2 Peter

¹This is now, beloved, the second letter that I have written to you and in both of them, I stir up your sincere mind by reminding you ²that you should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior [given] through your apostles. ³First of all, know that in the last days, mockers will come, walking after their own lusts. ⁴They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? Since the days that our forefathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” ⁵But they willfully forget that in the old days, there were the heavens and the earth, formed out of water and through water by the word of God. ⁶By means of these, the world of old was flooded with water and perished. ⁷But by his word, the heavens and the earth that exist now have been reserved for the fire of the day of judgment and for the destruction of those who are ungodly. ⁸Beloved, do not forget that with the Lord, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day! ⁹The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some people think that he is. Instead, he is patient with us, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. ¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; and in this day, the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise, the elements will be dissolved by intense heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.²³⁵²

¹¹Therefore, since all these things will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people should you be in terms of holy living and godliness! ¹²You should look for and eagerly desire the coming of the day of God, which will cause the burning heavens to be dissolved and the elements to melt with intense heat! ¹³But, according to his promise, we look for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness is at home.

Call to watchfulness

¹⁴Therefore, beloved, as you look for these things, do your utmost to be found in peace, without blemish and blameless in his sight. ¹⁵Consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you²³⁵³ with the wisdom given to him. ¹⁶He does so in all his letters, speaking of these things. However, his letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they also do with the other Scriptures. ¹⁷Beloved, since you know these things in advance, be careful and fear that being carried away with the error of the wicked, you might fall from your own secure position. ¹⁸Instead, grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory, both now and unto ages of ages. Amen.

2352. CT reads “will be discovered” which seems a more likely reading. See also Hebrews 1:10-12
2353. Perhaps an indication that this letter was addressed to the Jewish members of a Pauline community