< 2 Peter 1 >

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:
To those to whom, through the justice of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ, there has been granted faith equally privileged with our own, from Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ.
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through 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 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:
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 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.
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 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
Yes, and for this reason do your best to supplement your faith by goodness, goodness by knowledge,
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
knowledge by self-control, self-control by endurance, endurance by piety,
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
piety by mutual affection, and mutual affection by love.
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.
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 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old 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 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never 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 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (aiōnios g166)
For in this way you will be given a triumphant admission into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. (aiōnios g166)
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.
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 Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance;
But I think it my duty, as long as I live in this “tent,” to rouse you by awakening memories of the past;
14 Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed 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 Moreover I will endeavour that ye may be able after my decease to have these things always in remembrance.
So I will do my best to enable you, at any time after my departure, to call these truths to mind.
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.
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 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.
For he received honour 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 And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
These were the words that we heard, borne to our ears from heaven, when we were with him on that sacred mountain.
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:
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 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
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 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.
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.

< 2 Peter 1 >