2Peter 1-3; Psalms 35 - Prayer Tents

2Peter 1

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.G4826G4074G1401G2532G652G2424G5547G2975G2472G4102G2254G1722G1343G2316G2532G2257G4990G2424G55472May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.G5485G2532G1515G4129G5213G1722G1922G2316G2532G2424G2257G2962

Growing in Faith

3By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.G5613G846G2304G1411G1433G2254G3956G4314G2222G2532G2150G1223G1922G2564G2248G1223G1391G2532G7034And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world's corruption caused by human desires.G1223G3739G1433G2254G3176G2532G5093G1862G2443G1223G5130G1096G2844G2304G5449G668G5356G1722G2889G1722G19395In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God's promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge,G2532G1161G846G5124G3923G3956G4710G2023G1722G5216G4102G703G1161G1722G703G11086and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness,G1161G1722G1108G1466G1161G1722G1466G5281G1161G1722G5281G21507and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone.G1161G1722G2150G5360G1161G1722G5360G268The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.G1063G5023G5225G5213G2532G4121G2525G3756G692G3761G175G1519G1922G2257G2962G2424G55479But those who fail to develop in this way are shortsighted or blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their old sins.G1063G3739G3361G3918G5023G2076G5185G3467G3024G2983G2512G846G3819G26610So, 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.G1352G3123G80G4704G4160G5216G2821G2532G1589G949G1063G4160G5023G4218G4417G3364G4218G441711Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.G1063G3779G1529G2023G5213G4146G1519G166G932G2257G2962G2532G4990G2424G5547

Paying Attention to Scripture

12Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught.G1352G272G3756G272G5279G5209G104G5279G4012G5130G2539G1492G2532G4741G1722G3918G22513And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live.G1161G2233G1342G1909G3745G1510G1722G5129G4638G1326G5209G1326G1722G528014For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life,G1492G3754G5031G2076G595G3450G4638G2532G2531G2257G2962G2424G5547G1213G342715so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone.G1161G2532G4704G5209G2192G3326G1699G1841G4160G5130G1539G342016For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyesG1063G1811G3756G1811G4679G3454G1107G5213G1411G2532G3952G2257G2962G2424G5547G235G1096G2030G1565G316817when 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."G1063G2983G3844G2316G3962G5092G2532G1391G5342G5107G5456G846G5259G3169G1391G3778G2076G3450G27G5207G1519G3739G1473G210618We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.G2532G5026G5456G5342G1537G3772G2249G191G5607G4862G846G1722G40G373519Because 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.G2192G2532G949G3056G4397G3739G4160G2573G4337G5613G3088G5316G1722G850G5117G2193G3739G2250G1306G2532G5459G393G1722G5216G258820Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet's own understanding,G1097G5124G4412G3754G3756G3956G4394G1124G1096G2398G195521or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.G1063G4394G5342G3756G4218G2307G444G235G40G444G2316G2980G5342G5259G40G4151

2Peter 2

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.G1161G1096G5578G2532G1722G2992G2532G5613G2071G5572G1722G5213G3748G3919G684G139G2532G720G1203G59G846G1863G1438G5031G6842Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of these teachers, the way of truth will be slandered.G2532G4183G1811G846G684G1223G3739G3598G225G9873In 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.G2532G1722G4124G4112G3056G1710G5209G3739G2917G1597G691G3756G2532G846G684G3573G37564For 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.G1063G1487G2316G5339G3756G32G264G235G5020G3860G4577G2217G5083G1519G29205And 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.G2532G5339G3756G744G2889G235G5442G3575G3590G2783G1343G1863G2627G2889G7656Later, 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.G2532G5077G4172G4670G2532G1116G5077G2632G2692G5087G5262G3195G7647But 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.G2532G4506G1342G3091G2669G5259G766G391G1722G1138Yes, Lot was a righteous man who was tormented in his soul by the wickedness he saw and heard day after day.G1063G1342G1460G1722G846G990G2532G189G928G1342G5590G2250G1537G2250G459G20419So 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.G2962G1492G4506G2152G1537G3986G1161G5083G94G1519G2250G2920G284910He 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.G1161G3122G4198G3694G4561G1722G1939G3394G2532G2706G2963G5113G829G3756G5141G987G139111But 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.G3699G32G5607G3187G2479G2532G1411G5342G3756G989G2920G2596G846G3844G296212These 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.G1161G3778G5613G5446G249G2226G1080G1519G259G2532G5356G987G1722G3739G50G2704G1722G846G535613Their 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.G2865G3408G93G2233G2237G5172G1722G2250G4696G2532G3470G1792G1722G846G539G4910G521314They 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.G2192G3788G3324G3428G2532G180G266G1185G793G5590G2588G2192G1128G4124G2671G504315They have wandered off the right road and followed the footsteps of Balaam son of Beor, who loved to earn money by doing wrong.G2641G2117G3598G4105G1811G3598G903G1007G3739G25G3408G9316But Balaam was stopped from his mad course when his donkey rebuked him with a human voice.G1161G2192G1649G2398G3892G880G5268G5350G1722G444G5456G2967G3913G439617These people are as useless as dried-up springs or as mist blown away by the wind. They are doomed to blackest darkness.G3778G1526G4077G504G3507G1643G5259G2978G3739G2217G4655G5083G1519G16518They 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.G1063G5350G5246G3153G1185G1722G1939G4561G766G3689G668G390G1722G410619They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves of sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.G1861G846G1657G846G5225G1401G5356G1063G3739G5100G2274G2532G5129G140220And 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.G1063G1487G668G3393G2889G1722G1922G2962G2532G4990G2424G5547G1707G3825G1707G5125G1161G1096G2274G2078G5501G846G441321It 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.G1063G2258G2909G846G3361G1921G3598G1343G2228G1921G1994G1537G40G1785G3860G84622They prove the truth of this proverb: "A dog returns to its vomit." And another says, "A washed pig returns to the mud."G1161G4819G846G3588G227G3942G2965G1994G1909G2398G1829G1994G2532G5300G3068G1519G2946G1004

2Peter 3

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

Psalms 35

35[A psalm of David.] O LORD, oppose those who oppose me. Fight those who fight against me.H1732H7378H3068H3401H3898H38982Put on your armor, and take up your shield. Prepare for battle, and come to my aid.H2388H4043H6793H6965H58333Lift up your spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Let me hear you say, "I will give you victory!"H7324H2595H5462H7125H7291H559H5315H34444Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me; turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm me.H954H3637H1245H5315H5472H268H2659H2803H74515Blow them away like chaff in the wind—a wind sent by the angel of the LORD.H4671H6440H7307H4397H3068H17606Make their path dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them.H1870H2822H2519H4397H3068H72917I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me. I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.H2600H2934H7568H7845H2600H2658H53158So 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.H7722H935H3045H3808H7568H2934H3920H7722H53079Then I will rejoice in the LORD. I will be glad because he rescues me.H5315H1523H3068H7797H344410With 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?"H6106H559H3068H5337H6041H2389H6041H34H149711Malicious witnesses testify against me. They accuse me of crimes I know nothing about.H2555H5707H6965H7592H304512They repay me evil for good. I am sick with despair.H7999H7451H2896H7908H531513Yet when they were ill, I grieved for them. I denied myself by fasting for them, but my prayers returned unanswered.H2470H3830H8242H6031H5315H6685H8605H7725H243614I was sad, as though they were my friends or family, as if I were grieving for my own mother.H1980H7453H251H7817H6937H57H51715But 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.H6761H8055H622H5222H622H3045H7167H182616They mock me and call me names; they snarl at me.H2611H3934H4580H2786H812717How long, O Lord, will you look on and do nothing? Rescue me from their fierce attacks. Protect my life from these lions!H136H7200H7725H5315H7722H3173H371518Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly. I will praise you before all the people.H3034H7227H6951H1984H6099H597119Don't let my treacherous enemies rejoice over my defeat. Don't let those who hate me without cause gloat over my sorrow.H341H8267H8055H7169H5869H8130H260020They don't talk of peace; they plot against innocent people who mind their own business.H1696H7965H2803H4820H1697H7282H77621They shout, "Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we saw him do it!"H6310H7337H559H1889H1889H5869H720022O LORD, you know all about this. Do not stay silent. Do not abandon me now, O Lord.H7200H3068H2790H136H736823Wake up! Rise to my defense! Take up my case, my God and my Lord.H5782H6974H4941H7379H430H13624Declare me not guilty, O LORD my God, for you give justice. Don't let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.H8199H3068H430H6664H805525Don't let them say, "Look, we got what we wanted! Now we will eat him alive!"H559H3820H1889H5315H559H110426May those who rejoice at my troubles be humiliated and disgraced. May those who triumph over me be covered with shame and dishonor.H954H2659H3162H8056H7451H3847H1322H3639H143127But 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!"H7442H8055H2655H6664H559H8548H3068H1431H2655H7965H565028Then I will proclaim your justice, and I will praise you all day long.H3956H1897H6664H8416H3117