2 Peter 3
The Day of the Lord Will Come
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 athat you should remember the predictions of bthe holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come ain the last days with scoffing, bfollowing their own sinful desires. 4 aThey will say, “Where is the promise of bhis 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 awas formed out of water and through water bby the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed awas deluged with water and bperished. 7 But by the same word athe heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and bdestruction of the ungodly.
8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and aa thousand years as one day. 9 aThe Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise bas some count slowness, but cis patient toward you, dnot wishing that any should perish, but ethat all should reach repentance. 10 But athe day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then bthe heavens will pass away with a roar, and cthe heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, awhat sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 awaiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and bthe heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for anew heavens and a new earth bin which righteousness dwells.
Final Words
14 aTherefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him bwithout spot or cblemish, and dat peace. 15 And count athe patience of our Lord as salvation, just as bour beloved brother Paul also wrote to you caccording to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. aThere are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, bas they do the other Scriptures. 17 You therefore, beloved, aknowing this beforehand, btake care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. 18 But agrow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. bTo him be the glory both now and to the day of ceternity. Amen.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway,
a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.