2 Peter 3:1–18

Purpose of This Letter

¹This is now, ^abeloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am ^bstirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,

²that you should ^aremember the words spoken beforehand by ^bthe holy prophets and ^cthe commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.

The Coming Day of the Lord

^3aKnow this first of all, that ^bin the last days ^cmockers will come with their mocking, ^dfollowing after their own lusts,

⁴and saying, “^aWhere is the promise of His ^bcoming? For ever since the fathers ^cfell asleep, all continues just as it was ^dfrom the beginning of creation.”

⁵For ¹when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that ^aby the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was ^bformed out of water and by water,

⁶through which ^athe world at that time was ^bdestroyed, being flooded with water.

⁷But by His word ^athe present heavens and earth are being reserved for ^bfire, kept for ^cthe day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

⁸But do not let this one fact escape your notice, ^abeloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and ^ba thousand years like one day.

^9aThe Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but ^bis patient toward you, ^cnot wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

A New Heaven and Earth

¹⁰But ^athe day of the Lord ^bwill come like a thief, in which ^cthe heavens ^dwill pass away with a roar and the ^eelements will be destroyed with intense heat, and ^fthe earth and ¹its works will be ²burned up.

¹¹Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,

^12alooking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which ^bthe heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the ^celements will melt with intense heat!

¹³But according to His ^apromise we are looking for ^bnew heavens and a new earth, ^cin which righteousness dwells.

^14aTherefore, ^bbeloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be ^cfound by Him in peace, ^dspotless and blameless,

¹⁵and regard the ^apatience of our Lord as salvation; just as also ^bour beloved brother Paul, ^caccording to the wisdom given him, wrote to you,

¹⁶as also in all his letters, speaking in them of ^athese things, ^bin which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and ^cunstable distort, as they do also ^dthe rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.

¹⁷You therefore, ^abeloved, knowing this beforehand, ^bbe on your guard so that you are not carried away by ^cthe error of ^dunprincipled men and ^efall from your own steadfastness,

¹⁸but grow in the grace and ^aknowledge of our ^bLord and Savior Jesus Christ. ^cTo Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.