The Second Epistle of Peter

© 2009 William R. Finck Jr.

William Finck also has an online commentary for the Epistles of Peter here at Christogenea.org 

I 1 Sumeon Petros servant and ambassador of Yahshua Christ, to those who have obtained by fate with us an equally valued faith in the righteousness of our God and Savior Yahshua Christ, 2 favor to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of our God and Prince Yahshua, 3 as His divine power has given to us all things which are for life and piety through the knowledge of He who has called us into His own honor and virtue, 4 by which He has given to us precious and very great promises, in order that through these you would be partakers of the divine nature, fleeing from the corruption in Society in lust. 5 And for this same thing also besides applying all earnestness you provide virtue in addition to your faith, and with the virtue knowledge, 6 and with the knowledge self-control, and with the self-control endurance, and with the endurance piety, 7 and with the piety brotherly love, and with the brotherly love charity. 8 For these things belonging to you and abounding are set down for the knowledge of our Prince Yahshua Christ neither to be idle nor fruitless. 9 Indeed in he whom these things are not present, he is blind, being short-sighted, possessing a forgetfulness of the cleansing of his old errors. 10 On which account still more, brethren, you be earnest to make your calling and election firm. For doing these things you shall by no means fail at any time. 11 For thusly shall there be richly provided to you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Prince and Savior Yahshua Christ.

12 On which account I am always going to remind you concerning these things even though you know and are established in the present truth. 13 Now I deem it righteous, for as long as I am in this tabernacle, to arouse you by reminder, 14 knowing that soon is the putting aside of my tabernacle, just as also our Prince Yahshua Christ has shown me, 15 and I shall also be diligent that on every occasion you have a mention to do these things after my departure.

16 For not following after cleverly devised myths have we made known to you the power and presence of our Prince Yahshua Christ, but having been spectators of His majesty. 17 For receiving from Father Yahweh the dignity and honor of so great a voice having been produced for Him by the Magnificent Effulgence: “This is My beloved Son in whom I am pleased”, 18 and this voice we had heard having been produced from out of heaven, with Him being on the holy mountain. 19 And we have a more certain word of prophecy, which you do well holding to as a light shining in a squalid place, until which day it should dawn and the Light-bearer should arise in your hearts, 20 knowing this first, that any prophecy of Scripture must not be of peculiar explanation, 21 for not at any time has prophecy been produced by the will of man, but being produced by the Holy Spirit men had spoken from Yahweh.

II 1 Now there were also false prophets among the people, as even among you there shall be false teachers who shall introduce destructive systems of philosophy, even denying the Master who has bought them, bringing upon themselves quick destruction, 2 and many shall follow in their licentiousness, because of whom the way of truth shall be blasphemed, 3 and with greediness they shall make profit from you with fictitious words, for whom from of old their judgment is not idle and their destruction does not sleep!

4 For if Yahweh did not spare the messengers who had done wrong but having cast them into Tartaros into a pit of darkness He had delivered them being kept for judgment, 5 and He did not spare of the old society but He had kept Noah, the eighth proclaimer of righteousness, having brought a deluge upon the society of the impious, 6 and the cities of Sodom and Gomorra burning to ashes He had condemned to destruction, having been set forth for an example of those who are going to be impious, 7 and He delivered the righteous Lot who had been oppressed by the licentious conduct of the lawless 8 (for with sights and reports the righteous one dwelling among them day by day tormented a righteous soul with their lawless deeds), 9 the Prince knows to deliver the pious from trial, but to keep the unrighteous being punished for a day of judgment – 10 and especially those going after the flesh with desires of defilement and despising authority, presumptuous adventurers, not fearing honor they blaspheme, 11 where the messengers being greater in power and ability do not bring against them a judgment for blasphemy as appropriate.

12 But these, having been born as natural irrational animals into destruction and corruption in which blaspheming they are ignorant in their corruption they also shall perish, 13 doing injustice for the wages of injustice, regarding luxury a pleasure by day, stains and disgraces reveling in their deceits feasting together with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery and unable to cease from wrongdoing, enticing unstable souls, having hearts exercised for greediness, cursed children, 15 abandoning the straight road they have wandered astray, following in the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who had loved the wage of unrighteousness, 16 but he had a rebuke for his own transgression: a dumb beast of burden with the voice of a man having spoken clearly had curbed the derangement of the prophet. 17 These are streams without water and clouds being driven by a tempest, for whom the gloom of darkness is kept. 18 For uttering excessive vanity they entice with the licentious desires of the flesh those nearly escaping who are returning to error. 19 Proclaiming for themselves freedom they become slaves of corruption. For by that which one is overcome, to this he is enslaved. 20 For if escaping the pollutions of Society by the knowledge of our Prince and Savior Yahshua Christ, and these being entangled again are overcome, the ends of them become worse than the beginnings! 21 For it was better for them not having known the way of righteousness than they know turning away from the holy commandment having been delivered to them. 22 But the truth of the proverb happened to them: “A dog returns to its own vomit”, and “a sow being cleansed to rolling in mud”.

III 1 This is now, beloved, the second letter I write to you, in which I arouse your pure minds with a mention, 2 to remind of the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and of the commandment of your ambassadors from the Prince and Savior, 3 knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers with scoffing going according to their own desires 4 and saying “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers have fallen asleep, all things continue thusly from the beginning of creation!” 5 For this willingly escapes them: that the heavens were from old and the earth from out of water and through water had been put together by the Word of Yahweh, 6 by which the Society at that time was destroyed having been inundated with water, 7 but now the heavens and the earth are being preserved by the same Word, being kept for fire for a day of judgment and destruction of the impious men.

8 But you must not forget this one thing, beloved: that one day with the Prince is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The Prince does not delay the promise, as some regard delay, but has forbearance for us, not wishing for any to be destroyed but that all should have space for repentance.

10 But the day of the Prince shall come as a thief, at which the heavens shall pass away with a rushing noise, and the elements shall dissolve with burning heat and the earth and the works in it shall be discovered. 11 Thusly with all of these things being dissolved in such manner, it is necessary for you to be in holy conduct and piety, 12 expecting and being anxious for the coming of the day of Yahweh, on account of which the heavens being ablaze shall dissolve and the elements melt burning with heat. 13 But we may expect new heavens and a new earth according to His promise, in which righteousness dwells.

14 On which account, beloved, expecting these things you must be anxious to be found by Him spotless and blameless in peace. 15 And regard the forbearing salvation of our Prince, just as also our beloved brother Paul according to the wisdom given to him has written to you, 16 as also in all the letters speaking in them concerning these things, in which some things are hard to understand, which those who are unlearned and unstable pervert – as also the rest of the writings – for their own destruction!

17 Therefore you, beloved, understanding beforehand must watch, lest being led away in the deception of the lawless you should fall from your own steadfastness, 18 but grow in the favor and knowledge of our Prince and Savior Yahshua Christ. To Him is the honor both now and in the eternal day. Truly.