Easy English Bible - 1 Peter 2003
Chapter 1 2 3 4 5 2 Peter * 1 2 3
Ready to live with God
About Peter’s first letter
Peter was one of the 12 men that Jesus chose to be his special workers. (See Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 13:13-19; Luke 6:2-16.) Peter’s name was Simon, but Jesus changed it to Peter. (See John 1:42.) ‘Peter’ means ‘a rock’ or ‘a stone’.
Peter wrote this letter to groups of Christians in several different places. All of those places were in the country that we call Turkey now. We think that he wrote it about the year AD 65. That was about 35 years after Jesus died. Peter may have been in Rome city when he wrote it. (See chapter 5:13.)
At that time, enemies were causing a lot of trouble and pain for Christians. These enemies were killing many Christians. So it was not easy to be a Christian then, and many Christians were afraid. Peter wrote to them because he wanted to help them. He wanted them to be brave. He wanted them to continue believing Jesus strongly.
In his letter, Peter describes the great things that God has done on our behalf. He says that, as Christians, we will have trouble and pain during our lives on this earth. But we must remember that God knows about all our troubles. And he lets us have troubles sometimes because he wants to make us like Jesus. Jesus had much trouble and pain on our behalf, but he never stopped obeying God. Also, Peter says that all Christians should obey people with authority. And Christians should always do what is right and good.
God has given us a new life because of Christ
1 This letter is from me, Peter. Jesus Christ sent me to be a special worker and teacher on his behalf. I am writing to you, God’s people, who are living in many different places. You are living in places in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. You are living there as strangers because you are away from your true home. God has chosen you to be his people. 2 A long, long time ago, God, the Father, had already decided that you should be his people. By his Spirit, God has made you his own, separate people so that you would obey Jesus Christ. He made you his people so that Jesus Christ’s blood could make you really clean inside yourselves.
I want you to know more and more how very kind God is to you. And I pray that he will cause you to be without trouble inside yourselves more and more.
3 We should thank God, who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! We should say how very great he is! God is so very kind that he has caused us to be born again. He has given us a new life. This is possible because God raised Jesus Christ. God raised Jesus so that he became alive again after his death. And because of this new life, we continue to hope certainly for good things. We are sure that we will live with God always. 4 Also, we wait to receive all the good things that God has prepared for his children. Nobody can ever destroy those things. They will never become dirty. They will never become old or less beautiful. God is keeping those good things in heaven for you. 5 God is powerful and he is keeping you safe. He is keeping you safe because you believe him. He will keep you safe until the last day, when Christ will return. Then everyone will see that God has prepared to save you completely.
6 These things which God has done make you very happy. But now, for a short time, different kinds of troubles and difficulties may make you sad. 7 The purpose of these troubles is to show certainly whether you really believe God. It is very, very important that you continue to believe him. People put gold into a fire to make it completely clean. The fire burns everything that is not gold. So the fire shows certainly what is gold. But gold belongs only to this world, so it will come to an end. When you believe God, that is worth much more even than gold. If you continue to believe God, he will be very happy because of you. As a result, he will say very good things about you on the day when Jesus Christ comes again. And you will show everyone how very great God is.
8 You have never seen Jesus, but still you love him. You do not see him now, but you believe him. And so, you are very, very happy. There are no words to describe how happy you are. 9 You are happy now because you are sure. You are believing God. And God will give to you that which you hope for. He will save you from all the troubles and pain that you have now. You are sure about that.
10 Many years ago, the prophets (people who told God’s messages) spoke about this. They spoke about how God would be so very kind to you. They wanted to know about how God would save people. They studied carefully. And they asked many questions because they wanted to understand about it. 11 Christ’s Spirit was in those prophets and he was showing them about future events. The Spirit was showing them that Christ must have much trouble and pain. Then, after that trouble, great and good things would happen to him. The prophets were trying to discover when and how all these things would happen. 12 God showed the prophets that his messages about these things were not for themselves, but for you. Now you know the good news about Jesus Christ. God’s Spirit, that he has sent from heaven, has helped people to tell the good news to you. Even the angels want very much to understand about these things.
Christians should do what is good
13 So, because of everything that God has done on your behalf, you must be ready to obey him. Get your mind ready to obey. Think seriously and clearly. Always continue to hope completely for the good things that you will receive from God. You will receive those things when Jesus Christ comes again. 14 Always obey God, like good children who obey their father. Before you knew Christ, you wanted to do bad things. Do not let yourselves do those bad things any more. Do not let them rule you. 15 God, who has chosen you to be his people, is completely good. So, whatever things you do, you must be completely good also. 16 The Bible says: ‘Be completely good, because I (God) am completely good.’
17 When you pray to God, you call him Father. God decides about every person because of what that person has done. God decides what should happen to every person. And God is always fair when he decides about people. He is never kinder to one person than he is to another person. So always obey God, your Father, while you live as strangers here on earth. Always remember how great and powerful God is. 18 Your parents and the people who lived before you taught you to do certain things. Those things were worth nothing to God. But now God has saved you from doing things like that. You know that he has bought you for himself. He did not buy you with things like silver (a valuable metal) or gold, which will come to an end. 19 Instead, he bought you with Christ’s own blood, which is worth very, very much to God. Christ was like a lamb (young sheep) that had nothing wrong with it.
20 Before God made the world, he had chosen Christ already. God had decided already that Christ would save us. But now, during these last days, God has shown Christ to the world so that he could help you. 21 It is because of Christ that you believe God. God raised Christ, so that he became alive again after his death. Then, God showed how very great and powerful Christ is. That is why you believe God. You are sure about him. He will do what he has promised. You are sure about that.
22 You have made yourselves really good and clean because you have obeyed God’s true message. As a result, now you can really love other Christians, who are like brothers and sisters to you. So, continue to love each other very much. Love each other as much as you can. 23 God’s message causes people to become alive. It will continue always and it will never change. You have been born again, into a new life, because of that message. It is not your human parents who caused you to be born into this new life.
They must die. But it is God himself who has caused you to be born again. And he can never die. 24 The Bible says:
‘All people are like grass.
Everything that is good or beautiful about people is only like the flowers in the fields.
The grass becomes dry and it dies.
Flowers fall off after a short time.
25 But the message that the Lord has spoken will continue always.’
[Isaiah 40:6-8]
That message is the good news, which people have taught you.
1 So, you must refuse to do bad things. Always say only things that are true and right. Do not say one thing when really you mean something else. Do not want other people’s things so much that you stop being kind to those people. Do not say bad things about people. 2 Instead, you should want always to know God more and more. New babies always want their mothers’ milk, which makes them grow strong. Like them, you should want the true milk, which comes from God. Always want very much to know more about God’s message. That message is like good food that will make you strong in your spirits. It will make you stronger and stronger, so that God will save you completely. 3 Already, you have begun to know how good the Lord is. So, you should want to know him more and more.
Jesus is like the most important stone in God’s house
4 So come to the Lord Jesus. He is like a big stone that a builder uses to build a house. He is ‘the stone that is alive’. People decided that he was worth nothing to them. So they refused him. But God chose him. To God, Jesus is like a stone that is worth very, very much. 5 You yourselves also are like stones that are alive, because of Jesus Christ. God is using you, like stones, to build his spiritual house. He has chosen you to work there as his priests (special servants who offer sacrifices). As priests you will offer spiritual sacrifices to God. And God will be happy with what you offer him, because of Jesus Christ.
6 In the Bible, God says this:
‘Look, I have chosen a stone that is worth very, very much.
I have chosen this valuable stone as the most important stone,
for the corner of my house.
And I am putting that stone in Zion.
Any person who believes him will never be ashamed.
That person will never be sorry that they believed him.’
[Isaiah 28:16]
7 This stone is worth very, very much to you who believe. But the Bible says this about the people who do not believe him:
‘The stone that the builders refused has become the most important stone.
It has become the stone at the corner of the house.’
[Psalm 118:22]
8 The Bible says this also:
‘This is a stone that will cause people to knock their feet against it so that they fall.
It is a rock that will make them fall down.’
[Isaiah 8:14]
The reason why it causes people to fall is this. They fall because they refuse to obey God’s message. A long, long time ago, God decided that this would happen to them.
9 But you are the people that God has chosen. You are a group of priests who are servants of God, the King. You are God’s own special people, who obey only him. You belong to God. He has taken you out of the dark and he has brought you into his great light. He has chosen you so that you can tell people how great he is. 10 In past times, you were not God’s people. But now you are God’s people. In past times, you did not know how very kind God is. But now you know how very kind he is.
11 My friends, that I love, you live as strangers in this world. You are like visitors, who are staying in this world only for a short time. So I ask you strongly not to do those bad things that your bodies may want to do. Keep away from things like that, because they are like enemies to you. They fight against what is good for you. They stop you from doing good things. 12 You are living among people who do not know God. So be careful that you do good and right things always. Sometimes these people may say that you do bad things. But you should continue to do good things. And then they will see that you are good. So, on the day when God visits us, they may thank God because of you. And they will say how great God is.
Obey people who have authority over you
13 Obey all people who have authority in this world. Obey them, because that will make the Lord happy. Obey the king, who rules everyone. 14 Also obey those officers of the government that the king has chosen to rule you. They punish people who do wrong things. And they say good words about people who do right things. 15 God wants you to do what is right. Then you will stop silly people, who do not know anything, from saying bad things about you. 16 You are people who are free. But do not think, because of that, that you have the chance to do bad things. Do not think that God will excuse you for bad things. Instead, do those things that God’s servants should do. 17 Always do what is right and proper to all people. Love all those people who are like brothers and sisters to you. They are like your brothers and sisters because, like you, they believe Christ. Always remember how great and powerful God is. Always remember to obey the king.
18 You servants must obey your masters. You must always remember that they are important. You must obey not only masters who are good and kind. You must obey also masters who are cruel and not fair. 19 Sometimes a person may have trouble and pain when he has done nothing wrong. But if that person really wants to obey God, he should continue to be patient and brave. That is a good thing and it will make God happy. 20 If you do something wrong, then people ought to punish you. They might hit you. And you might
be patient when they hit you. But that is no reason why anyone should say good things about you. But you may have trouble and pain because you have done good things. If you are patient during that trouble, then God will be happy about you. 21 God has chosen that you should be patient like this. Christ had trouble and pain on your behalf. And he is the person that you should copy. So you should do the same kind of things as Christ did. 22 The Bible says this:
‘He never did anything that was wrong.
He never said anything that was not true.’
[Isaiah 53:9]
23 People said bad things about Christ, but he did not say bad things back to them. People did bad things to him and they caused him trouble and pain. But he never said that he would do bad things to them. Instead, Christ continued to believe that God would help him. God always decides only what is right and fair. 24 Christ himself took away all the wrong things that we have done. He took them in his own body to the cross. He did this so that we should not continue to do wrong things. So we can be like people who are dead to wrong things. We are dead to them because those things do not rule us any more. Instead, now we can do the right things that God wants us to do. People hurt Christ’s body, but, because of that, you have become well. 25 Before, you were like sheep that were going the wrong way. But now you have returned to Christ, your Shepherd, who keeps all of you safe.
Wives and husbands
1 You wives, each of you also should obey your own husband. There may be some husbands who do not believe God’s message. But if their wives obey them, those husbands may turn to God. They may decide to believe God, even if their wives have said nothing to them about God’s message. 2 Those husbands will see that you wives do only good things. They will see that you really obey God.
3 Do not be trying always to make your bodies beautiful. You do not need to prepare your hair in an expensive way. You do not need to wear gold or expensive clothes. 4 Instead, be beautiful because of what you are really like inside yourselves, in your spirits. Be patient and quiet, and do not become angry easily. Do not want to show everyone how important you are. Then you will never stop being beautiful. If you are beautiful in your spirits like this, it is worth very much to God. 5 This was how, many years ago, good women made themselves beautiful. They believed God. God would do what he had promised. They believed that. And so, because they were God’s servants, they obeyed their own husbands. 6 They did the same as Sarah. She obeyed her husband, Abraham, and she called him, ‘My master’. You wives also should do what is right. You should not let anything make you afraid. Then you will be like true daughters of Sarah.
7 Also, each of you husbands must live properly with your own wife. You should understand properly what she needs. She is not as strong as you are. So, you should remember that and you should be kind to her. Remember that God has promised the same thing to both her and you together. He has promised that you will live with him always. So, you must be kind to your wife. And then nothing will stop God from answering what you pray.
Christians must be ready to have trouble, even when they do good things
8 Now I want to say this to you. All of you should agree with each other so that you do not argue. You should try to understand how other people are feeling. Love each other as brothers and sisters, because all of you belong to Christ. Be kind to each other. Do not want to be more important than anyone else. 9 If people do bad things to you, you must not do anything bad to them. If people say bad things against you, you must not say bad things back to them. Instead, you should pray that God will be good to
those people. This is what God wants you to do. He has chosen you yourselves because he wants to be good to you. 10 The Bible says this:
‘If a person wants to enjoy his life and to have good days,
he must be careful not to say bad things.
And he must stop saying things that are not true.
11 He must stop doing what is bad.
Instead, he must do what is good.
He must try very much always to be friendly with people.
He must try always not to argue with them or to cause trouble.
12 Because the Lord is watching over those people who obey him.
All the time, he is listening to what those people pray.
But the Lord turns away from people who do bad things.’
[Psalm 34:12-16]
13 If you are trying always to do good things, then nobody can really hurt you. 14 People may cause you trouble and pain, even when you do right things. But God will be good to you. So, do not let anyone make you afraid. 15 Instead, always remember that only Christ is your Lord. And always let him rule you, deep inside yourselves. People may ask you to explain why you hope certainly for good things because of Christ. Always be ready to answer anyone who asks you that. 16 Be kind and polite when you answer them. You know the difference between what is right or wrong. So, always do what is right. Then the people who say bad things about you Christians will be ashamed. They will see that you do good things. You do the good things that Christ’s people should do. So, they will be ashamed.
17 Sometimes God may let you have trouble and pain even when you have done good things. But that is better than to have trouble and pain because you have done bad things. 18 Even Christ himself, who never did anything wrong, died on our behalf. He died to take away all the wrong things that we have done. He died once, for all time. He died to bring you to God. People killed his body, but God’s Spirit made him alive again.
19 Then, as a spirit, he went to the spirits who were in prison. And he told his great news to them. 20 A long time ago, those spirits had refused to obey God. God waited patiently for them at that time when Noah was building that big boat. But only a few people, only 8 people, went into that boat so that God could save them. God saved them when they went through the water. 21 That water is like a picture of baptism, which now saves you also. Baptism does not mean that the water washes dirt off a person’s body. It means that a person has decided always to obey God. God has made that person really good and clean inside. And so that person is choosing always to do what is right. Baptism saves you because Jesus Christ rose, to become alive again after his death. 22 Jesus has gone into heaven now and he is sitting at God’s right side. He rules over angels and over all other spirits that have authority or power.
1 Christ had trouble and pain while he lived in his body. So, you should think like he thought. You should be ready to have trouble and pain while you live in your bodies too. If you think like that, you will make yourselves strong. Anyone who has had trouble and pain in his body has stopped wanting to do wrong things. 2 As a result, that person will obey God during all the time that he continues to live in his body. He will not want to do the bad things that people often want to do. He will not let those bad things rule him. Instead, that person will do what God wants him to do.
3 The people who do not know God want to do bad things. And, in past times, you did those bad things too. But now you have wasted enough time doing those bad things. You did wrong things that people should not do. The things that your bodies wanted to do ruled you. You had sex with people who were not your wife or your husband. You were drunks. You went to many bad parties and you drank too much alcohol. Also, you worshipped false gods, which is something that God hates.
4 The people who do not know God continue to do many, very wrong things. But now, you do not want to do wrong things any more as they do. So, those people are very surprised because of you, and they say bad things about you. 5 But those people will have to explain to God what they have done. He is ready to decide what should happen to every person. He will decide about all people, whether they are alive or dead. 6 This is why even the dead people heard the good news about Christ. Their bodies had to die, as all people must die. But they heard the good news so that their spirits could live. Their spirits could live as God wants them to live.
We must use God’s gifts properly
7 The end of all things is near. So, think seriously and clearly. And rule yourselves properly so that you can pray. 8 Continue to love each other very much. This is more important than anything else. If you love people, then you will always want to be kind to them. You will always be ready to forgive (choose to forget) any wrong things that they have done. 9 Always be happy when other Christians visit your homes. Say ‘welcome’ to them and be kind to them.
10 God has been good to each of you in different ways. He has given a gift to each of you, so that you are able to do certain things well. So, each of you should use your gift so that you can help other people. Then you will be God’s good servants because you will be using his gifts properly. 11 If you have a gift as a speaker, speak only God’s messages. If you have a gift to help other people, let God make you strong to help them. Do everything so that people will thank God. They should say how great and good God is because of Jesus Christ. He will have all authority and power always. And everyone should always say how great he is! This is true!
Christians must be ready to have trouble and pain
12 My friends, that I love, do not be surprised by trouble and pain. People are causing you bad trouble and pain. But these things are happening to show whether you really believe God. So, do not think that something strange is happening to you. 13 Instead, be happy that you have trouble and pain, like Christ. So then, you will also be very, very happy when Christ comes again. You will be happy when he comes to show everyone how very great and powerful he is. 14 People may say bad things about you because you are Christ’s. But God will be good to you when that happens. It means that God’s Spirit is with you. God’s Spirit, who is so great and powerful, remains upon you.
15 But if you do wrong things, then people ought to punish you. They ought to cause you trouble and pain. So, be careful that none of you receives trouble and pain because of wrong things. You must not kill anyone. You must not rob anyone. You must not want to know more than you should know about other people’s lives. None of you should ever have to receive trouble and pain because you have done those things. 16 But if you have trouble and pain because you are a Christian, do not be ashamed. Instead, thank God that people call you by Christ’s name.
17 The time has come that God should begin to decide about people. He will decide what should happen to them. And he will decide first about the people who belong to him. God will decide even about us, who are his own people. Then he will decide about the people who do not obey his good news. So, very bad things must happen to those people in the end. 18 The Bible says:
‘Even good people have many difficulties
before God finishes saving them.
So, think about the bad people who do not obey God.
Very bad things must happen to those people!’
[Proverbs 11:31]
19 So then, people may cause you trouble and pain because God chooses that. But you should continue to believe God, who made you. God always does what he has promised. So, continue to believe that he will be good to you. And continue to do what is good.
Peter writes to leaders and young men
1 Now I want to say something strongly to the elders (leaders) who belong to your group. I say this because I am an elder also. I saw the trouble and pain that people caused Christ. And, like you, I will live always with Christ, who is so very great and powerful. When he comes again, everyone will see how great he is. I say this strongly to you. 2 Watch over the group of God’s people that God has given to you. Be like a shepherd to them. Do this work because you want to do it. That is how God wants you to be. Do not do it just because you have to do it. Do not do this work because you want to receive money. Instead, do it because you want to help people.
3 Do not try to rule over those people that God has given to you. Instead, do good things yourselves, so that they can copy you. Show them the right things that they should do. 4 As a result, Christ, who is the Shepherd of all of us, will give a gift to you. He will give that gift to you when he comes again. He will give you a beautiful crown that will never become old or less beautiful.
5 You younger men also must obey the elders (leaders). And all of you people must be ready to be like servants to each other. Because the Bible says:
‘Some people think that they are better and more important than other people.
They think that they are always right.
God is an enemy to people who think like that.
But he is good to people who do not want to be very important.
He is good to people who are ready to be like servants to other people.’
[Proverbs 3:34]
6 God is very powerful and strong to help you. So, be his servants, and let him rule you. Then he will cause you to be great and important at the right time. 7 Tell God about all the things that make you sad or afraid or angry. Give your thoughts about those things to him and let them remain with him. Do this, because you matter to him.
8 Think seriously and watch carefully. Be ready, because your enemy, the Devil, walks about like a lion (a big wild animal). He is like a lion that makes loud noises. He is looking for someone that he can eat. 9 Refuse to obey the Devil. Instead, be strong against him because you choose to believe God strongly. Remember that, all over the world, Christians like you are having the same kind of troubles and pain.
10 You will have trouble and pain for a short time. But after that, God, who is so completely kind, will make everything right. God has caused you to be united to Christ, so that you will live with him always. You will live with him in the beautiful place where he lives. And God will make you completely as you should be. He will make you strong, so that nothing can ever stop you believing him. 11 God will rule always! This is true.
Peter finishes his letter
12 Silas, who is like our brother, has helped me to write this short letter to you. I know that he continues to believe Christ. And he continues to be Christ’s good servant. I have written because I want you to be brave and strong. And I want you to know certainly that God has really been good to us. So, always remember how good God is. And then you will continue to be strong. 13 God has chosen the Christians who are in Babylon city, as he has chosen you. They say ‘hello’ to you. Mark, who is like my son, says ‘hello’ also. 14 When you meet, kiss each other as Christian friends.
I pray on behalf of all of you who are united to Christ. I pray that God will cause you to be without trouble inside yourselves.
Be strong and watch for Jesus!
About Peter’s second letter
Simon Peter was one of Jesus’ special workers. He had lived and worked with Jesus himself. We can read a lot about Simon Peter in the books called Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Acts.
This is the second letter that Peter wrote. Almost certainly, he wrote this letter between 35 and 38 years after Jesus returned to heaven (God’s home). That was at some time between the years AD 65 and 68. Peter died soon after he wrote this letter.
Peter wrote this letter to Christians, who wanted to obey God. Some false teachers were teaching wrong ideas about Jesus and God. The false teachers wanted the Christians to believe those wrong ideas. So Peter wrote this letter to help the Christians. He wanted them to believe God, Christ and the Bible more strongly. He told them not to believe the false teachers. God would destroy the false teachers because they were so bad.
Also, Peter told the Christians to be like people who are watching carefully. They should be ready for Jesus, because he would certainly come back to the earth.
God has given to us everything that we need to be his people
1 This letter is from me, Simon Peter. I am Jesus Christ’s servant. He sent me to be a special worker and teacher on his behalf. I am writing this letter to you people who, like us, believe Christ. He has given the same valuable gift to all of us. He has caused us to believe him. He has done this because he is always completely right and fair. Jesus Christ is God. And he is the person who saves us.
2 I pray that God will be good to you more and more. I pray that he will cause you to be without trouble inside yourselves more and more. These things will happen because you know God and Jesus, our Lord.
3 God is very powerful because he is God. So he has given to us everything that we need to live always. We can do good things that make God happy. This is possible because we know him. God has chosen us to be his people because he is so very great and so very good. 4 Also, because of this, God has promised that he will do very great and valuable things on our behalf. As a result, you can become good like God. So, you can be free from wanting bad things that will destroy you. The people who belong to this world want to do bad things. And those bad things are destroying them.
5 God has done all this on your behalf. So you should not only believe Christ. You must also try very much to do always what is good. And you must try very much to know God more and more. 6 You must not only know God, but you must rule yourselves properly also. You must not only rule yourselves, but you must continue to be patient and brave also. And you must not only be patient and brave, but you must always make God happy. You must do what God wants. 7 You must not only make God happy, but you must be kind to each other also. You must love other Christians, as you would love your own brothers and sisters. And you must not only love other Christians, but you must love all people also.
8 You should do all of these things. You should continue to do them more and more. These things will show that you really know our Lord Jesus Christ. And, because you know him, you will work well on his behalf. And your work will have good results. 9 But some people do not do these things. They do not think that these things are important. They are like people who cannot see clearly. They cannot really see anything. They have forgotten that God made them clean inside themselves. God made them free from all the wrong things that they did before. But they have forgotten that.
10 So, my friends, try even more to do all these good things. Do them, because God has chosen you to be his own people. And these good things will show that you really are God’s people. If you do these things, you will never turn away from God. 11 Also, God will be very happy. He will bring you into that place where Jesus Christ will rule always. You will live always with our Lord Jesus Christ, who saves us.
12 So, I will continue to tell you about these things again and again. You already know these things. And you are continuing to believe strongly that these things are true. But still, I will continue to tell you about them. 13 I will tell you about them while I am still alive on earth. I think that it is right to continue telling you. You should think about these things. So then you will not forget them. 14 I know that I will die soon. I know that because our Lord Jesus Christ has shown that to me. 15 So I will do everything that I can to tell you about these things now. So then, after I have died, you will be able to remember them always.
Peter himself saw how great Christ is
16 We told you that our Lord Jesus Christ is powerful. We told you that he will come to earth again. We were not telling you false stories that came from people’s clever ideas. Instead, we were telling you what we ourselves had seen. We ourselves saw how very great Christ is. 17-18 We were with Jesus on the mountain that God visited. God, the Father, showed us how very great and powerful Jesus is. God, who is greater than everything, spoke about Jesus. God said: ‘This is my son. I love him. He makes me very happy.’ And we ourselves heard God’s voice when he spoke from heaven.
God’s messages in the Bible are very important
19 Also, we have the prophets’ messages. They show us even more certainly that these things are true. It is good that you should remember those messages carefully. The prophets’ words are like a light that shines in a dark place. That light continues to shine in the dark until the dawn comes. Then the morning star will rise and it will bring light deep inside you. 20 None of the prophets’ messages in the Bible came just from the prophets’ own ideas. It is most important that you should understand this. 21 None of the prophets’ messages came from what a human person wanted to say. Instead, God’s Spirit caused people to speak words that came from God.
False teachers are bad and dangerous
1 Many years ago, there were false prophets (people who did not speak God’s true messages) among God’s people. In the same way, there will also be false teachers among you. They will teach wrong ideas that will destroy people. But they will say that those wrong ideas are true. Those false teachers will even refuse the Master, who bought them. And so they will cause God to destroy them quickly. 2 Many people will believe and copy the false teachers. So, those people will do very wrong things, like the false teachers. And, as a result, other people will say bad things about the true way that God wants us to live.
3 The false teachers only want your money. So, they will tell things to you that are not true. They will tell those false things to you so that you will give money to them. A long time ago, God decided that he must punish them. And he is ready to do that. Certainly, he will destroy them.
God punishes bad people but he helps good people
4 Remember that God did not let the bad angels go free. A long, long time ago, some angels refused to obey God. And God punished them because of what they had done. He threw them down into the deep hole where he sends all bad persons. And he will keep them in that dark prison until the day when he will decide about them. He will decide what should happen to them in the end.
5 Also, a long, long time ago, God punished all the bad people who lived in the world. God sent water over all the earth. So all those people who refused to obey him drowned in the water. But Noah was telling the people that they should do right things. He was telling them that they should obey God. So God saved Noah, and 7 other people.
6 Also, God punished the people who lived in the cities called Sodom and Gomorrah. God saw that the people there were doing very bad things. So, he decided that he must punish them. And he burned those cities completely, so that only ashes remained. And so God showed what will happen to all bad people. He will punish people who refuse to obey him. 7 Also, God saved Lot, who was a good man. Lot was very sad because the people in Sodom did not obey God’s rules. They did many, very wrong things. 8 Lot lived among those bad people. Every day, he saw the bad things that they did. Every day, he heard the bad things that they said. As a result of all these bad things, Lot became very sad, because he was a good man.
9 We know that the Lord has done all these things in past times. And these things show us certainly that he knows how to save his people. He will help those people who obey him. He will save them from troubles and difficulties. But he will punish the bad people, who refuse to obey him. He will continue to punish them. And he will keep them until that day when he will decide about all people. He will decide what should happen to them. 10 God will punish very much those people who continue to have wrong sex. They do the wrong things that their bodies want to do. And those wrong things make those people even worse. Those bad people think that they do not have to obey anyone’s authority.
The false teachers are like animals
These false teachers are not afraid to do what they want to do. They think that they themselves are very clever and important. They do not listen to what anyone else says. They are not afraid to say bad things about the beautiful beings. 11 The angels are stronger and more powerful than the false teachers are. But even angels will not say bad things against them when the Lord is present. 12 But these false teachers say bad things against anything that they do not understand. They are like wild animals, that cannot think. They do what their nature causes them to do. Wild animals are born so that people can catch them and kill them. And, as people kill wild animals, God will destroy the false teachers.
13 The false teachers have done bad things to other people. So God will do bad things to them. They enjoy eating and drinking too much, even during the day. They enjoy doing the wrong things that they want to do. They enjoy those things while they are eating meals with you. So, like dirty marks on something that is clean, they cause people to be ashamed about you. 14 All the time, they are looking for women who will have sex with them. They never stop wanting to do bad things. They lead away people who do not believe Christ strongly. They cause those people to believe wrong things and to do wrong things. They have learned to want more and more money and other things for themselves. Certainly, God will punish these people, because they are so bad.
15 These false teachers have left the right way and they have gone the wrong way. They have done the same kind of wrong things that Balaam, Beor’s son, did. Balaam wanted money so much that he did wrong things to get it. 16 But a donkey told Balaam that he was not obeying God. Donkeys cannot talk. But that donkey spoke as a human person speaks. So, the donkey stopped that prophet, Balaam, from doing any more crazy things.
God will punish the false teachers
17 These false teachers are like places in the ground where water should come up. But there is no water. They are like clouds in a storm. The strong wind blows those clouds away quickly so that they bring no rain. God has kept a completely black, dark place where these false teachers will have to stay.
18 The words that these teachers speak seem very important. But their words mean nothing. They tell people that it is not wrong to do bad things. People may do the bad things that their bodies strongly want to do. The false teachers say that it does not matter. So they lead people away from God. They lead away people who have only just stopped doing wrong things. Those people have just begun to be free from the wrong things that other people do. 19 The false teachers promise that these people will be free. But the false teachers themselves are not free. Instead, they are like slaves. They cannot stop doing the bad things that will destroy them. If anything has power over a person, then that person is its slave.
20 These false teachers knew our Lord Jesus Christ, who saves us. So they had become free from the power of the bad things that belong to this world. They had stopped doing those bad things, which make people even worse. But now they have started to do those bad things again, and those things have power over them. So, these false teachers are worse at the end than they were at the beginning. They are worse than before they knew the Lord.
21 It would have been better for them if they had never known God’s right way. But they have known the right things that God wants us to do. So it is worse that they have stopped doing those things. They have stopped obeying God’s rules, that people taught them. 22 People often say these true words: ‘After a dog has been sick, it returns to that same place, to eat that food again.’ And: ‘A pig that someone has washed returns, to roll on the dirty, wet ground.’ These words describe what has happened to these false teachers.
Remember that the Lord will certainly come back to earth
1 My friends, this is the second letter that I have written to you. I have written both these letters so that I can help you to remember certain things. I want you to think correctly and honestly about these things. 2 I want you to remember the words that God’s own prophets spoke a long time ago. Also, I want you to remember what our Lord told you to do. Our Lord, who saves us, taught you by his special workers. His special workers, that he sent to you, told you about these things.
3 The first thing that you should understand is this. In the last days, some people will think that God and God’s rules are not important. They will say that you are silly. They will call you fools because you believe God. These people will do whatever bad things they want to do. 4 They will say: ‘Christ promised that he would return! But he has not returned! Our early Christian leaders have died, but still all things continue. Since God made the world, all things continue in the same way.’
5 These people choose to forget the facts that they know. They forget that God made the sky and the earth a long, long time ago. God spoke his word, and so he made the sky. Also, by his word, God made the land separate from the water. He brought the land out through the water. 6 Also, it was water that God used to destroy that world a long time ago. 7 But, by God’s same word, the sky and the earth that we see now are continuing. They will continue until that time when fire will burn them. God is keeping them until that time when he will decide about all people. He will decide what should happen to all people. And he will destroy the bad people who have not obeyed him.
8 But, my friends, there is one thing that you must not forget. The Lord thinks that one day is like 1000 years. And he thinks that 1000 years are like one day. 9 The Lord is not being slow to do what he has promised to do. Some people think that he is being slow to do it. But instead, he is being patient with you people. He does not want to destroy anyone. He wants all people to turn away from wrong things because they have decided to obey him.
10 But the day when the Lord will come back will surprise people. It will surprise people as when someone comes to rob them. The sky will go away with a very loud noise and it will not be there any more. Fire will burn the sun, the moon and the stars and it will destroy them. The earth and everything that is on it will not be there any more.
11 Certainly, God will destroy everything in this way. So, you ought to be the kind of people that God is happy about. You should give yourselves to God completely and you should obey him always. 12 You should obey God while you are waiting for Christ to return. God has chosen that day when he will return. You should be wanting that day to come very much. On that day, fire will burn the sky and the fire will destroy it. The heat will destroy the sun, the moon and the stars also. 13 But we are waiting for what God has promised. He has promised that there will be a new sky and a new earth. There, everything will always be good. And everyone will do only what is right.
14 So, my friends, because you are waiting for these things to happen, try very much to do only good things. Then God will see that you have done nothing wrong. He will see that there is no trouble between you yourselves, or between you and him. 15 Remember why our Lord is waiting before he will return. He is being patient because he wants to save people. Paul, whom we love like a brother, has written to you also about these things. He wrote about them because God caused him to understand them. 16 Paul writes like this about these things in all his letters. But some of the things that Paul has written in his letters are difficult to understand. And people who do not know much about God explain these things wrongly. Those people are not sure about what they believe. And they explain other things in the Bible wrongly also. As a result, those people themselves cause God to destroy them.
17 But you, my friends, know these things already. So, be very careful that you do not believe false teachers. They do not obey God’s rules and they teach wrong things. Do not let those people lead you away from God. If you listen to them, you could stop being sure about the true things. So you will be like people who have moved away from a safe, strong place. 18 Instead, continue to do what is good. So then our Lord Jesus Christ, who saves us, will be good to you more and more. Also, continue to know him better and better. Everyone should say how very great and good he is! Everyone should say that, both now and always!
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© Wycliffe Associates (UK), 1997-2003
This version published August 2003
The translated Bible text has been through Advanced Checking.