2Pe 3 | NASB2020 | STEP | Beloved , this is now the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of a reminder ,

2 Peter 3

Purpose of This Letter

1 ^aBeloved, this is now the second letter I am writing to you in which I am ^bstirring up your sincere mind by way of a reminder, 2 to ^cremember the words spoken beforehand by ^dthe holy prophets and ^ethe commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.

The Coming Day of the Lord

3 ^fKnow this first of all, that ^gin the last days ^hmockers will come with their mocking, ⁱfollowing after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “ ^jWhere is the promise of His ^kcoming? For ever since the fathers ^{▼▼I.e., died
,} ^mfell asleep, all things continue just as they were ⁿfrom the beginning of creation.” 5 For ^{▼▼Or they are willfully ignorant of this fact, that}when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that ^pby the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was ^qformed out of water and by water, 6 through which ^rthe world at that time was ^sdestroyed by being flooded with water. 7 But by His word ^tthe present heavens and earth are being reserved for ^ufire, kept for ^vthe day of judgment and destruction of ungodly people.

8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, ^wbeloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and ^xa thousand years like one day. 9 ^yThe Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but ^zis patient toward you, ^aanot willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.

A New Heaven and Earth

10 But ^abthe day of the Lord ^acwill come like a thief, in which ^adthe heavens ^aewill pass away with a roar and the ^afelements will be destroyed with intense heat, and ^agthe earth and ^{▼▼Lit the works in it}its works will be ^{▼▼I.e., as worthless; late mss burned up}discovered.

11 Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, 12 ^ajlooking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which ^akthe heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the ^alelements will melt with intense heat! 13 But according to His ^ampromise we are looking for ^annew heavens and a new earth, ^aoin which righteousness dwells.

14 ^apTherefore, ^aqbeloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be ^arfound ^asspotless and blameless by Him, at peace, 15 and regard the ^atpatience of our Lord as salvation; just as also ^auour beloved brother Paul, ^avaccording to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of ^awthese things, ^axin which there are some things that are hard to understand, which the untaught and ^ayunstable distort, as they do also ^azthe rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 You therefore, ^babeloved, knowing this beforehand, ^bbbe on your guard so that you are not carried away by ^bcthe error of ^{▼▼Or disgraceful
,} ^beunscrupulous people and ^bflose your own ^{▼▼Or firm hold}firm commitment, 18 but grow in the grace and ^bhknowledge of our ^biLord and Savior Jesus Christ. ^bjTo Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.