1 Peter 2:12 - 2 Peter 3:13

English Standard Version

^12 (A)Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, ^(B)they may see your good deeds and glorify God on ^(C)the day of visitation.

Submission to Authority

^13 (D)Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,^[a] whether it be to the emperor^[b] as supreme, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him ^(E)to punish those who do evil and ^(F)to praise those who do good. ¹⁵ For this is the will of God, ^(G)that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ^16 (H)Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but ^(I)living as servants^[c] of God. ^17 (J)Honor everyone. ^(K)Love the brotherhood. ^(L)Fear God. Honor the emperor.

^18 (M)Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. ¹⁹ For this is a gracious thing, when, ^(N)mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But ^(O)if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. ²¹ For ^(P)to this you have been called, ^(Q)because Christ also suffered for you, ^(R)leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. ^22 (S)He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. ^23 (T)When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, ^(U)but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. ^24 (V)He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we ^(W)might die to sin and ^(X)live to righteousness. ^(Y)By his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵ For ^(Z)you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to ^(AA)the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Wives and Husbands

3 Likewise, wives, ^(AB)be subject to your own husbands, so that ^(AC)even if some do not obey the word, ^(AD)they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, ² when they see your ^(AE)respectful and pure conduct. ^3 (AF)Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— ⁴ but let your adorning be ^(AG)the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. ⁵ For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, ⁶ as Sarah obeyed Abraham, ^(AH)calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and ^(AI)do not fear anything that is frightening.

⁷ Likewise, ^(AJ)husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker ^(AK)vessel, since they are heirs with you^[d] of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Suffering for Righteousness' Sake

⁸ Finally, all of you, ^(AL)have unity of mind, sympathy, ^(AM)brotherly love, ^(AN)a tender heart, and ^(AO)a humble mind. ^9 (AP)Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, ^(AQ)bless, for ^(AR)to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. ¹⁰ For

¹³ Now ^(AT)who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? ^14 (AU)But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. ^(AV)Have no fear of them, ^(AW)nor be troubled, ¹⁵ but ^(AX)in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, ^(AY)always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and ^(AZ)respect, ^16 (BA)having a good conscience, so that, ^(BB)when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For ^(BC)it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

¹⁸ For Christ also ^(BD)suffered^{[e] (BE)}once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, ^(BF)that he might bring us to God, being put to death ^(BG)in the flesh but made alive ^(BH)in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which^[f] he went and ^(BI)proclaimed^[g] to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ because^[h] they formerly did not obey, ^(BJ)when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, ^(BK)while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, ^(BL)eight persons, were brought safely through water. ²¹ Baptism, which corresponds to this, ^(BM)now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but ^(BN)as an appeal to God for a good conscience, ^(BO)through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and ^(BP)is at the right hand of God, ^(BQ)with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Stewards of God's Grace

4 Since therefore ^(BR)Christ suffered in the flesh,^{[i] (BS)}arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for ^(BT)whoever has suffered in the flesh ^(BU)has ceased from sin, ^2 (BV)so as to live for ^(BW)the rest of the time in the flesh ^(BX)no longer for human passions but ^(BY)for the will of God. ³ For the time that is past ^(BZ)suffices ^(CA)for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. ⁴ With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of ^(CB)debauchery, and ^(CC)they malign you; ⁵ but they will give account to him who is ready ^(CD)to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For this is why ^(CE)the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

^7 (CF)The end of all things is at hand; therefore ^(CG)be self-controlled and sober-minded ^(CH)for the sake of your prayers. ⁸ Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since ^(CI)love covers a multitude of sins. ^9 (CJ)Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. ^10 (CK)As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, ^(CL)as good stewards of God's varied grace: ¹¹ whoever speaks, as one who speaks ^(CM)oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves ^(CN)by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything ^(CO)God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. ^(CP)To him belong glory and ^(CQ)dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Suffering as a Christian

¹² Beloved, do not be surprised at ^(CR)the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice ^(CS)insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad ^(CT)when his glory is revealed. ^14 (CU)If you are insulted ^(CV)for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory^[j] and of God rests upon you. ¹⁵ But ^(CW)let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or ^(CX)as a meddler. ¹⁶ Yet ^(CY)if anyone suffers as a ^(CZ)Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God ^(DA)in that name. ¹⁷ For it is time for judgment ^(DB)to begin at the household of God; and ^(DC)if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who ^(DD)do not obey the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And

¹⁹ Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will ^(DF)entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.

Shepherd the Flock of God

5 So I exhort the elders among you, ^(DG)as a fellow elder and ^(DH)a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: ^2 (DI)shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,^{[l] (DJ)}not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;^{[m] (DK)}not for shameful gain, but eagerly; ³ not ^(DL)domineering over those in your charge, but ^(DM)being examples to the flock. ⁴ And when ^(DN)the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the ^(DO)unfading ^(DP)crown of glory. ⁵ Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. ^(DQ)Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ^(DR)“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

^6 (DS)Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, ^7 (DT)casting all your anxieties on him, because ^(DU)he cares for you. ^8 (DV)Be sober-minded; ^(DW)be watchful. Your ^(DX)adversary the devil ^(DY)prowls around ^(DZ)like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ^9 (EA)Resist him, ^(EB)firm in your faith, knowing that ^(EC)the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. ¹⁰ And ^(ED)after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, ^(EE)who has called you to his ^(EF)eternal glory in Christ, will himself ^(EG)restore, ^(EH)confirm, strengthen, and establish you. ^11 (EI)To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

¹² By ^(EJ)Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, ^(EK)I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is ^(EL)the true grace of God. ^(EM)Stand firm in it. ¹³ She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does ^(EN)Mark, my son. ^14 (EO)Greet one another with the kiss of love.

^(EP)Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

Greeting

1 Simeon^[n] Peter, a servant^[o] and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained ^(EQ)a faith of equal standing with ours ^(ER)by the righteousness of our ^(ES)God and Savior Jesus Christ:

^2 (ET)May grace and peace be multiplied to you ^(EU)in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Confirm Your Calling and Election

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him ^(EV)who called us to^[p] his own glory and excellence,^{[q] 4} by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become ^(EW)partakers of the divine nature, ^(EX)having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith ^(EY)with virtue,^[r] and virtue ^(EZ)with knowledge, ⁶ and knowledge with self-control, and self-control ^(FA)with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷ and godliness ^(FB)with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection ^(FC)with love. ⁸ For if these qualities^[s] are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or ^(FD)unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he ^(FE)is blind, having forgotten that he was ^(FF)cleansed from his former sins. ¹⁰ Therefore, brothers,^[t] be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and ^(FG)election, for if you practice these qualities ^(FH)you will never fall. ¹¹ For in this way there will be richly provided for you ^(FI)an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

¹² Therefore I intend ^(FJ)always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in ^(FK)the truth that you have. ¹³ I think it right, as long as I am in this ^(FL)body,^{[u] (FM)}to stir you up by way of reminder, ^14 (FN)since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, ^(FO)as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

Christ's Glory and the Prophetic Word

¹⁶ For we did not follow ^(FP)cleverly devised ^(FQ)myths when we made known to you ^(FR)the power and ^(FS)coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but ^(FT)we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ^(FU)“This is my beloved Son,^[v] with whom I am well pleased,” ¹⁸ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on ^(FV)the holy mountain. ¹⁹ And ^(FW)we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention ^(FX)as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until ^(FY)the day ^(FZ)dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, ²⁰ knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. ²¹ For ^(GA)no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God ^(GB)as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

False Prophets and Teachers

2 But ^(GC)false prophets also arose among the people, ^(GD)just as there will be false teachers among you, who will ^(GE)secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master ^(GF)who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. ² And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth ^(GG)will be blasphemed. ³ And ^(GH)in their greed they will exploit you ^(GI)with false words. ^(GJ)Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.

⁴ For if God did not spare ^(GK)angels when they sinned, but ^(GL)cast them into hell^[w] and committed them to chains^[x] of gloomy darkness ^(GM)to be kept until the judgment; ⁵ if he did not spare the ancient world, but ^(GN)preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought ^(GO)a flood upon the world of the ungodly; ⁶ if by ^(GP)turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, ^(GQ)making them an example of ^(GR)what is going to happen to the ungodly;^{[y] 7} and ^(GS)if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked ⁸ (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, ^(GT)he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); ⁹ then ^(GU)the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials,^[z] and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, ¹⁰ and especially ^(GV)those who indulge^[aa] in the lust of defiling passion and ^(GW)despise authority.

Bold and willful, they do not tremble ^(GX)as they blaspheme the glorious ones, ^11 (GY)whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. ^12 (GZ)But these, like irrational animals, ^(HA)creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, ¹³ suffering wrong as ^(HB)the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure ^(HC)to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions,^[ab] while ^(HD)they feast with you. ¹⁴ They have eyes full of adultery,^{[ac] (HE)}insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts ^(HF)trained in greed. ^(HG)Accursed children! ¹⁵ Forsaking the right way, ^(HH)they have gone astray. They have followed ^(HI)the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved ^(HJ)gain from wrongdoing, ¹⁶ but was rebuked for his own transgression; ^(HK)a speechless donkey spoke with human voice and restrained the prophet's madness.

^17 (HL)These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. ^(HM)For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. ¹⁸ For, ^(HN)speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely ^(HO)escaping from those who live in error. ¹⁹ They promise them ^(HP)freedom, ^(HQ)but they themselves are slaves^[ad] of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved. ²⁰ For if, ^(HR)after they have escaped the defilements of the world ^(HS)through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, ^(HT)the last state has become worse for them than the first. ²¹ For ^(HU)it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from ^(HV)the holy commandment delivered to them. ²² What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The ^(HW)dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”

The Day of the Lord Will Come

3 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them ^(HX)I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, ^2 (HY)that you should remember the predictions of ^(HZ)the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, ³ knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come ^(IA)in the last days with scoffing, ^(IB)following their own sinful desires. ^4 (IC)They will say, “Where is the promise of ^(ID)his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” ⁵ For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth ^(IE)was formed out of water and through water ^(IF)by the word of God, ⁶ and that by means of these the world that then existed ^(IG)was deluged with water and ^(IH)perished. ⁷ But by the same word ^(II)the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and ^(IJ)destruction of the ungodly.

⁸ But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and ^(IK)a thousand years as one day. ^9 (IL)The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise ^(IM)as some count slowness, but ^(IN)is patient toward you,^{[ae] (IO)}not wishing that any should perish, but ^(IP)that all should reach repentance. ¹⁰ But ^(IQ)the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then ^(IR)the heavens will pass away with a roar, and ^(IS)the heavenly bodies^[af] will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.^[ag]

¹¹ Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, ^(IT)what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ^12 (IU)waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and ^(IV)the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³ But according to his promise we are waiting for ^(IW)new heavens and a new earth ^(IX)in which righteousness dwells.