Holman Christian Standard Bible | New Living Translation |
1Dear friends, this is now the second letter I have written to you; in both letters, I want to develop a genuine understanding with a reminder, | 1This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory. |
2so that you can remember the words previously spoken by the holy prophets and the command of our Lord and Savior given through your apostles. | 2I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles. |
3First, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days to scoff, living according to their own desires, | 3Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. |
4saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? Ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation." | 4They will say, “What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created.” |
5They willfully ignore this: Long ago the heavens and the earth were brought about from water and through water by the word of God. | 5They deliberately forget that God made the heavens long ago by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water. |
6Through these waters the world of that time perished when it was flooded. | 6Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood. |
7But by the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. | 7And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed. |
8Dear friends, don't let this one thing escape you: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. | 8But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. |
9The Lord does not delay His promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. | 9The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. |
10But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief; on that day the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, the elements will burn and be dissolved, and the earth and the works on it will be disclosed. | 10But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. |
11Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, it is clear what sort of people you should be in holy conduct and godliness | 11Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live, |
12as you wait for and earnestly desire the coming of the day of God. The heavens will be on fire and be dissolved because of it, and the elements will melt with the heat. | 12looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames. |
13But based on His promise, we wait for the new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness will dwell. | 13But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. |
14Therefore, dear friends, while you wait for these things, make every effort to be found at peace with Him without spot or blemish. | 14And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. |
15Also, regard the patience of our Lord as an opportunity for salvation, just as our dear brother Paul has written to you according to the wisdom given to him. | 15And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him— |
16He speaks about these things in all his letters in which there are some matters that are hard to understand. The untaught and unstable twist them to their own destruction, as they also do with the rest of the Scriptures. | 16speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction. Peter’s Final Words |
17Therefore, dear friends, since you know this in advance, be on your guard, so that you are not led away by the error of lawless people and fall from your own stability. | 17You already know these things, dear friends. So be on guard; then you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing. |
18But grow 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. | 18Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen. |
Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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