1 This letter is from me, Simon Peter. I am Jesus Christ's servant and his apostle.
I am writing to you people who believe in Jesus Christ, as we do. That is a valuable gift that God has given to us all. He has done this because Jesus is completely good and right. Jesus is the one who saves us. He is the God that we serve.
2 I pray that God will help you and give you peace in your minds more and more. You will grow as believers because you know God and you know Jesus, our Lord.
3 God is very powerful because he is God. He has used that power to help us. He has given us everything that we need to live in a good way. We can do things that make God happy. This is possible because now we know him. God has chosen us to be his people because he is very great and very good. 4 Because of this, God has promised that he will do very great and valuable things for us. As a result, you can do what is right, like God does. The people who belong to this world want to do bad things. Those bad things make them become worse and worse. But God gives you the power to be free from all that.
5 God has done all this to help you. So now that you believe in Christ, you must grow as believers. Try very much to do always what is good. Then you should grow to know God more and more. 6 Then you should learn to control yourselves properly. That is not all. You should also learn to be patient and brave. And you should live in a way that pleases God. 7 You should not only please God, but you should be kind to other believers. You should not only love other believers, but you must also love all people.
8 You should continue to grow as believers in all these ways. Then it will show that you really know our Lord Jesus Christ. People will see that your life has good results. 9 But some people do not live in these good ways. They do not think that these things are important. They are like blind people. They cannot really see anything properly. They have forgotten that God has made them clean from all the sins that they did in past times.
10 So, my friends, try very much to live in a way that pleases God. God has chosen you to be his own people. Show that you really do belong to him! If you do these things, you will never turn away from God. 11 Then God will bring you safely into the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ that continues for ever. Jesus Christ is our Saviour and God will be happy to welcome you into his kingdom.
12 You already know these things. You know that they are completely true. But because they are important, I will continue to tell you about them again and again. 13 While I am still alive on this earth I will continue to make sure that you remember them. I think that it is right for me to do that. 14 I know that I will die soon. Our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that clearly. 15 After I am no longer with you, I want you still to remember what I have told you. So I will make sure that you have something to help you not to forget.
16 We told you that our Lord Jesus Christ is powerful. We also told you that he will return to earth again. We were not telling you false stories that came from people's clever ideas. Instead, we were telling you what we ourselves had seen. We ourselves saw that the Lord Jesus is very great. 17-18 We were with him on the holy mountain when his Father God spoke to him. [ a ] God gave honour to his Son, Jesus, and he said that Jesus is great. We ourselves heard God's voice speak to Jesus from heaven above where God rules with power. He said: ‘This is my Son and I love him. He makes me very happy.’
19 As well as that, we have the prophets' messages from long ago. They also show us very clearly that these things are true. The prophets' words are like a light that shines in a dark place. That light continues to shine in the dark until the dawn comes. So you need to think about those messages carefully. Then the morning star will rise and it will bring light deep inside you. [ b ] 20 It is very important that you should understand this: The prophets' messages in the Bible did not come from their own ideas. That never happens. 21 None of the prophets' messages came because any person wanted to say something. Instead, God's Holy Spirit caused people to speak words that came from God. [ c ]
1 Greetings from Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ.
To all of you who share in the same valuable faith that we have. This faith was given to us because our God and Savior Jesus Christ always does what is good and right.
2 Grace and peace be given to you more and more, because now you know God and Jesus our Lord.
3 Jesus has the power of God. And his power has given us everything we need to live a life devoted to God. We have these things because we know him. Jesus chose us by his glory and goodness, 4 through which he also gave us the very great and rich gifts that he promised us. With these gifts you can share in being like God. And so you will escape the ruin that comes to people in the world because of the evil things they want.
5 Because you have these blessings, do all you can to add to your life these things: to your faith add goodness; to your goodness add knowledge; 6 to your knowledge add self-control; to your self-control add patience; to your patience add devotion to God; 7 to your devotion add kindness toward your brothers and sisters in Christ, and to this kindness add love. 8 If all these things are in you and growing, you will never fail to be useful to God. You will produce the kind of fruit that should come from your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 But those who don’t grow in these blessings are blind. They cannot see clearly what they have. They have forgotten that they were cleansed from their past sins.
10 My brothers and sisters, God called you and chose you to be his. Do your best to live in a way that shows you really are God’s called and chosen people. If you do all this, you will never fall. 11 And you will be given a very great welcome into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, a kingdom that never ends.
12 You already know these things. You are very strong in the truth you have. But I am always going to help you remember them. 13 While I am still living here on earth, I think it is right for me to remind you of them. 14 I know that I must soon leave this body. Our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that. 15 I will try my best to make sure you remember these things even after I am gone.
16 We told you about the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. We told you about his coming. The things we told you were not just clever stories that people invented. No, we saw the greatness of Jesus with our own eyes. 17 Jesus heard the voice of the great and glorious God. That was when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice said, “This is my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with him.” 18 And we heard that voice. It came from heaven while we were with Jesus on the holy mountain. [ a ]
19 This makes us more sure about what the prophets said. And it is good for you to follow closely what they said, which is like a light shining in a dark place. You have that light until the day begins and the morning star brings new light to your minds. 20 Most important of all, you must understand this: No prophecy in the Scriptures comes from the prophet’s own understanding. 21 No prophecy ever came from what some person wanted to say. But people were led by the Holy Spirit and spoke words from God.
1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
12 Wherefore I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
13 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.
15 Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.
16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
17 For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
18 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19 We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts:
20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
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.
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.
1 Simon Peter, a servant ( A ) and apostle of Jesus Christ, ( B )
To those who through the righteousness ( C ) of our God and Savior Jesus Christ ( D ) have received a faith as precious as ours:
2 Grace and peace be yours in abundance ( E ) through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. ( F )
3 His divine power ( G ) has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him ( H ) who called us ( I ) by his own glory and goodness. 4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, ( J ) so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, ( K ) having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. ( L )
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ( M ) 6 and to knowledge, self-control; ( N ) and to self-control, perseverance; ( O ) and to perseverance, godliness; ( P ) 7 and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ( Q ) 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive ( R ) in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ( S ) 9 But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, ( T ) forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. ( U )
10 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, [ a ] make every effort to confirm your calling ( V ) and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, ( W ) 11 and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom ( X ) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ( Y )
12 So I will always remind you of these things, ( Z ) even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth ( AA ) you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory ( AB ) as long as I live in the tent of this body, ( AC ) 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, ( AD ) as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ( AE ) 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure ( AF ) you will always be able to remember these things.
16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, ( AG ) but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ( AH ) 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” [ b ] ( AI ) 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. ( AJ )
19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, ( AK ) and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light ( AL ) shining in a dark place, until the day dawns ( AM ) and the morning star ( AN ) rises in your hearts. ( AO ) 20 Above all, you must understand ( AP ) that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God ( AQ ) as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. ( AR )
