Font Size
2 Peter 1-3
Common English Bible
2 Peter 1-3
Common English Bible
Greeting
1 From Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ.
To those who received a faith equal to ours through the justice of our God and savior Jesus Christ.
2 May you have more and more grace and peace through the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.
Christian life in outline
3 By his divine power the Lord has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of the one who called us by his own honor and glory. 4 Through his honor and glory he has given us his precious and wonderful promises, that you may share the divine nature and escape from the world’s immorality that sinful craving produces.
5 This is why you must make every effort to add moral excellence to your faith; and to moral excellence, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, endurance; and to endurance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, affection for others; and to affection for others, love. 8 If all these are yours and they are growing in you, they’ll keep you from becoming inactive and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 Whoever lacks these things is shortsighted and blind, forgetting that they were cleansed from their past sins.
10 Therefore, brothers and sisters, be eager to confirm your call and election. Do this and you will never ever be lost. 11 In this way you will receive a rich welcome into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.
Reminder of the Christian life
12 So I’ll keep reminding you about these things, although you already know them and stand secure in the truth you have. 13 I think it’s right that I keep stirring up your memory, as long as I’m alive. 14 After all, our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I am about to depart from this life. 15 I’m eager for you always to remember these things after my death.
Christ’s return is true
16 We didn’t repeat crafty myths when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Quite the contrary, we witnessed his majesty with our own eyes. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to him from the magnificent glory, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 In addition, we have a most reliable prophetic word, and you would do well to pay attention to it, just as you would to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Most important, you must know that no prophecy of scripture represents the prophet’s own understanding of things, 21 because no prophecy ever came by human will. Instead, men and women led by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
Appearance of false teachers
2 But false prophets also arose among the people. In the same way, false teachers will come among you. They will introduce destructive opinions and deny the master who bought them, bringing quick destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow them in their unrestrained immorality, and because of these false teachers the way of truth will be slandered. 3 In their greed they will take advantage of you with lies. The judgment pronounced against them long ago hasn’t fallen idle, nor is their destruction sleeping.
Active judgment of God
4 God didn’t spare the angels when they sinned but cast them into the lowest level of the underworld and committed them to chains of darkness, keeping them there until the judgment. 5 And he didn’t spare the ancient world when he brought a flood on the world of ungodly people, even though he protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, along with seven others. 6 God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to total destruction, reducing them to ashes as a warning to ungodly people. 7 And he rescued righteous Lot, who was made miserable by the unrestrained immorality of unruly people. (8 While that righteous man lived among them he felt deep distress every day on account of the immoral actions he saw and heard.) 9 These things show that the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from their trials, and how to keep the unrighteous for punishment on the Judgment Day. 10 This is especially true for those who follow after the corrupt cravings of the sinful nature and defy the Lord’s authority.
Evil character of the false teachers
These reckless, brash people aren’t afraid to insult the glorious ones, 11 yet angels, who are stronger and more powerful, don’t use insults when pronouncing the Lord’s judgment on them. 12 These false teachers are like irrational animals, mere creatures of instinct, born to be captured and destroyed. They slander what they don’t understand and, like animals, they will be destroyed. 13 In this way, they will receive payment for their wrongdoing.
They even enjoy unruly parties in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, taking delight in their seductive pleasures while feasting with you. 14 They are always looking for someone with whom to commit adultery. They are always on the lookout for opportunities to sin. They ensnare people whose faith is weak. They have hearts trained in greed. They are under God’s curse. 15 Leaving the straight path, they have gone off course, following the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the payment of doing wrong. 16 But Balaam was rebuked for his wrongdoing. A donkey, which has no voice, spoke with a human voice and put a stop to the prophet’s madness.
17 These false teachers are springs without water, mists driven by the wind. The underworld has been reserved for them. 18 With empty, self-important speech, they use sinful cravings and unrestrained immorality to ensnare people who have only just escaped life with those who have wandered from the truth. 19 These false teachers promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of immorality; whatever overpowers you, enslaves you. 20 If people escape the moral filth of this world through the knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ, then get tangled up in it again and are overcome by it, they are worse off than they were before. 21 It would be better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than, having come to know it, to turn back from the holy commandment entrusted to them. 22 They demonstrate the truth of the proverb: “A dog returns to its own vomit, and a washed sow wallows in the mud.”
Delay of Christ’s coming in judgment
3 My dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both letters to stir up your sincere understanding with a reminder. 2 I want you to recall what the holy prophets foretold as well as what the Lord and savior commanded through your apostles. 3 Most important, know this: in the last days scoffers will come, jeering, living by their own cravings, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of his coming? After all, nothing has changed—not since the beginning of creation, nor even since the ancestors died.”
5 But they fail to notice that, by God’s word, heaven and earth were formed long ago out of water and by means of water. 6 And it was through these that the world of that time was flooded and destroyed. 7 But by the same word, heaven and earth are now held in reserve for fire, kept for the Judgment Day and destruction of ungodly people.
8 Don’t let it escape your notice, dear friends, that with the Lord a single day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a single day. 9 The Lord isn’t slow to keep his promise, as some think of slowness, but he is patient toward you, not wanting anyone to perish but all to change their hearts and lives. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will pass away with a dreadful noise, the elements will be consumed by fire, and the earth and all the works done on it will be exposed.
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be? You must live holy and godly lives, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming day of God. Because of that day, the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt away in the flames. 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.
Preparing for Christ’s coming in judgment
14 Therefore, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found by him in peace—pure and faultless. 15 Consider the patience of our Lord to be salvation, just as our dear friend and brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given to him, 16 speaking of these things in all his letters. Some of his remarks are hard to understand, and people who are ignorant and whose faith is weak twist them to their own destruction, just as they do the other scriptures.
Final instruction
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been warned in advance, be on guard so that you aren’t led off course into the error of sinful people, and lose your own safe position. 18 Instead, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. To him belongs glory now and forever. Amen.
2 Peter 1-3
New International Version
2 Peter 1-3
New International Version
1 Simon Peter, a servant(A) and apostle of Jesus Christ,(B)
To those who through the righteousness(C) of our God and Savior Jesus Christ(D) have received a faith as precious as ours:
2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance(E) through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.(F)
Confirming One’s Calling and Election
3 His divine power(G) has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him(H) who called us(I) by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises,(J) so that through them you may participate in the divine nature,(K) having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.(L)
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;(M) 6 and to knowledge, self-control;(N) and to self-control, perseverance;(O) and to perseverance, godliness;(P) 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.(Q) 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive(R) in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.(S) 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind,(T) forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.(U)
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters,[a] make every effort to confirm your calling(V) and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble,(W) 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom(X) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.(Y)
Prophecy of Scripture
12 So I will always remind you of these things,(Z) even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth(AA) you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory(AB) as long as I live in the tent of this body,(AC) 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside,(AD) as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.(AE) 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure(AF) you will always be able to remember these things.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power,(AG) but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.(AH) 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”[b](AI) 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.(AJ)
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable,(AK) and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light(AL) shining in a dark place, until the day dawns(AM) and the morning star(AN) rises in your hearts.(AO) 20 Above all, you must understand(AP) that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God(AQ) as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.(AR)
False Teachers and Their Destruction
2 But there were also false prophets(AS) among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.(AT) They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord(AU) who bought them(AV)—bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 Many will follow their depraved conduct(AW) and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. 3 In their greed(AX) these teachers will exploit you(AY) with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned,(AZ) but sent them to hell,[c] putting them in chains of darkness[d] to be held for judgment;(BA) 5 if he did not spare the ancient world(BB) when he brought the flood on its ungodly people,(BC) but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;(BD) 6 if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes,(BE) and made them an example(BF) of what is going to happen to the ungodly;(BG) 7 and if he rescued Lot,(BH) a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless(BI) 8 (for that righteous man,(BJ) living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— 9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials(BK) and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.(BL) 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire(BM) of the flesh[e] and despise authority.
Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings;(BN) 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from[f] the Lord.(BO) 12 But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.(BP)
13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight.(BQ) They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.[g](BR) 14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce(BS) the unstable;(BT) they are experts in greed(BU)—an accursed brood!(BV) 15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam(BW) son of Bezer,[h] who loved the wages of wickedness. 16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.(BX)
17 These people are springs without water(BY) and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.(BZ) 18 For they mouth empty, boastful words(CA) and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping(CB) from those who live in error. 19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”(CC) 20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing(CD) our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ(CE) and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.(CF) 21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.(CG) 22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,”[i](CH) and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”
The Day of the Lord
3 Dear friends,(CI) this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders(CJ) to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. 2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets(CK) and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.(CL)
3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days(CM) scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.(CN) 4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?(CO) Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”(CP) 5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word(CQ) the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.(CR) 6 By these waters also the world of that time(CS) was deluged and destroyed.(CT) 7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire,(CU) being kept for the day of judgment(CV) and destruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.(CW) 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,(CX) as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient(CY) with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.(CZ)
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.(DA) The heavens will disappear with a roar;(DB) the elements will be destroyed by fire,(DC) and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.[j](DD)
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward(DE) to the day of God and speed its coming.[k](DF) That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.(DG) 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth,(DH) where righteousness dwells.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless(DI) and at peace with him. 15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience(DJ) means salvation,(DK) just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.(DL) 16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable(DM) people distort,(DN) as they do the other Scriptures,(DO) to their own destruction.
17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard(DP) so that you may not be carried away by the error(DQ) of the lawless(DR) and fall from your secure position.(DS) 18 But grow in the grace(DT) and knowledge(DU) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.(DV) To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.(DW)
Footnotes
- 2 Peter 1:10 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.
- 2 Peter 1:17 Matt. 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35
- 2 Peter 2:4 Greek Tartarus
- 2 Peter 2:4 Some manuscripts in gloomy dungeons
- 2 Peter 2:10 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit; also in verse 18.
- 2 Peter 2:11 Many manuscripts beings in the presence of
- 2 Peter 2:13 Some manuscripts in their love feasts
- 2 Peter 2:15 Greek Bosor
- 2 Peter 2:22 Prov. 26:11
- 2 Peter 3:10 Some manuscripts be burned up
- 2 Peter 3:12 Or as you wait eagerly for the day of God to come
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.