Book of Common Prayer

3 My dear brothers, this is my second letter to you. In both of my letters I have tried to bring some things to your good minds.

² I want you to remember what God's prophets said would happen. And I want you to remember what we apostles told you that our Lord and Saviour said.

³ Here is the first thing. In the last days, men will come who will make fun of holy things. They will do what they themselves want to do.

⁴ They will say, `He promised to come. Where is he? Our fathers have died. And since then everything is just the same as it has been since the world was made.'

⁵ They do not want to remember that long ago God spoke and made the sky. He made the land come up from the water.

⁶ But later on these same waters covered the world in a flood and the people died.

⁷ The sky and the earth that are here now are being kept because God spoke. They are kept to be burned up. This will happen on the day when God judges people and they will die.

⁸ My dear brothers, do not forget this one thing. One day is like a thousand years to the Lord. And a thousand years are like one day.

⁹ God will do what he promised. He is not slow though, as some people think he is. But he is waiting a long time for you. He does not want anyone to die, but he wants all people to stop their wrong ways.

¹⁰ The day of the Lord will come like a man who wants to steal. There will be a loud noise and the sky will go away. The elements will melt with fire and they will be gone. The earth and everything on it will be burned up.

²³ He came to the temple and went in and taught the people. The chief priests and the leaders of the people came to him. They asked, `What right have you to do these things? Who gave you the right to do them?'

²⁴ Jesus answered them, `I will ask you a question also. If you answer me, I will answer you. I will tell you what right I have to do these things.

²⁵ Who gave John the right to baptise people? Did God or did men?' So they talked it over together. They said, `If we say, "God gave John the right to do it," he will say to us, "Then why did you not believe him?"

²⁶ But if we say, "Men gave him the right to do it," we have the people to fear, because all the people say that John was a prophet.'

²⁷ So they answered Jesus, `We do not know.' Then Jesus said, `Neither will I tell you what right I have to do these things.'

²⁸ `What do you think about this? A man had two sons. He went to the first one and said, "Son, go and work today on my farm."

²⁹ The son said, "No, I will not go." But he changed his mind and went.

³⁰ The man went to the second son and said the same thing. The son answered, "Yes, sir, I will go." But he did not go.

³¹ Which of the two sons did what his father wanted him to do?' They said, `The first one.' Then Jesus said, `I tell you the truth. The tax collectors and women who commit adultery by selling their bodies, are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you.

³² John came to you to tell you the right way. But you did not believe him. The tax collectors and women who commit adultery believed him. And even when you saw that, you did not change your minds and believe him.'