2 PeterChapter 3

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¹Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. In both letters I have tried to remind you of things. I want to stir you up to think in a pure way. ²I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago. And remember the command our Lord and Savior gave through your apostles. ³Most important, you must understand this. In the last days, people will come who make fun of the truth. They will mock and follow their own evil desires. ⁴They will say, "Where is this coming he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the world was made."a ⁵But they choose to forget something. Long ago, the heavens were there because God spoke. And the earth was formed out of water and by water. ⁶By water the world of that time perished in the flood. ⁷And by that same word, the heavens and earth we have now are kept for fire. They are kept for the day when ungodly people will be judged and destroyed. ⁸Dear friends, don't forget this one thing. To the Lord, one day is like a thousand years. And a thousand years are like one day. ⁹The Lord is not slow to keep his promise, as some people think of slowness. Instead, he is patient with you. He doesn't want anyone to perish. He wants everyone to turn back to God. ¹⁰But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar. Fire will destroy the elements. And the earth and everything done on it will be laid bare.b ¹¹Everything will be destroyed in this way. So what kind of people should you be? You should live holy and godly lives ¹²as you look forward to the day of God and help it come sooner. On that day the heavens will be destroyed by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ¹³But we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, just as God promised. Righteousness will live there.c ¹⁴So, dear friends, you are looking forward to these things. Try as hard as you can to be found at peace. Be spotless and without blame in his sight. ¹⁵Remember that our Lord is patient so that people can be saved. Our dear brother Paul also wrote to you about this. He wrote with the wisdom God gave him. ¹⁶He writes this way in all his letters when he talks about these things. Some parts of his letters are hard to understand. People who don't know better and aren't steady twist them. They twist the rest of the Scriptures too. And it leads to their own destruction. ¹⁷So, dear friends, you already know these things. Be on guard. Don't let the error of lawless people carry you away. Don't fall from your safe place. ¹⁸But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Glory belongs to him both now and forever. Amen.