¹Dear friends, this is the second letter I’m writing to you. In both letters I’m trying to refresh your memory. ²I want you to remember the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and what the Lord and Savior commanded you through your apostles.

³First, you must understand this: In the last days people who follow their own desires will appear. These disrespectful people will ridicule ⸤God’s promise⸥ ⁴by saying, “What’s happened to his promise to return? Ever since our ancestors died, everything continues as it did from the beginning of the world.”

⁵They are deliberately ignoring one fact: Because of God’s word, heaven and earth existed a long time ago. The earth ⸤appeared⸥ out of water and was kept alive by water. ⁶Water also flooded and destroyed that world. ⁷By God’s word, the present heaven and earth are designated to be burned. They are being kept until the day ungodly people will be judged and destroyed.

⁸Dear friends, don’t ignore this fact: One day with the Lord is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. ⁹The Lord isn’t slow to do what he promised, as some people think. Rather, he is patient for your sake. He doesn’t want to destroy anyone but wants all people to have an opportunity to turn to him and change the way they think and act.

¹⁰The day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day heaven will pass away with a roaring sound. Everything that makes up the universe will burn and be destroyed. The earth and everything that people have done on it will be exposed.^a

Read in Logos

2 Peter 3:9: The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Footnotes

a 3:10 Some manuscripts and translations read “will be burned up.”