Bible Gateway passage: 2 Peter 3 - New King James Version (2024)

God’s Promise Is Not Slack^(A)

3Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which ^(B)I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), ²that you may be mindful of the words ^(C)which were spoken before by the holy prophets, ^(D)and of the commandment of ^[a]us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, ³knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, ^(E)walking according to their own lusts, ⁴and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of ^(F)creation.” ⁵For this they willfully forget: that ^(G)by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth ^(H)standing out of water and in the water, ^6(I)by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. ⁷But ^(J)the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for ^(K)fire until the day of judgment and ^[b]perdition of ungodly men.

⁸But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and ^(L)a thousand years as one day. ^9(M)The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but ^(N)is longsuffering toward ^[c]us, ^(O)not willing that any should perish but ^(P)that all should come to repentance.

The Day of the Lord

¹⁰But ^(Q)the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which ^(R)the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be ^[d]burned up. ¹¹Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be ^(S)in holy conduct and godliness, ^12(T)looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will ^(U)be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will ^(V)melt with fervent heat? ¹³Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for ^(W)new heavens and a ^(X)new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Be Steadfast

¹⁴Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent ^(Y)to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; ¹⁵and consider that ^(Z)the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, ¹⁶as also in all his ^(AA)epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the ^(AB)rest of the Scriptures.

¹⁷You therefore, beloved, ^(AC)since you know this beforehand, ^(AD)beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; ^18(AE)but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

^(AF)To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen.