Beginning

1 Simeon^[a] Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ, to the ones having received an equally-precious faith with us by-means-of ^[b] the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: ² May grace and peace be multiplied to you in^[c] the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.

Because of All That God Has Given Us, Diligently Add To Your Faith These God-Like Qualities

³ Because-of His divine power having granted^[d] us all things pertaining-to life and godliness through the knowledge of the One having called us by ^[e] His own glory and virtue^[f], ⁴ through which qualities^[g] He has granted us the precious and greatest things-promised in order that through these^[h] you might become sharers of the divine nature^[i], having escaped-from the corruption in the world by evil desire; ⁵ and indeed for this very reason you having applied all diligence— in^[j] your faith supply^[k] virtue; and in your virtue, knowledge; ⁶ and in your knowledge, self-control; and in your self-control, endurance; and in your endurance, godliness; ⁷ and in your godliness, brotherly-love; and in your brotherly-love, love.

These Qualities Make You Useful And Fruitful

⁸ For these qualities being-present in you and increasing make^[l] you neither useless^[m] nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For the one in whom these qualities are not present is blind, being shortsighted^[n], having forgotten^[o] the purification of his former sins.

So Be Diligent To Make Your Calling And Election Firm

¹⁰ Therefore brothers, be more diligent to be making your calling and election^[p] firm^[q]. For while doing these things you will by no means ever stumble. ¹¹ For in this manner the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly supplied to you.

I Will Always Be Reminding You of These Things As Long As I Live

¹² Therefore, I will-certainly^[r] always be reminding you about these things, even though you are ones knowing and having been established in the truth being present with you. ¹³ And I regard it right for as long as I am in this [bodily] tent to be arousing you with a reminder, ¹⁴ knowing that the putting-off of my [bodily] tent is imminent, just as indeed our Lord Jesus Christ made-clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will also be diligent that at-any-time after my departure^[s], you may have the ability to produce the memory of these things.

For We Were Eyewitnesses of Christ’s Majesty And Glory

¹⁶ For we made-known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ— not having followed-after cleverly-devised myths, but having been made^[t] eyewitnesses of the majesty of that One. ¹⁷ For He having received from God the Father the honor and glory of such a voice^[u] having been carried^[v] to Him by the Majestic Glory— “This is My Son, My Beloved, in Whom I was^[w] well-pleased”— ¹⁸ we ourselves also heard this voice having been carried out of heaven, being with Him on the holy mountain.

And We Have God’s Prophetic Word More Firm

¹⁹ And we have the prophetic^[x] word as more-firm^[y], to which you are doing well to be paying-attention as to a lamp shining in a dismal^[z] place, until which time the day dawns and the morning-star rises in your hearts, ²⁰ knowing this first— that no prophecy of Scripture comes^[aa] from one’s own^[ab] interpretation^[ac]. ²¹ For no prophecy was ever carried^[ad] by the will of a human, but people being carried by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

And There Will Be False Teachers Among You, Exploiting You

2 But false-prophets also came among the people, as there will also be false-teachers among you who will secretly-bring-in heresies of ^[ae] destruction— even denying the Master having bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. ² And many will follow-after their sensualities^[af], because of whom the way of the truth will be blasphemed. ³ And in greed they will exploit^[ag] you with fabricated words, for whom the judgment from-long-ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

God Will Reserve Them For Punishment And Protect The Righteous

⁴ For if God did not spare angels having sinned but handed-them-over to chains of gloom, having cast-them-into-hell, being reserved for^[ah] judgment; ⁵ and He did not spare the ancient world but protected the eighth^[ai] one, Noah, a proclaimer of righteousness, having brought a flood upon the world of ungodly ones; ⁶ and He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, having reduced-them-to-ashes by an overthrow, having made them an example of things coming to ungodly ones; ⁷ and He delivered Lot, a righteous one being oppressed^[aj] by the conduct of the lawless^[ak] ones in connection with sensuality (⁸ for by sight and hearing the righteous one dwelling among them day^[al] after day was tormenting his righteous soul with their lawless^[am] works)— ⁹ then the Lord knows-how to deliver godly ones from a trial^[an] and reserve unrighteous ones for the day of judgment while being punished, ¹⁰ and especially the ones proceeding after the flesh in^[ao] a lust^[ap] for^[aq] defilement, and despising^[ar] authority^[as].

They Are Self-Willed Slaves of Corruption Speaking Against The Things of God

Daring^[at], self-willed ones— they do not tremble while blaspheming glories^[au], ¹¹ where^[av] angels being greater in strength and power do not bring a blasphemous judgment against them from the Lord. ¹² But these ones are like unreasoning animals having been born as creatures-of-instinct^[aw] for capture and destruction. While blaspheming in^[ax] things which they are ignorant, they will also be destroyed in their^[ay] destruction^[az], ¹³ being wronged as the wages of wrong-doing. Regarding the reveling during the day to be a pleasure, they are spots and blemishes reveling in their deceptions while feasting-with you, ¹⁴ having eyes full of an adulteress^[ba] and restless^[bb] of sin, enticing^[bc] unstable souls, having a heart trained in^[bd] greed. Children of ^[be] a curse!— ¹⁵ leaving-behind the straight way, they went-astray, having followed-after the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of wrong-doing. ¹⁶ But he had a rebuke of his own law-violation: a speechless donkey having uttered in the voice of a human restrained the madness of the prophet. ¹⁷ These ones are waterless springs, and mists being driven by a storm, for whom the gloom of the darkness has been reserved. ¹⁸ For while uttering pompous^[bf] words of ^[bg] futility^[bh], they entice by the desires of the flesh, by^[bi] sensualities, the ones barely^[bj] escaping-from the ones living in error, ¹⁹ promising them freedom, themselves being slaves of corruption. For by what one has been defeated, by this he has been enslaved.

Their Slavery Now Is Worse Than Ever

²⁰ For if— having escaped-from the defilements of the world by the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and again having been entangled by these things— they^[bk] are defeated, then the last state has become worse for them than the first. ²¹ For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than having known, to turn-back from the holy commandment having been delivered to them. ²² The thing of the true proverb has happened to them— “The dog having returned to its own vomit”, and, “The sow having washed herself returns to a wallowing of the mire”.

Beloved, Remember That People Will Come Mocking Christ’s Future Coming

3 Beloved, I am now writing this second letter to you, in which letters I am arousing your pure mind with a reminder ² to remember the words having been spoken-beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior from your apostles, ³ knowing this first— that mockers will come with mocking in the last days, proceeding in accordance with their own desires, ⁴ and saying “Where is the promise^[bl] of His coming? For from which day the fathers^[bm] fell-asleep, everything is continuing in-this-manner^[bn] from the beginning of creation”.

But God Has Destroyed The Ungodly Before, And He Will Do So Again

⁵ For this escapes-notice-of those who are willing^[bo]— that by the word of God there were heavens from-long-ago, and an earth having existence out of water and by water, ⁶ through which^[bp] the world at that time was destroyed^[bq], having been flooded with water. ⁷ And by the same word the present heavens and earth have been stored-up for fire, being reserved for the day of the judgment and destruction of ungodly people.

He Is Being Patient Now, But The Day of Destruction Will Come Like a Thief

⁸ But do not let this one thing be escaping your notice, beloved— that one day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like one day. ⁹ The Lord is not being slow about^[br] the promise as some regard slowness, but He is being patient toward you, not wishing^[bs] any to perish, but all to make-room^[bt] for repentance. ¹⁰ But the day of the Lord will come like a thief— during which the heavens will pass-away with-a-roar, and the elements will be destroyed while burning, and the earth and the works in it will be found^[bu]. ¹¹ All these things thus being destroyed, what-kind-of people ought you to be in holy behaviors and acts of godliness, ¹² looking-for and hastening^[bv] the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be destroyed, being set-on-fire, and the elements are melted while burning. ¹³ But in accordance with His promise we are looking-for new heavens and a new earth, in which^[bw] righteousness dwells.

So Be Diligent To Be Unspotted And Unblemished In This Day of Salvation

¹⁴ Therefore beloved, while looking-for these things, be diligent to be found unspotted^[bx] and unblemished^[by] by^[bz] Him, in peace. ¹⁵ And be regarding the patience of our Lord to be salvation, just as also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according-to^[ca] the wisdom having been given to him, ¹⁶ as also he writes in all his letters, speaking in them concerning these things, in which letters are some things hard-to-understand which the untaught and unstable twist^[cb]— as also the other^[cc] Scriptures— to their own destruction.

Beloved, Be Guarding Yourselves And Growing In Christ

¹⁷ You therefore, beloved, knowing-this-beforehand, be guarding yourselves in order that you may not fall-from your own steadfastness, having been carried-away-by^[cd] the error of the lawless ones. ¹⁸ And be growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now, and to the day of eternity. Amen.