Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us, in the righteousness of our God, and of our saviour Jesus Christ:

as his divine power hath given us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who hath called us by that glory and virtue,

by which are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye may become partakers of a divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

But he, that hath not these, is blind, or short-sighted, having forgot his baptismal purification from his former sins.

knowing that I must soon lay down this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath shewed me.

And I will endeavour that after my departure also ye may always be able to call these things to remembrance.

knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation;

But there were indeed false prophets among the people of old, as there will be also among you false teachers, who will privately introduce pernicious heresies, denying even the Lord that bought them, and bringing upon themselves swift destruction,

For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgement; and if He spared not the old world,

and reducing the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha to ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those that should afterwards be impious;

(for that good man by seeing and hearing their crimes, when he dwelt among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day with their

But it is happened to them according to the true proverb, The dog is returned to his own vomit, and, The swine that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.

that ye may be mindful of the words formerly spoken by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: knowing this first,

that there will come in the last days scoffers,

walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the declaration of his coming? for except that the fathers are fallen asleep, all things remain as they were from the beginning of the creation.

For they are willingly ignorant of this, that by the Word of God the heavens were made of old, and the earth too from the water, and subsisting on the water.

But the heavens and the earth, that now are, by the same Word are kept in store, reserved unto fire on the day of judgement and destruction of ungodly men.

But, beloved; be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The Lord is not slow as to his promise (as some count it slowness) but is long-suffering towards us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in holy conversation and godliness,