way, ^(BR)they have gone astray. They have followed ^(BS)the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved ^(BT)gain from wrongdoing, ¹⁶ but was rebuked for his own transgression; ^(BU)a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

^17 (BV)These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. ^(BW)For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. ¹⁸ For, ^(BX)speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely ^(BY)escaping from those who live in error. ¹⁹ They promise them ^(BZ)freedom, ^(CA)but they themselves are slaves^[q] of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. ²⁰ For if, ^(CB)after they have escaped the defilements of the world ^(CC)through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, ^(CD)the last state has become worse for them than the first. ²¹ For ^(CE)it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from ^(CF)the holy commandment delivered to them. ²² What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The ^(CG)dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

The Day of the Lord Will Come

3 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them ^(CH)I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, ^2 (CI)that you should remember the predictions of ^(CJ)the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, ³ knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come ^(CK)in the last days with scoffing, ^(CL)following their own sinful desires. ^4 (CM)They will say, “Where is the promise of ^(CN)his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” ⁵ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth ^(CO)was formed out of water and through water ^(CP)by the word of God, ⁶ and that by means of these the world that then existed ^(CQ)was deluged with water and ^(CR)perished. ⁷ But by the same word ^(CS)the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and ^(CT)destruction of the ungodly.

⁸ But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and ^(CU)a thousand years as one day. ^9 (CV)The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise ^(CW)as some count slowness, but ^(CX)is patient toward you,^{[r] (CY)}not wishing that any should perish, but ^(CZ)that all should reach repentance. ¹⁰ But ^(DA)the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then ^(DB)the heavens will pass away with a roar, and ^(DC)the heavenly bodies^[s] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.^[t]

¹¹ Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, ^(DD)what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ^12 (DE)waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and ^(DF)the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³ But according to his promise we are waiting for ^(DG)new heavens and a new earth ^(DH)in which righteousness dwells.

Final Words

^14 (DI)Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him ^(DJ)without spot or ^(DK)blemish, and ^(DL)at peace. ¹⁵ And count ^(DM)the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as ^(DN)our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you ^(DO)according to the wisdom given him, ¹⁶ as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. ^(DP)There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, ^(DQ)as they do the other Scriptures. ¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, ^(DR)knowing this beforehand, ^(DS)take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. ¹⁸ But ^(DT)grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ^(DU)To him be the glory both now and to the day of ^(DV)eternity. Amen.