Translation in British English
1:1 Simon Peter, servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have attained a faith of equal value to ours, through the righteousness of God and our Redeemer, Jesus Christ:
1:2 May grace and peace be richly multiplied to you, through your knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
1:3 His divine power has bestowed upon us everything necessary for a life of godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and virtue.
1:4 Through these, He has given us His exceedingly great and precious promises, so that through them you may partake in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by lust.
1:5 Furthermore, in your devotion, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;
1:6 to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, endurance; to endurance, godliness;
1:7 to godliness, brotherly affection; and to brotherly affection, love.
1:8 For if these qualities are yours and abound, they ensure that you will not be ineffective or unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1:9 But the one who lacks these qualities is shortsighted, blind, having forgotten that they were cleansed from their past sins.
1:10 Therefore, brethren, strive all the more to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never stumble.
1:11 For in this way, an entrance will be abundantly provided to you into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
1:12 Therefore, I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have.
1:13 I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by reminding you,
1:14 knowing that soon I must put aside my earthly dwelling, as our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me.
1:15 And I will make every effort to ensure that after my departure you will be able to recall these things at all times.
1:16 For we did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
1:17 For He received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
1:18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with Him on the sacred mountain.
1:19 We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
1:20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.
1:21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
2:1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
2:2 Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
2:3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.
2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;
2:5 if He did not spare the ancient world when He brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;
2:6 if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;
2:7 and if He rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless
2:8 for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard,
2:9 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
2:10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings;
2:11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord.
2:12 But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.
2:13 They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you.
2:14 With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood!
2:15 They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness.
2:16 But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.
2:17 These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.
2:18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.
2:19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”
2:20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.
2:21 It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them.
2:22 Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”
3:1 This second letter, beloved, I now write to you. In both of them I stir up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
3:2 that you should remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Saviour given through your apostles.
3:3 Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
3:4 They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ He promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”
3:5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
3:6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
3:7 By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.
3:8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
3:9 The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
3:11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
3:12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
3:13 But in keeping with His promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.
3:14 Therefore, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with Him.
3:15 Bear in mind that our Lord’s patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him.
3:16 He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
3:17 Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position.
3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen.
©This translation from the Greek text is the copyrighted work of churchpedia.org. Any commercial use of this translation is strictly prohibited, and if reposted, it must underline the authority of churchpedia.org and have a clear active link directing to this original page.
Content Disclaimer:
This translation is presented directly from the original Greek text. While faithfulness to the source material is paramount, it’s important to acknowledge that the Bible contains passages depicting violence, discrimination, and other sensitive content reflecting its historical and cultural context. Readers are encouraged to approach the text with respect and understanding, recognizing the diverse interpretations and perspectives it has generated throughout history.