The Second Epistle General of Peter.
Chapter 1.
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained
like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus
Christ, grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of
Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that
pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath
called us to glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great
and precious promises, that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature,
having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue
knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to
patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly
kindness charity.
For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be
barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see afar off, and hath
forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
Wherefore, the rather brethren, give diligence to make your calling and
election sure.
For if ye do these things, ye shall never fall, for so an entrance shall be
ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ.
Wherefore, I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things,
though ye know them, and be established in the present truth.
Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting
you in remembrance, knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle,
even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me.
Moreover, I will endeavor that ye may be able after my decease to have these things
always in remembrance.
For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the
power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to
him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy
mount.
We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed,
as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the day star
arise in your hearts, knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of
any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake
as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.