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2 Peter 3

The Day of the Lord Will Come

1 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them ^aI am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 ^bthat you should remember the predictions of ^cthe holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come ^din the last days with scoffing, ^efollowing their own sinful desires. 4 ^fThey will say, “Where is the promise of ^ghis 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 ^hwas formed out of water and through water ⁱby the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed ^jwas deluged with water and ^kperished. 7 But by the same word ^lthe heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and ^mdestruction of the ungodly.

8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and ⁿa thousand years as one day. 9 ^oThe Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise ^pas some count slowness, but ^qis patient toward you ^{▼

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Some manuscripts on your account} ^snot wishing that any should perish, but ^tthat all should reach repentance. 10 But ^uthe day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then ^vthe heavens will pass away with a roar, and ^wthe heavenly bodies ^{▼

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Or elements; also verse 12} will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. ^{▼

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Greek found; some manuscripts will be burned up}

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

Final Words

14 ^aeTherefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him ^afwithout spot or ^agblemish, and ^ahat peace. 15 And count ^aithe patience of our Lord as salvation, just as ^ajour beloved brother Paul also wrote to you ^akaccording to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. ^alThere are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction ^amas they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved ^anknowing this beforehand ^aotake care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But ^apgrow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. ^aqTo him be the glory both now and to the day of ^areternity. Amen.