Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

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.

¹¹ That is the way the whole world will go. So think what kind of people you should be! Think how holy and true to God your lives should be!

¹² You should look for the day of God and do everything you can to make it come quickly. On that day the sky will be on fire and go away. The elements will burn and melt away.

¹³ But we are looking for a new sky and a new earth which God has promised. Only good things will be in them.

¹⁴ My dear brothers, you are looking for these things. So do all you can so that the Lord will find you without any bad or wrong thing in your lives. Let him find you at peace with one another.

¹⁵ Think of this. He is waiting a long time so that people will be saved. Our dear brother Paul also wrote these things to you, because God has made him wise.

1 This is the beginning of the good news about Jesus Christ, God's Son.

² The men of God, called prophets, long ago wrote about it this way: God said, `See, I send my man ahead of you to tell about you. He will make the way ready for you.

³ A man is calling out in the desert, "Make the way ready for the Lord. Make the road straight for him." '

⁴ John baptised people in the desert. He told them to stop doing wrong things and be baptised, and God would forgive them for the wrong things they did.

⁵ People from all the land of Judea and all the city of Jerusalem went out to John. He baptised them in the Jordan River when they told about the wrong things they did.

⁶ John wore clothes made of camel's hair and a leather belt. He ate locusts and wild honey.

⁷ He told the people, `Another person is coming. He is greater than I am. I am not good enough to bend down and untie his shoe strings.

⁸ I have baptised you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.'