2Peter 1-3; Psalms 35 - Prayer Tents

Greetings from Peter

1This letter is from Simon Peter, a slave and apostle of Jesus Christ. I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.G4826G4074G1401G2532G652G2424G5547G2975G2472G4102G2254G1722G1343G2316G2532G2257G4990G2424G5547

Growing in Faith

10So, dear brothers and sisters, work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen. Do these things, and you will never fall away.G1352G3123G80G4704G4160G5216G2821G2532G1589G949G1063G4160G5023G4218G4417G3364G4218G4417

Paying Attention to Scripture

13And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live.G1161G2233G1342G1909G3745G1510G1722G5129G4638G1326G5209G1326G1722G5280

14For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life,G1492G3754G5031G2076G595G3450G4638G2532G2531G2257G2962G2424G5547G1213G3427

17when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy."G1063G2983G3844G2316G3962G5092G2532G1391G5342G5107G5456G846G5259G3169G1391G3778G2076G3450G27G5207G1519G3739G1473G2106

19Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.G2192G2532G949G3056G4397G3739G4160G2573G4337G5613G3088G5316G1722G850G5117G2193G3739G2250G1306G2532G5459G393G1722G5216G2588

20Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet's own understanding,G1097G5124G4412G3754G3756G3956G4394G1124G1096G2398G1955

The Danger of False Teachers

2But there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach destructive heresies and even deny the Master who bought them. In this way, they will bring sudden destruction on themselves.G1161G1096G5578G2532G1722G2992G2532G5613G2071G5572G1722G5213G3748G3919G684G139G2532G720G1203G59G846G1863G1438G5031G684

2Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered.G2532G4183G1811G846G684G1223G3739G3598G225G987

3In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction will not be delayed.G2532G1722G4124G4112G3056G1710G5209G3739G2917G1597G691G3756G2532G846G684G3573G3756

4For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment.G1063G1487G2316G5339G3756G32G264G235G5020G3860G4577G2217G5083G1519G2920

5And God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God's righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood.G2532G5339G3756G744G2889G235G5442G3575G3590G2783G1343G1863G2627G2889G765

6Later, God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people.G2532G5077G4172G4670G2532G1116G5077G2632G2692G5087G5262G3195G764

7But God also rescued Lot out of Sodom because he was a righteous man who was sick of the shameful immorality of the wicked people around him.G2532G4506G1342G3091G2669G5259G766G391G1722G113

8Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.G1063G1342G1460G1722G846G990G2532G189G928G1342G5590G2250G1537G2250G459G2041

9So you see, the Lord knows how to rescue godly people from their trials, even while keeping the wicked under punishment until the day of final judgment.G2962G1492G4506G2152G1537G3986G1161G5083G94G1519G2250G2920G2849

10He is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority. These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at supernatural beings without so much as trembling.G1161G3122G4198G3694G4561G1722G1939G3394G2532G2706G2963G5113G829G3756G5141G987G1391

11But the angels, who are far greater in power and strength, do not dare to bring from the Lord a charge of blasphemy against those supernatural beings.G3699G32G5607G3187G2479G2532G1411G5342G3756G989G2920G2596G846G3844G2962

12These false teachers are like unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed. They scoff at things they do not understand, and like animals, they will be destroyed.G1161G3778G5613G5446G249G2226G1080G1519G259G2532G5356G987G1722G3739G50G2704G1722G846G5356

13Their destruction is their reward for the harm they have done. They love to indulge in evil pleasures in broad daylight. They are a disgrace and a stain among you. They delight in deception even as they eat with you in your fellowship meals.G2865G3408G93G2233G2237G5172G1722G2250G4696G2532G3470G1792G1722G846G539G4910G5213

14They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God's curse.G2192G3788G3324G3428G2532G180G266G1185G793G5590G2588G2192G1128G4124G2671G5043

15They have wandered off the right road and followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong.G2641G2117G3598G4105G1811G3598G903G1007G3739G25G3408G93

16But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice.G1161G2192G1649G2398G3892G880G5268G5350G1722G444G5456G2967G3913G4396

17These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness.G3778G1526G4077G504G3507G1643G5259G2978G3739G2217G4655G5083G1519G165

18They brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With an appeal to twisted sexual desires, they lure back into sin those who have barely escaped from a lifestyle of deception.G1063G5350G5246G3153G1185G1722G1939G4561G766G3689G668G390G1722G4106

19They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.G1861G846G1657G846G5225G1401G5356G1063G3739G5100G2274G2532G5129G1402

20And when people escape from the wickedness of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and then get tangled up and enslaved by sin again, they are worse off than before.G1063G1487G668G3393G2889G1722G1922G2962G2532G4990G2424G5547G1707G3825G1707G5125G1161G1096G2274G2078G5501G846G4413

21It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life.G1063G2258G2909G846G3361G1921G3598G1343G2228G1921G1994G1537G40G1785G3860G846

22They prove the truth of this proverb: "A dog returns to its vomit." And another says, "A washed pig returns to the mud."G1161G4819G846G3588G227G3942G2965G1994G1909G2398G1829G1994G2532G5300G3068G1519G2946G1004

The Day of the Lord Is Coming

3This is my second letter to you, dear friends, and in both of them I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory.G5026G1208G1992G27G1125G2235G1125G5213G1722G3739G1326G5216G1506G1271G1722G5280 2I want you to remember what the holy prophets said long ago and what our Lord and Savior commanded through your apostles.G3415G4487G4280G5259G40G4396G2532G1785G2257G652G2962G2532G4990 3Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires.G1097G5124G4412G3754G2064G1909G2078G2250G1703G4198G2596G846G2398G1939 4They will say, "What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created."G2532G3004G4226G2076G1860G846G3952G1063G575G3739G3962G2837G3956G3779G1265G575G746G2937 5They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with water.G1063G5124G846G2309G2990G3754G3056G2316G3772G2258G1597G2532G1093G4921G1537G5204G2532G1223G5204 6Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty flood.G1223G3739G2889G5119G2626G5204G622 7And by the same word, the present heavens and earth have been stored up for fire. They are being kept for the day of judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.G1161G3772G2532G1093G3568G846G3056G1526G2343G5083G4442G1519G2250G2920G2532G684G765G444 8But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.G1161G27G2990G3361G5209G2990G1520G5124G3754G3391G2250G3844G2962G5613G5507G2094G2532G5507G2094G5613G3391G2250 9The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.G2962G1019G3756G1019G1860G5613G5100G2233G1022G235G3114G1519G2248G3361G1014G5100G622G235G3956G5562G1519G3341 10But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.G1161G2250G2962G2240G5613G2812G1722G3571G1722G3739G3772G3928G4500G1161G4747G3089G2741G1093G2532G2532G2041G1722G846G2618 11Since everything around us is going to be destroyed like this, what holy and godly lives you should live,G3767G3956G5130G3089G4217G1163G5209G5225G1722G40G391G2532G2150 12looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. On that day, he will set the heavens on fire, and the elements will melt away in the flames.G4328G2532G4692G3952G2250G2316G1223G3739G3772G4448G3089G2532G4747G5080G2741 13But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God's righteousness.G1161G4328G2596G846G1862G4328G2537G3772G2532G2537G1093G1722G3739G2730G1343 14And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight.G1352G27G4328G5023G4704G2147G846G1722G1515G784G2532G298 15And remember, our Lord's patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him—G2532G2233G3115G2257G2962G4991G2531G2257G27G80G3972G2532G2596G4678G1325G846G1125G5213 16speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.G5613G2532G1722G3956G1992G2980G1722G846G4012G5130G1722G3739G2076G5100G1425G3739G261G2532G793G4761G5613G2532G3062G1124G4314G846G2398G684

Peter’s Final Words

17I am warning you ahead of time, dear friends. Be on guard so that you will not be carried away by the errors of these wicked people and lose your own secure footing.G5210G3767G27G4267G5442G3363G1601G4879G4106G113G1601G2398G4740 18Rather, you must grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. All glory to him, both now and forever! Amen.G1161G837G1722G5485G2532G1108G2257G2962G2532G4990G2424G5547G846G1391G2532G3568G2532G1519G165G2250G281

35[A psalm of David.] O LORD, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me.H1732H7378H3068H3401H3898H3898 2Put on your armor, and take up your shield. Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.H2388H4043H6793H6965H5833 3Lift up your spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Let me hear you say, "I will give you victory!"H7324H2595H5462H7125H7291H559H5315H3444 4Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me; turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.H954H3637H1245H5315H5472H268H2659H2803H7451 5Blow them away like chaff in the wind—a wind sent by the angel of the LORD.H4671H6440H7307H4397H3068H1760 6Make their path dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.H1870H2822H2519H4397H3068H7291 7I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me. I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.H2600H2934H7568H7845H2600H2658H5315 8So let sudden ruin come upon them! Let them be caught in the trap they set for me! Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me.H7722H935H3045H3808H7568H2934H3920H7722H5307 9Then I will rejoice in the LORD. I will be glad because he rescues me.H5315H1523H3068H7797H3444 10With every bone in my body I will praise him. "LORD, who can compare with you? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them?"H6106H559H3068H5337H6041H2389H6041H34H1497 11Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.H2555H5707H6965H7592H3045 12They repay me evil for good. I am sick with despair.H7999H7451H2896H7908H5315 13Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered.H2470H3830H8242H6031H5315H6685H8605H7725H2436 14I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother.H1980H7453H251H7817H6937H57H517 15But they are glad now that I am in trouble; they gleefully join together against me. I am attacked by people I don't even know; they slander me constantly.H6761H8055H622H5222H622H3045H7167H1826 16They mock me and call me names; they snarl at me.H2611H3934H4580H2786H8127 17How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing? Rescue me from their fierce attacks. Protect my life from these lions!H136H7200H7725H5315H7722H3173H3715 18Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly. I will praise you before all the people.H3034H7227H6951H1984H6099H5971 19Don't let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat. Don't let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.H341H8267H8055H7169H5869H8130H2600 20They don't talk of peace; they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.H1696H7965H2803H4820H1697H7282H776 21They shout, "Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we saw him do it!"H6310H7337H559H1889H1889H5869H7200 22O LORD, you know all about this. Do not stay silent. Do not abandon me now, O Lord.H7200H3068H2790H136H7368 23Wake up! Rise to my defense! Take up my case, my God and my Lord.H5782H6974H4941H7379H430H136 24Declare me not guilty, O LORD my God, for you give justice. Don't let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.H8199H3068H430H6664H8055 25Don't let them say, "Look, we got what we wanted! Now we will eat him alive!"H559H3820H1889H5315H559H1104 26May those who rejoice at my troubles be humiliated and disgraced. May those who triumph over me be covered with shame and dishonor.H954H2659H3162H8056H7451H3847H1322H3639H1431 27But give great joy to those who came to my defense. Let them continually say, "Great is the LORD, who delights in blessing his servant with peace!"H7442H8055H2655H6664H559H8548H3068H1431H2655H7965H5650 28Then I will proclaim your justice, and I will praise you all day long.H3956H1897H6664H8416H3117