1Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who have obtained the same precious faith as we, through the righteousness of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ: 2May grace and peace be yours in abundance as you grow in your knowledge of God, and of Jesus, our Lord,

3His divine power has given to us everything we need for a godly life, through our knowledge of Him Who has called us to glory and virtue, 4And has given to us His exceedingly great and precious promises, by which you might share in His divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world, that is caused by evil desires. 5That is why you should give all diligence to add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, add knowledge; 6And to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, patience; and to patience, godliness; 7And to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8For if these qualities abound in you, they ensure that your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ shall be neither ineffective nor unfruitful. 9But whoever lacks these qualities is shortsighted, and has lost sight of the fact that he has been cleansed from his past sins. 10Therefore, brothers and sisters, make evert effort to confirm your calling and election; for if you do that, you shall never fall away. 11Then you shall receive a warm welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

12And so I will remind you often of these things, even though you know them, and are firmly established in the truth you already know. 13I think it fitting, as long as I remain alive, to refresh your memory of these truths, 14Recognizing that I must soon leave this life on earth, even as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15I will therefore try to ensure that, even after my demise, these things remain fresh in your mind. 16For they were not cleverly contrived myths that we told you regarding the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; but we saw His majestic splendor with our own eyes. 17For He received honor and glory from God, the Father, when the voice came to Him from the Majestic Glory (God), that said, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.”. 18We, ourselves, heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him in the holy mount. (At Christ’s transfiguration - Matt.17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 3:22) 19Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed earlier by the prophets, and you will do well to take heed to it, as you would to a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns, and Christ, the Morning Star; rises in your hearts; 20Knowing this first of all: that no prophecy of Scripture ever came out of the prophet’s own understanding or interpretation; and neither should we apply our own private interpretation to it. 21For true prophecy never came from or by the will of man; but holy men of God (true prophets) spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.