| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours: | 1This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. |
| 2Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. | 2May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. Growing in Faith |
| 3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. | 3By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. |
| 4Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. | 4And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. |
| 5For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; | 5In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, |
| 6and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; | 6and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, |
| 7and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. | 7and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. |
| 8For if you possess these qualities and continue to grow in them, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. | 8The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 9But whoever lacks these traits is nearsighted to the point of blindness, having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. | 9But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins. |
| 10Therefore, brothers, strive to make your calling and election sure. For if you practice these things you will never stumble, | 10So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away. |
| 11and you will receive a lavish reception into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. | 11Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Paying Attention to Scripture |
| 12Therefore I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are established in the truth you now have. | 12Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. |
| 13I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of my body, | 13And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. |
| 14because I know that this tent will soon be laid aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. | 14For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, |
| 15And I will make every effort to ensure that after my departure, you will be able to recall these things at all times. | 15so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone. |
| 16For we did not follow cleverly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. | 16For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes |
| 17For He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” | 17when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” |
| 18And we ourselves heard this voice from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. | 18We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. |
| 19We also have the word of the prophets as confirmed beyond doubt. And you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. | 19Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. |
| 20Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation. | 20Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, |
| 21For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. | 21or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. |
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