The Book of 2nd Peter
Chapter 1
1Simon Peter, a seruant & an Apostle of Iesus Christ, to them that haue obtained like precious Faith with vs, through the righteousnes of God, and our Sauiour Iesus Christ.
2Grace and peace be multiplied vnto you through the knowledge of God, and of Iesus our Lord,
3According as his diuine power hath giuen vnto vs all things that pertain vnto life and godlines, through the knowledge of him that hath called vs to glory and vertue.
4Whereby are giuen vnto vs exceeding great and precious promises, that by these you might bee partakers of the diuine nature, hauing escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5And besides this, giuing all diligence, adde to your faith, vertue; and to vertue knowledge;
6And to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godlinesse;
7And to godlinesse, brotherly kindnesse; and to brotherly kindnesse, charitie.
8For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that yee shall neither be barren, nor vnfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ.
9But hee that lacketh these things, is blind, and cannot see farre off, and hath forgotten that hee was purged from his old sinnes.
10Wherefore, the rather, brethren, giue diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye doe these things, ye shall neuer fall.
11For so an entrance shall be ministred vnto you abundantly, into the euerlasting kingdome of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ.
12Wherefore I wil not be negligent to put you alwayes in remembrance of these things, though yee know them, and be stablished in the present trueth.
13Yea, I thinke it meete, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stirre you vp, by putting you in remembrance:
14Knowing that shortly I must put off this my Tabernacle, euen as our Lord Iesus Christ hath shewed mee.
15Moreouer, I will endeuour, that you may bee able after my decease, to haue these things alwayes in remembrance.
16For wee haue not followed cunningly deuised fables, when wee made knowen vnto you the power and comming of our Lord Iesus Christ, but were eye witnesses of his Maiestie.
17For hee receiued from God the Father, honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloued Sonne in whom I am well pleased.
18And this voice which came from heauen wee heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.
19We haue also a more sure word of prophecie, whereunto yee doe well that ye take heede, as vnto a light that shineth in a darke place, vntill the day dawne, and the day starre arise in your hearts:
20Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any priuate Interpretation:
21For the prophecie came not in olde time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moued by the holy Ghost.
Chapter 2
1But there were false prophets also among the people, euen as there shall bee false teachers among you, who priuily shall bring in damnable heresies, euen denying the Lord that bought them, and bring vpon themselues swift destruction.
2And many shall follow their pernicious wayes, by reason of whom the way of trueth shall be euill spoken of:
3And through couetousnesse shall they with fained words, make marchandise of you, whose iudgement now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbreth not.
4For if God spared not the Angels that sinned, but cast them downe to hell, and deliuered them into chaines of darkenesse, to be reserued vnto iudgment:
5And spared not the old world, but saued Noah the eight person a preacher of righteousnesse, bringing in the flood vpon the world of the vngodly:
6And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes, condemned them with an ouerthrowe, making them an ensample vnto those that after should liue vngodly:
7And deliuered iust Lot, vexed with the filthy conuersation of the wicked:
8(For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing & hearing, vexed his righteous soule from day to day, with their vnlawfull deeds.)
9The Lord knoweth how to deliuer the godly out of temptations, and to reserue the vniust vnto the day of iudgement to be punished:
10But chiefly them that walke after the flesh in the lust of vncleannesse, and despise gouernment. Presumptuous are they; selfe willed: they are not afraid to speake euill of dignities:
11Whereas Angels which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
12But these, as natural bruit beasts made to bee taken and destroyed speake euill of the things that they vnderstand not, and shall vtterly perish in their owne corruption,
13And shall receiue the reward of vnrighteousnesse, as they that count it pleasure to riot in the day time: Spots they are and blemishes, sporting themselues with their owne deceiuings, while they feast with you:
14Hauing eyes ful of adulterie and that cannot cease from sinne, beguiling vnstable soules: an heart they haue exercised with couetous practises: cursed children:
15Which haue forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way of Balaam the sonne of Bosor, who loued the wages of vnrighteousnesse,
16But was rebuked for his iniquity: the dumbe asse speaking with mais voice, forbade the madnesse of the Prophet.
17These are welles without water, cloudes that are caried with a tempest, to whom the mist of darkenesse is reserued for euer.
18For when they speake great svelling words of vanitie, they alure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonnesse, those that were cleane escaped from them who liue in errour.
19While they promise them libertie, they themselues are the seruants of corruption: for of whom a man is ouercome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
20For if after they haue escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ, they are againe intangled therein, and ouercome, the latter end is worse with them then the beginning.
21For it had bin better for them not to haue knowen the way of righteousnesse, then after they haue knowen it, to turne from the holy commandement deliuered vnto them.
22But it is happened vnto them according to the true prouerbe: The dog is turned to his own vomit againe, and the sowe that was washed, to her wallowing in the mire.
Chapter 3
1This second Epistle (beloued) I now write vnto you, in both which I stir vp your pure mindes by way of remembrance:
2That yee may be mindfull of the wordes which were spoken before by the holy Prophets, and of the Commandement of vs the Apostles of the Lord and Sauiour:
3Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last dayes scoffers, walking after their owne lusts,
4And saying, Where is the promise of his comming? For since the fathers fell asleepe, all things continue as they were frō the beginning of the creation.
5For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heauens were of olde, and the earth standing out of the water, and in the water,
6Whereby the world that then was, being ouerflowed with water, perished.
7But the heauens and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserued vnto fire against the day of Iudgement, and perdition of vngodly men.
8But (beloued) bee not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand yeeres, and a thousand yeeres as one day.
9The Lord is not slacke cōcerning his promise (as some men count slacknesse) but is long-suffring to vs-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
10But the day of the Lord wil come as a thiefe in the night, in the which the heauens shall passe away with a great noise, and the Elements shall melt with feruent heate, the earth also and the works that are therin shalbe burnt vp.
11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolued, What maner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conuersation, and godlinesse,
12Looking for and hasting vnto the comming of the day of God, wherein the heauens being on fire shalbe dissolued, and the Elements shall melt with feruent heat.
13Neuerthelesse wee, according to his promise, looke for new heauens, and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousnesse.
14Wherefore (beloued) seeing that ye looke for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blamelesse.
15And account that the long suffering of the Lord is saluation, euen as our beloued brother Paul also, according to the wisedome giuen vnto him, hath written vnto you.
16As also in all his Epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to be vnderstood, which they that are vnlearned and vnstable wrest, as they doe also the other Scriptures, vnto their owne destruction.
17Ye therefore, beloued, seeing yee know these things before, beware lest yee also being led away with the errour of the wicked, fall from your owne stedfastnesse.
18But growe in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ: to him be glory both now and for euer. Amen.