Chronological

Growth in Christian Virtue

1 ^[a]Simon Peter, a ^(A)bond-servant and ^(B)apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have received ^(C)a faith of the same ^[b]kind as ours, ^[c]by ^(D)the righteousness of ^(E)our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: ^2 (F)Grace and peace be multiplied to you in ^(G)the knowledge of God and of Jesus ^[d]our Lord, ³ for His ^(H)divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true ^(I)knowledge of Him who ^(J)called us ^[e]by His own glory and ^[f]excellence. ⁴ Through ^[g]these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent ^(K)promises, so that by them you may become ^(L)partakers of the divine nature, having ^(M)escaped the ^(N)corruption that is in ^(O)the world on account of lust. ⁵ Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith ^(P)supply ^(Q)moral ^[h]excellence, and in your moral excellence, ^(R)knowledge, ⁶ and in your knowledge, ^(S)self-control, and in your self-control, ^(T)perseverance, and in your perseverance, ^(U)godliness, ⁷ and in your godliness, ^(V)brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. ⁸ For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they do not make you useless nor ^(W)unproductive in the true ^(X)knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For the one who lacks these qualities is ^(Y)blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his ^(Z)purification from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers and sisters, be all the more diligent to make certain about His ^(AA)calling and ^(AB)choice of you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never ^(AC)stumble; ¹¹ for in this way the entrance into ^(AD)the eternal kingdom of our ^(AE)Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be ^(AF)abundantly ^(AG)supplied to you.

¹² Therefore, ^(AH)I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them and have been established in ^(AI)the truth which is present with you. ¹³ I consider it ^(AJ)right, as long as I am in ^(AK)this earthly ^[i]dwelling, to ^(AL)stir you up by way of reminder, ¹⁴ knowing that ^(AM)the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, ^(AN)as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will also be diligent that at any time after my ^(AO)departure you will be able to call these things to mind.

Eyewitnesses

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised ^(AP)tales when we made known to you the ^(AQ)power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were ^(AR)eyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷ For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such a ^(AS)[j]declaration as this was made to Him by the ^(AT)Majestic Glory: “This is ^[k]My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased”— ¹⁸ and we ourselves heard this ^[l]declaration made from heaven when we were with Him on the ^(AU)holy mountain.

¹⁹ And so we have ^(AV)the prophetic word made more ^(AW)sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to ^(AX)a lamp shining in a dark place, until the ^(AY)day dawns and the ^(AZ)morning star arises ^(BA)in your hearts. ²⁰ But ^(BB)know this first of all, that ^(BC)no prophecy of Scripture ^[m]becomes a matter of ^[n]someone’s own interpretation, ²¹ for ^(BD)no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men ^(BE)moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

The Appearance of False Prophets

2 But ^(BF)false prophets also appeared among the people, just as there will also be ^(BG)false teachers ^(BH)among you, who will ^(BI)secretly introduce ^(BJ)destructive heresies, even ^(BK)denying the ^(BL)Master who ^(BM)bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. ² Many will follow their ^(BN)indecent behavior, and because of them ^(BO)the way of the truth will be ^(BP)maligned; ³ and in their ^(BQ)greed they will ^(BR)exploit you with ^(BS)false words; ^(BT)their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

⁴ For ^(BU)if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into ^[o]hell and ^(BV)committed them to ^[p]pits of darkness, held for judgment; ⁵ and did not spare ^(BW)the ancient world, but protected ^(BX)Noah, a ^[q]preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a ^(BY)flood upon the world of the ungodly; ⁶ and if He ^(BZ)condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an ^(CA)example ^[r]of what is coming for the ^(CB)ungodly; ⁷ and if He ^(CC)rescued righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the ^(CD)perverted conduct of ^[s](CE)unscrupulous people ⁸ (for by what he saw and heard that ^(CF)righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous soul tormented day after day by their lawless deeds), ^9 (CG)then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from ^[t]a trial, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the ^(CH)day of judgment, ¹⁰ and especially those who ^[u](CI)indulge the flesh in its corrupt passion, and ^(CJ)despise ^[v]authority.

^[w]Reckless, ^(CK)self-centered, they ^(CL)speak abusively of angelic ^[x]majesties without trembling, ^11 (CM)whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a demeaning judgment against them before the Lord. ¹² But ^(CN)these, like unreasoning animals, ^(CO)born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, using abusive speech where they have no knowledge, will in ^[y]the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, ¹³ suffering wrong as ^(CP)the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to ^(CQ)revel in the ^(CR)daytime. They are stains and blemishes, ^(CS)reveling in their ^[z]deceptions as they ^(CT)feast with you, ¹⁴ having eyes full of adultery ^[aa]that never cease from sin, ^(CU)enticing ^(CV)unstable souls, having hearts trained in ^(CW)greed, ^(CX)accursed children; ¹⁵ abandoning ^(CY)the right way, they have gone astray, having followed ^(CZ)the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved ^(DA)the ^[ab]reward of unrighteousness; ¹⁶ but he received a rebuke for his own offense, ^(DB)for a mute donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the insanity of the prophet.

¹⁷ These are ^(DC)springs without water and mists driven by a storm, ^(DD)for whom the ^[ac]black darkness has been reserved. ¹⁸ For, while speaking out ^(DE)arrogant words of no ^(DF)value they ^(DG)entice by fleshly desires, by ^(DH)indecent behavior, those who barely ^(DI)escape from the ones who live in error, ¹⁹ promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption; for ^(DJ)by what anyone is overcome, by this he is enslaved. ²⁰ For if, after they have ^(DK)escaped the defilements of the world by ^(DL)the knowledge of the ^(DM)Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again ^(DN)entangled in them and are overcome, ^(DO)the last state has become worse for them than the first. ^21 (DP)For it would be better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn away from ^(DQ)the holy commandment ^(DR)handed on to them. ^22 [ad]It has happened to them according to the true proverb, “^(DS)A dog returns to its own vomit,” and, “A sow, after washing, returns to wallowing in the mire.”

Purpose of This Letter

3 ^(DT)Beloved, this is now the second letter I am writing to you in which I am ^(DU)stirring up your sincere mind by way of a reminder, ² to ^(DV)remember the words spoken beforehand by ^(DW)the holy prophets and ^(DX)the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.

The Coming Day of the Lord

^3 (DY)Know this first of all, that ^(DZ)in the last days ^(EA)mockers will come with their mocking, ^(EB)following after their own lusts, ⁴ and saying, “^(EC)Where is the promise of His ^(ED)coming? For ever since the fathers ^[ae](EE)fell asleep, all things continue just as they were ^(EF)from the beginning of creation.” ⁵ For ^[af]when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that ^(EG)by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was ^(EH)formed out of water and by water, ⁶ through which ^(EI)the world at that time was ^(EJ)destroyed by being flooded with water. ⁷ But by His word ^(EK)the present heavens and earth are being reserved for ^(EL)fire, kept for ^(EM)the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people.

⁸ But do not let this one fact escape your notice, ^(EN)beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and ^(EO)a thousand years like one day. ^9 (EP)The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but ^(EQ)is patient toward you, ^(ER)not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

A New Heaven and Earth

¹⁰ But ^(ES)the day of the Lord ^(ET)will come like a thief, in which ^(EU)the heavens ^(EV)will pass away with a roar and the ^(EW)elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and ^(EX)the earth and ^[ag]its works will be ^[ah]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 (EY)looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which ^(EZ)the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the ^(FA)elements will melt with intense heat! ¹³ But according to His ^(FB)promise we are looking for ^(FC)new heavens and a new earth, ^(FD)in which righteousness dwells.

^14 (FE)Therefore, ^(FF)beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be ^(FG)found ^(FH)spotless and blameless by Him, at peace, ¹⁵ and regard the ^(FI)patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also ^(FJ)our beloved brother Paul, ^(FK)according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, ¹⁶ as also in all his letters, speaking in them of ^(FL)these things, ^(FM)in which there are some things that are hard to understand, which the untaught and ^(FN)unstable distort, as they do also ^(FO)the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. ¹⁷ You therefore, ^(FP)beloved, knowing this beforehand, ^(FQ)be on your guard so that you are not carried away by ^(FR)the error of ^[ai](FS)unscrupulous people and ^(FT)lose your own ^[aj]firm commitment, ¹⁸ but grow in the grace and ^(FU)knowledge of our ^(FV)Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ^(FW)To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

The Warnings of History to the Ungodly

^1 [a](A)Jude, a ^(B)bond-servant of Jesus Christ and brother of ^[b]James,

To ^(C)those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and ^(D)kept for Jesus Christ: ^2 (E)May mercy, peace, and love ^(F)be multiplied to you.

^3 (G)Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our ^(H)common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you ^(I)contend earnestly for ^(J)the faith that was once for all time ^(K)handed down to ^(L)the ^[c]saints. ⁴ For certain people have ^(M)crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand ^[d](N)marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn ^(O)the grace of our God into ^(P)indecent behavior and ^(Q)deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

⁵ Now I want to ^(R)remind you, though ^(S)you know everything once and for all, that ^[e]the Lord, ^(T)after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, ^[f]subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. ⁶ And ^(U)angels who did not keep their own domain but abandoned their proper dwelling place, these He has ^(V)kept in eternal restraints under darkness for the judgment of the great day, ⁷ just as ^(W)Sodom and Gomorrah and the ^(X)cities around them, since they in the same way as these angels indulged in sexual perversion and ^(Y)went after ^[g]strange flesh, are exhibited as an ^[h](Z)example in undergoing the ^(AA)punishment of eternal fire.

⁸ Yet in the same way these people also, dreaming, ^(AB)defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak abusively of angelic ^[i]majesties. ⁹ But ^(AC)Michael ^(AD)the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about ^(AE)the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him an abusive judgment, but said, “^(AF)The Lord rebuke you!” ¹⁰ But ^(AG)these people disparage all the things that they do not understand; and ^(AH)all the things that they know by instinct, ^(AI)like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. ¹¹ Woe to them! For they have gone ^(AJ)the way of Cain, and for pay ^[j]they have given themselves up to ^(AK)the error of Balaam, and ^(AL)perished in the rebellion of Korah. ¹² These are the ones who are ^[k]hidden reefs ^(AM)in your love feasts when they feast with you ^(AN)without fear, like shepherds caring only for themselves; ^(AO)clouds without water, ^(AP)carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, ^[l]doubly dead, ^(AQ)uprooted; ^13 (AR)wild waves of the sea, churning up ^(AS)their own shameful deeds like dirty foam; wandering stars, ^(AT)for whom the ^[m]gloom of darkness has been reserved forever.

¹⁴ It was also about these people that ^(AU)Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “^(AV)Behold, the Lord has come with ^[n]many thousands of His holy ones, ^15 (AW)to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ^(AX)ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” ¹⁶ These are ^(AY)grumblers, finding fault, ^(AZ)following after their own lusts; ^[o]they speak ^(BA)arrogantly, flattering people ^(BB)for the sake of gaining an advantage.

Keep Yourselves in the Love of God

¹⁷ But you, ^(BC)beloved, ^(BD)ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by ^(BE)the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁸ that they were saying to you, “^(BF)In the last time there will be mockers, ^(BG)following after their own ungodly lusts.” ¹⁹ These are the ones who cause divisions, ^[p](BH)worldly-minded, ^[q]devoid of the Spirit. ²⁰ But you, ^(BI)beloved, ^(BJ)building yourselves up on your most holy ^(BK)faith, ^(BL)praying in the Holy Spirit, ²¹ keep yourselves in the love of God, ^(BM)looking forward to the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life. ²² And have mercy on some, who are doubting; ²³ save others, ^(BN)snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, ^(BO)hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.

^24 (BP)Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling, and to ^(BQ)make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless with ^(BR)great joy, ²⁵ to the ^(BS)only ^(BT)God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, ^(BU)be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority ^(BV)before all time and now and ^[r]forever. Amen.