2 Peter 1
1 This letter comes from Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who share with us the same priceless trust in our God and Savior Jesus Christ, the one who is truly good and right.
To those to whom, through the justice of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, there has been granted faith equally privileged with our own, from Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ.
2 May you have ever more grace and peace as you grow in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
May blessing and peace be yours in ever increasing measure, as you advance in the knowledge of God and of Jesus, our Lord.
3 Through his divine power we have been given everything that's important to live a God-centered life. This comes through knowing him who called us to himself by his own glory and goodness. In this way he's given us wonderful, priceless promises.
For his divine power has given us everything that is needful for a life of piety, as we advance in the knowledge of him who called us by a glorious manifestation of his goodness.
4 Through these promises you can share in the divine nature, being rid of the corruption caused by this world's evil desires.
For it was through this that he gave us what we prize as the greatest of his promises, that through them you might participate in the divine nature, now that you have fled from the corruption in the world, resulting from human passions.
5 For this same reason, do everything you can! Add to your trust in God, goodness; add to goodness, knowledge;
Yes, and for this reason do your best to supplement your faith by goodness, goodness by knowledge,
6 add to knowledge, self-control; add to self-control, patience; add to patience, reverence;
knowledge by self-control, self-control by endurance, endurance by piety,
7 add to reverence, affection for fellow-believers, add to affection for fellow-believers, love.
piety by mutual affection, and mutual affection by love.
8 The more you have these qualities, the more they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
For, when these virtues are yours, in increasing measure, they prevent your being indifferent to, or destitute of, a fuller knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For anyone who doesn't have such qualities is short-sighted, or blind. They forget that they've been cleansed from their past sins.
Surely the person who has not these virtues is shortsighted even to blindness, and has chosen to forget that they have been purified from their sins of the past!
10 So, brothers and sisters, be all the more determined to make sure you are truly “called and chosen.” If you do this, you won't ever fall.
Therefore, friends, do your best to put God’s call and selection of you beyond all doubt; for, if you do this, you will never fall.
11 You will receive a tremendous welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. (aiōnios g166)
For in this way you will be given a triumphant admission into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. (aiōnios g166)
12 That's why I always remind you about these things, even though you know them already, and you stand firm in the truth that you possess.
I will, therefore, always be ready to remind you of all this, even though you know it and are firmly established in the truth that you now hold.
13 But I still think it's a good idea to encourage you by giving you reminders while I live.
But I think it my duty, as long as I live in this ‘tent,’ to rouse you by awakening memories of the past;
14 I know the time when I shall leave this life will be coming soon— our Lord Jesus Christ has made this clear to me.
for I know that the time for this ‘tent’ of mine to be put away is soon coming, as our Lord Jesus Christ himself assured me.
15 I will do my best so that when I'm gone you will always be able to remember these things.
So I will do my best to enable you, at any time after my departure, to call these truths to mind.
16 We didn't follow made-up myths when we told you about the coming in power of our Lord Jesus Christ—we saw his majesty for ourselves.
For we were not following cleverly devised stories when we told you of the coming in power of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eye-witnesses of his majesty.
17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice of majestic glory spoke to him and announced, “This is my Son, the one I love, and who truly pleases me.”
For he received honor and glory from God the Father, when from the glory of the Divine Majesty there were borne to his ears words such as these – ‘This is my dearly loved son, who brings me great joy.’
18 We ourselves heard this voice speak from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.
These were the words that we heard, borne to our ears from heaven, when we were with him on that sacred mountain.
19 We also have the confirming word of prophecy that's absolutely trustworthy, and you will benefit from paying close attention to it. It's like a lamp that shines in a dark place until the day dawns, and the morning star shines to illuminate your minds.
And still stronger is the assurance that we have in the teaching of the prophets; to which you will do well to pay attention (as if it were a lamp shining in a gloomy place), until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
20 Most of all you should realize that no prophecy of scripture is a matter for interpretation based on the whims of an individual,
But first be assured of this: There is no prophetic teaching found in scripture that can be interpreted by a person’s unaided reason;
21 for no prophecy originated in human ideas, but prophets spoke for God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
for no prophetic teaching ever came in the old days at the mere wish of people, but people, moved by the Holy Spirit, spoke direct from God.
