Chapter 1

  Simon Peter, a bondservant and Apostle of Jesus Christ: To those to whom there has been allotted the same precious faith as that which is ours through the righteousness of our God and of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

  May more and more grace and peace be granted to you in a full knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,

  seeing that His divine power has given us all things that are needful for life and godliness, through our knowledge of Him who has appealed to us by His own glorious perfections.

  It is by means of these that He has granted us His precious and wondrous promises, in order that through them you may, one and all, become sharers in the very nature of God, having completely escaped the corruption which exists in the world through earthly cravings.

  But for this very reason--adding, on your part, all earnestness-- along with your faith, manifest also a noble character: along with a noble character, knowledge;

  along with knowledge, self-control; along with self-control, power of endurance;

  along with power of endurance, godliness; along with godliness, brotherly affection; and along with brotherly affection, love.

  If these things exist in you, and continually increase, they prevent your being either idle or unfruitful in advancing towards a full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

  For the man in whom they are lacking is blind and cannot see distant objects, in that he has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his old sins.

  For this reason, brethren, be all the more in earnest to make sure that God has called you and chosen you; for it is certain that so long as you practise these things, you will never stumble.

  And so a triumphant admission into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ will be freely granted to you.

  For this reason I shall always persist in reminding you of these things, although you know them and are stedfast believers in truth which you already possess.

  But I think it right, so long as I remain in the body, my present dwelling-place, to arouse you by such reminders.

  For I know that the time for me to lay aside my body is now rapidly drawing near, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has revealed to me.

  So on every possible occasion I will also do my best to enable you to recall these things after my departure.

  For when we made known to you the power and Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, we were not eagerly following cleverly devised legends, but we had been eye-witnesses of His majesty.

  He received honour and glory from God the Father, and out of the wondrous glory words such as these were spoken to Him, 'This is My dearly-loved Son, in whom I take delight.'

  And we ourselves heard these words come from Heaven, when we were with Him on the holy mountain.

  And in the written word of prophecy we have something more permanent; to which you do well to pay attention--as to a lamp shining in a dimly-lighted place--until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

  But, above all, remember that no prophecy in Scripture will be found to have come from the prophet's own prompting;

  for never did any prophecy come by human will, but men sent by God spoke as they were impelled by the Holy Spirit.