Salutation

11 Simon Peter, bondman and apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have received like precious faith with us through [the] righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in [the] knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Make Your Calling and Election Sure

3 As his divine power has given to us all things which relate to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us by glory and virtue, 4 through which he has given to us the greatest and precious promises, that through these ye may become partakers of [the] divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

5 But for this very reason also, using therewith all diligence, in your faith have also virtue, in virtue knowledge, 6 in knowledge temperance, in temperance endurance, in endurance godliness, 7 in godliness brotherly love, in brotherly love love: 8 for these things existing and abounding in you make [you] to be neither idle nor unfruitful as regards the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; 9 for he with whom these things are not present is blind, short-sighted, and has forgotten the purging of his former sins. 10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, use diligence to make your calling and election sure, for doing these things ye will never fall; 11 for thus shall the entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be richly furnished unto you.

12 Wherefore I will be careful to put you always in mind of these things, although knowing [them] and established in the present truth. 13 But I account it right, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting [you] in remembrance, 14 knowing that the putting off of my tabernacle is speedily [to take place], as also our Lord Jesus Christ has manifested to me; 15 but I will use diligence, that after my departure ye should have also, at any time, [in your power] to call to mind these things.

Eyewitnesses of Christ's Glory

16 For we have not made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, following cleverly imagined fables, but having been eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received from God [the] Father honour and glory, such a voice being uttered to him by the excellent glory: This is my beloved Son, in whom I have found my delight; 18 and this voice we heard uttered from heaven, being with him on the holy mountain.

19 And we have the prophetic word [made] surer, to which ye do well taking heed (as to a lamp shining in an obscure place) until [the] day dawn and [the] morning star arise in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that [the scope of] no prophecy of scripture is had from its own particular interpretation, 21 for prophecy was not ever uttered by [the] will of man, but holy men of God spake under the power of [the] Holy Spirit.

The Promise of the Lord's Coming

31 This, a second letter, beloved, I already write to you, in [both] which I stir up, in the way of putting you in remembrance, your pure mind, 2 to be mindful of the words spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of the Lord and Saviour by your apostles;

3 knowing this first, that there shall come at [the] close of the days mockers with mocking, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for from the time the fathers fell asleep all things remain thus from [the] beginning of [the] creation. 5 For this is hidden from them through their own wilfulness, that heavens were of old, and an earth, having its subsistence out of water and in water, by the word of God, 6 through which [waters] the then world, deluged with water, perished. 7 But the present heavens and the earth by his word are laid up in store, kept for fire unto a day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

8 But let not this one thing be hidden from you, beloved, that one day with [the] Lord [is] as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

9 [The] Lord does not delay his promise, as some account of delay, but is longsuffering towards you, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10 But the day of [the] Lord will come as a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise, and [the] elements, burning with heat, shall be dissolved, and [the] earth and the works in it shall be burnt up.

11 All these things then being to be dissolved, what ought ye to be in holy conversation and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, by reason of which [the] heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and [the] elements, burning with heat, shall melt? 13 But, according to his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness. 14 Wherefore, beloved, as ye wait for these things, be diligent to be found of him in peace, without spot and blameless; 15 and account the longsuffering of our Lord [to be] salvation; according as our beloved brother Paul also has written to you according to the wisdom given to him, 16 as also in all [his] epistles, speaking in them of these things; among which some things are hard to be understood, which the untaught and ill-established wrest, as also the other scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 Ye therefore, beloved, knowing [these] things before, take care lest, being led away along with the error of the wicked, ye should fall from your own stedfastness: 18 but grow in grace, and in [the] knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him [be] glory both now and to [the] day of eternity. Amen.