2 Peter 1

{I,} Simon Peter, serve Jesus the Messiah, and I am an apostle {whom he appointed}. {I am writing this letter} to you whom God has caused to believe {in the Messiah} just like he caused us {apostles} to believe {in the Messiah}. {Jesus has done this} by his righteous acts. Jesus the Messiah is our God, and he is the one who saves us.

I pray that God will increase his kind acts toward you and make you more peaceful because you know God and Jesus, {who is} our Lord. \*

God has given us everything that we need in order to live a life that honors him. {He does this} by his power as God. {He does this} by what we know about him. God is the one who chose us {to be his people} by his glorious and excellent character.

{By his glorious and excellent character,} God has promised that he will do priceless and great things for us. {He has done this} so that by {believing in} what he has promised, you will be able to act like God, {and} you will no longer suffer the moral corruption that is in the world through the desire to do sinful things. \*

Because God has done all that, do your best to not only believe in the Messiah, {but also} to do good things. {And make sure that you not only} do good things, {but that you also} learn more about God.

{And make sure that you do not only} learn more about God, {but that you also} control yourself {in what you do and say}. {And make sure that you do not only} control yourself {in what you do and say}, {but that you also} remain faithful to God in hardship. {And make sure that you do not only} remain faithful to God in hardship, {but that you also} honor him.

{And make sure that you do not only} honor God, {but that you also} show affection to each other as family members. {And make sure that you do not only} show affection to each other as family members, {but that you also} love others. \*

{Do these things,} because if you do all these things more and more, then they will make you productive with respect to your knowing our Lord Jesus the Messiah.

{Do these things,} because a person who does not do these things {is not aware that these things are important.} {This person is like} a blind person {who cannot see what is around him,} {or like} a nearsighted person {who can only see things that are close to him.} {This person has even} forgotten that God has forgiven him for the sinful things {he did} in the past. \*

Consequently, you fellow believers, make even more effort to make sure that God has chosen you to be his people. If you do these things I have just told you about, then you will absolutely never become separated from God.

{This is true} because, {by your doing} thus, God will wholeheartedly allow you to enter into the place where our Lord and Savior Jesus the Messiah will rule {his people} forever. \*

Consequently, {because these things are so important,} I am always prepared to keep on reminding you about these things. {I will remind you} even though you already know {them} and are firmly convinced of the true teaching that you now have.

Nevertheless, I consider it to be right for me to keep reminding you {about these things} as long as I am alive.

{I want to remind you of these things,} because I know that I shall die soon. {I shall die} just like our Lord Jesus the Messiah has made clear to me {previously}.

In addition, I will make every effort {by writing these things down} to cause you to keep on remembering these things after I have died. \*

{I will do this} because, when we apostles told you that our Lord Jesus the Messiah is coming back in power {some day}, we were not basing {what we told you} on stories that we had cleverly made up. On the contrary, {we told you} what we saw with our own eyes, the divinely majestic Jesus.

{I can say we were eyewitnesses} because {we were there when} God the Father honored him and glorified him, {when Jesus heard} a voice from the majestically glorious God. {And the voice said,} “This is my Son, whom I love very much. I am very pleased with him.”

We ourselves also heard this voice of God that came from heaven when we were with Jesus on that sacred mountain. \*

And we have what the prophets wrote {previously}, {which is} absolutely reliable. Pay attention to what they wrote, because it is like a lamp that is shining in a dark place {that helps people see where they are going}. {That light} will shine until the day {of the return of the Messiah} dawns and {Jesus}, the star that appears before the morning, gives your minds greater understanding.

Above all, you should know that no prophet could interpret {his prophecy} by his own imagination.

{This is true} because no one ever prophesied a {true} prophecy according to what a human wanted. On the contrary, those who spoke {prophecies} from God did so by the Holy Spirit guiding them. \*