1Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have received a faith as precious as ours, through the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ:
2May grace and peace be given to you more and more, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.
3His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godly living. It comes through knowing him who called us to his own glory and goodness.
4Through them he has given us his very great and precious promises. By these promises you may share in the divine nature, since you have escaped the rottenness that is in the world through evil desire.
5So do your very best. Add goodness to your faith, and knowledge to your goodness;
6and self-control to your knowledge; and patience to your self-control; and godliness to your patience;
7and brotherly kindness to your godliness; and love to your brotherly kindness.
8If these things are in you, and grow, they will keep you from being idle or fruitless in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9But anyone who lacks these things is blind. He cannot see far off, and he has forgotten that he was washed clean from his old sins.
10So all the more, brothers and sisters, work hard to make your calling and choosing sure. If you do these things, you will never fall.
11And in this way you will be given a rich welcome into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
12So I will not fail to keep reminding you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly settled in the truth you now have.
13Yes, I think it is right, as long as I live in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you.
14I know that I must soon lay this tent of mine aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me.
15And I will do my best to see that after I am gone you will always be able to remember these things.
16We did not follow clever made-up stories when we told you about the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majesty with our own eyes.
17For he received honour and glory from God the Father, when a voice came to him from the magnificent glory: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
18We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, when we were with him on the holy mountain.
19We also have the word of the prophets, made more sure. You do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.
20First of all, know this: no prophecy of the scripture comes from anyone's own interpretation.
21For prophecy never came long ago by the will of man. Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.