1 B eloved, I am now writing you this second letter. In them I have stirred up your unsullied (sincere) mind by way of remembrance,

Dear friends, this is the second letter I have written to you. In both of them I have tried to get you to remember some things.

2 T hat you should recall the predictions of the holy (consecrated, dedicated) prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles (His special messengers).

You should remember the words that were spoken before by the holy early preachers. Do not forget the teaching of the Lord, the One Who saves. This was given to you by your missionaries.

3 T o begin with, you must know and understand this, that scoffers (mockers) will come in the last days with scoffing, walk after their own fleshly desires

First of all, I want you to know that in the last days men will laugh at the truth. They will follow their own sinful desires.

4 A nd say, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the forefathers fell asleep, all things have continued exactly as they did from the beginning of creation.

They will say, “He promised to come again. Where is He? Since our early fathers died, everything is the same from the beginning of the world.”

5 F or they willfully overlook and forget this, that the heavens existence long ago by the word of God, and the earth also which was formed out of water and by means of water,

But they want to forget that God spoke and the heavens were made long ago. The earth was made out of water and water was all around it.

6 T hrough which the world that then was deluged with water and perished.

Long ago the earth was covered with water and it was destroyed.

7 B ut by the same word the present heavens and earth have been stored up (reserved) for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly people.

But the heaven we see now and the earth we live on now have been kept by His word. They will be kept until they are to be destroyed by fire. They will be kept until the day men stand before God and sinners will be destroyed.

8 N evertheless, do not let this one fact escape you, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day.

Dear friends, remember this one thing, with the Lord one day is as 1, 000 years, and 1, 000 years are as one day.

9 T he Lord does not delay and is not tardy or slow about what He promises, according to some people’s conception of slowness, but He is long-suffering (extraordinarily patient) toward you, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should turn to repentance.

The Lord is not slow about keeping His promise as some people think. He is waiting for you. The Lord does not want any person to be punished forever. He wants all people to be sorry for their sins and turn from them.

10 B ut the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will vanish (pass away) with a thunderous crash, and the '> material] elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.

The day of the Lord will come as a robber comes. The heavens will pass away with a loud noise. The sun and moon and stars will burn up. The earth and all that is in it will be burned up.

11 S ince all these things are thus in the process of being dissolved, what kind of person ought you to be in consecrated and holy behavior and devout and godly qualities,

Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, you should think about the kind of life you are living. It should be holy and God-like.

12 W hile you wait and earnestly long for (expect and hasten) the coming of the day of God by reason of which the flaming heavens will be dissolved, and the '> material] elements will flare and melt with fire?

You should look for the day of God to come. You should do what you can to make it come soon. At that time the heavens will be destroyed by fire. And the sun and moon and stars will melt away with much heat.

13 B ut we look for new heavens and a new earth according to His promise, in which righteousness (uprightness, freedom from sin, and right standing with God) is to abide.

We are looking for what God has promised, which are new heavens and a new earth. Only what is right and good will be there.

14 S o, beloved, since you are expecting these things, be eager to be found by Him without spot or blemish and at peace '> free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts].

Dear friends, since you are waiting for these things to happen, do all you can to be found by Him in peace. Be clean and free from sin.

15 A nd consider that the long-suffering of our Lord '> His slowness in avenging wrongs and judging the world] is salvation ( that which is conducive to the soul’s safety), even as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the spiritual insight given him,

You can be sure the long waiting of our Lord is part of His plan to save men from the punishment of sin. God gave our dear brother Paul the wisdom to write about this also.

16 S peaking of this as he does in all of his letters. There are some things in those that are difficult to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist and misconstrue to their own utter destruction, just as the rest of the Scriptures.

He wrote about these things in all of his writings. Some of these things are hard to understand. People who do not have much understanding and some who are not strong in the faith change the meaning of his letters. They do this to the other parts of the Holy Writings also. They are destroying themselves as they do this.

17 L et me warn you therefore, beloved, that knowing these things beforehand, you should be on your guard, lest you be carried away by the error of lawless and wicked fall from your own firm condition.

And so, dear friends, now that you know this, watch so you will not be led away by the mistakes of these sinful people. Do not be moved by them.

18 B ut grow in grace (undeserved favor, spiritual strength) and recognition and knowledge and understanding of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (the Messiah). To Him glory (honor, majesty, and splendor) both now and to the day of eternity. Amen (so be it)!

Grow in the loving-favor that Christ gives you. Learn to know our Lord Jesus Christ better. He is the One Who saves. May He have all the shining-greatness now and forever. Let it be so.