2 Peter 3

1 This letter which I am now writing to you, dear friends, is my second letter. In both my letters I seek to revive in your honest minds the memory of certain things,

١ أَيُّهَا الأَحِبَّاءُ، أَنَا الآنَ أَكْتُبُ إِلَيْكُمْ رِسَالَتِي الثَّانِيَةَ. وَفِي كِلْتَا الرِّسَالَتَيْنِ، أَقْصِدُ أَنْ أُنَبِّهَ أَذْهَانَكُمُ الصَّافِيَةَ، مُذَكِّراً إِيَّاكُمْ بِحَقَائِقَ تَعْرِفُونَهَا.

2 so that you may recall the words spoken long ago by the holy Prophets, and the commandments of our Lord and Saviour given you through your Apostles.

٢ وَغَايَتِي أَنْ تَتَذَكَّرُوا الأَقْوَالَ الَّتِي أَعْلَنَهَا الأَنْبِيَاءُ الْقِدِّيسُونَ قَدِيماً، وَكَذَلِكَ وَصِيَّةَ الرَّبِّ وَالْمُخَلِّصِ، تِلْكَ الْوَصِيَّةَ الَّتِي نَقَلَهَا إِلَيْكُمُ الرُّسُلُ.

3 But, above all, remember that, in the last days, men will come who make a mock at everything--men governed only by their own passions,

٣ فَاعْلَمُوا، قَبْلَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ أَنَّهُ سَيَأْتِي فِي آخِرِ الأَيَّامِ أُنَاسٌ مُسْتَهْزِئُونَ يَسْخَرُونَ بِالْحَقِّ، وَيَسْلُكُونَ مُنْجَرِفِينَ وَرَاءَ شَهْوَاتِهِمِ الْخَاصَّةِ.

4 and, asking, "What has become of His promised Return? For from the time our forefathers fell asleep all things continue as they have been ever since the creation of the world."

٤ وَسَيَقُولُونَ: «أَيْنَ هُوَ الْوَعْدُ بِرُجُوعِ الْمَسِيحِ؟ فَمُنْذُ أَنْ مَاتَ آبَاؤُنَا الأَوَّلُونَ، بَلْ مُنْذُ بَدْءِ الْخَلِيقَةِ، مَازَالَ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ عَلَى حَالِهِ!»

5 For they are wilfully blind to the fact that there were heavens which existed of old, and an earth, the latter arising out of water and extending continuously through water, by the command of God;

٥ إِنَّهُمْ يَتَنَاسُونَ، عَمْداً، أَنَّهُ بِكَلِمَةِ أَمْرٍ مِنَ اللهِ وُجِدَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ مُنْذُ الْقَدِيمِ وَتَكَوَّنَتِ الأَرْضُ مِنَ الْمَاءِ وَبِالْمَاءِ.

6 and that, by means of these, the then existing race of men was overwhelmed with water and perished.

٦ وَبِكَلِمَةٍ مِنْهُ أَيْضاً، دُمِّرَ الْعَالَمُ الَّذِي كَانَ مَوْجُوداً فِي ذَلِكَ الزَّمَانِ، إِذْ فَاضَ الْمَاءُ عَلَيْهِ.

7 But the present heavens and the present earth are, by the command of the same God, kept stored up, reserved for fire in preparation for a day of judgement and of destruction for the ungodly.

٧ أَمَّا السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالأَرْضُ الْحَالِيَّةُ، فَسَتَبْقَى مَخْزُونَةً وَمَحْفُوظَةً لِلنَّارِ بِتِلْكَ الْكَلِمَةِ عَيْنِهَا إِلَى يَوْمِ الدَّيْنُونَةِ وَهَلاكِ الْفَاجِرِينَ!

8 But there is one thing, dear friends, which you must not forget. With the Lord one day resembles a thousand years and a thousand years resemble one day.

٨ وَلَكِنْ، أَيُّهَا الأَحِبَّاءُ، عَلَيْكُمْ أَلّا تَنْسَوْا هَذِهِ الْحَقِيقَةَ: إِنَّ يَوْماً وَاحِداً فِي نَظَرِ الرَّبِّ هُوَ كَأَلْفِ سَنَةٍ، وَأَلْفَ سَنَةٍ كَيَوْمٍ وَاحِدٍ.

9 The Lord is not slow in fulfilling His promise, in the sense in which some men speak of slowness. But He bears patiently with you, His desire being that no one should perish but that all should come to repentance.

٩ فَالرَّبُّ، إِذَنْ، لَا يُبْطِئُ فِي إِتْمَامِ وَعْدِهِ، كَمَا يَظُنُّ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ، وَلَكِنَّهُ يَتَأَنَّى عَلَيْكُمْ، فَهُوَ لَا يُرِيدُ لأَحَدٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ أَنْ يَهْلِكَ، بَلْ يُرِيدُ لِجَمِيعِ النَّاسِ أَنْ يَرْجِعُوا إِلَيْهِ تَائِبِينَ.

10 The day of the Lord will come like a thief--it will be a day on which the heavens will pass away with a rushing noise, the elements be destroyed in the fierce heat, and the earth and all the works of man be utterly burnt up.

١٠ إِلّا أَنَّ «يَوْمَ الرَّبِّ» سَيَأْتِي كَمَا يَأْتِي اللِّصُّ فِي اللَّيْلِ. فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ، تَزُولُ السَّمَاوَاتُ مُحْدِثَةً دَوِيًّا هَائِلاً وَتَنْحَلُّ الْعَنَاصِرُ مُحْتَرِقَةً بِنَارٍ شَدِيدَةٍ، وَتَحْتَرِقُ الأَرْضُ وَمَا فِيهَا مِنْ مُنْجَزَاتٍ.

11 Since all these things are thus pre-destined to dissolution, what sort of men ought you to be found to be in all holy living and godly conduct,

١١ وَمَادَامَتْ هَذِهِ الأَشْيَاءُ جَمِيعاً سَتَنْحَلُّ، فَكَيْفَ يَجِبُ أَنْ تَكُونُوا أَنْتُمْ أَصْحَابَ سُلُوكٍ مُقَدَّسٍ يَتَّصِفُ بِالتَّقْوَى،

12 eagerly looking forward to the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens, all ablaze, will be destroyed, and the elements will melt in the fierce heat?

١٢ مُنْتَظِرِينَ «يَوْمَ اللهِ» الأَبَدِيَّ وَطَالِبِينَ حُلُولَهُ بِسُرْعَةٍ. فَفِي ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمِ، تَنْحَلُّ السَّمَاوَاتُ مُلْتَهِبَةً، وَتَذُوبُ الْعَنَاصِرُ مُحْتَرِقَةً.

13 But in accordance with His promise we are expecting new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness will dwell.

١٣ إِلّا أَنَّنَا، وَفْقاً لِوَعْدِ الرَّبِّ، نَنْتَظِرُ سَمَاوَاتٍ جَدِيدَةً وَأَرْضاً جَدِيدَةً، حَيْثُ يَسْكُنُ الْبِرُّ.

14 Therefore, dear friends, since you have these expectations, earnestly seek to be found in His presence, free from blemish or reproach, in peace.

١٤ فَبَيْنَمَا تَنْتَظِرُونَ إِتْمَامَ هَذَا الْوَعْدِ، أَيُّهَا الأَحِبَّاءُ، اجْتَهِدُوا أَنْ يَجِدَكُمُ الرَّبُّ فِي سَلامٍ، خَالِينَ مِنَ الدَّنَسِ وَالْعَيْبِ.

15 And always regard the patient forbearance of our Lord as salvation, as our dear brother Paul also has written to you in virtue of the wisdom granted to him.

١٥ وَتَأَكَّدُوا أَنَّ تَأَنِّيَ رَبِّنَا فِي رُجُوعِهِ، هُوَ فُرْصَةٌ لِلْخَلاصِ. إِنَّ أَخَانَا الْحَبِيبَ بُولُسَ قَدْ كَتَبَ إِلَيْكُمْ أَيْضاً عَنْ هَذِهِ الأُمُورِ عَيْنِهَا، بِحَسَبِ الْحِكْمَةِ الَّتِي أَعْطَاهُ إِيَّاهَا الرَّبُّ.

16 That is what he says in all his letters, when speaking in them of these things. In those letters there are some statements hard to understand, which ill-taught and unprincipled people pervert, just as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own ruin.

١٦ وَمَا كَتَبَهُ فِي رِسَالَتِهِ إِلَيْكُمْ، يُوَافِقُ مَا كَتَبَهُ فِي بَاقِي رَسَائِلِهِ. وَفِي تِلْكَ الرَّسَائِلِ كُلِّهَا أُمُورٌ صَعْبَةُ الْفَهْمِ، يُحَرِّفُهَا الْجُهَّالُ وَغَيْرُ الرَّاسِخِينَ فِي الْحَقِّ، كَمَا يُحَرِّفُونَ غَيْرَهَا أَيْضاً مِنَ الْكِتَابَاتِ الْمُوْحَى بِها، فَيَجْلِبُونَ الْهَلاكَ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ.

17 You, therefore, dear friends, having been warned beforehand, must continually be on your guard so as not to be led astray by the false teaching of immoral men nor fall from your own stedfastness.

١٧ أَمَّا أَنْتُمْ أَيُّهَا الأَحِبَّاءُ، فَإِذْ قَدْ تَنَبَّهْتُمْ إِلَى الْخَطَرِ قَبْلَ حُدُوثِهِ، احْذَرُوا أَنْ تَسْقُطُوا عَنْ ثَبَاتِكُمْ بِالانْجِرَافِ وَرَاءَ ضَلالِ الأَشْرَارِ.

18 But be always growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be all glory, both now and to the day of Eternity! (aiōn g165)

١٨ وَلَكِنْ، ازْدَادُوا نُمُوّاً فِي النِّعْمَةِ وَفِي مَعْرِفَةِ رَبِّنَا وَمُخَلِّصِنَا يَسُوعَ الْمَسِيحِ. لَهُ الْمَجْدُ، الآنَ وَإِلَى الْيَوْمِ الأَبَدِيِّ. (aiōn g165)

The World is Destroyed by Water