to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; ¹  to perseverance, godliness;

to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish ¹  love. ² 

Indeed, as long as I am in this tabernacle, ¹  I consider it right to stir you up by way of a reminder,

For by speaking high-sounding but empty words ¹  they are able to entice, ²  with fleshly desires and with debauchery, ³  people ⁴  who have just escaped ⁵  from those who reside in error. ⁶ 

Dear friends, this is already the second letter I have written ¹  you, in which ²  I am trying to stir up ³  your pure mind by way of reminder:

speaking of these things in all his letters. ¹  Some things in these letters ²  are hard to understand, things ³  the ignorant and unstable twist ⁴  to their own destruction, as they also do to the rest of the scriptures. ⁵ 

For this very reason, ¹  make every effort ²  to add to your faith excellence, ³  to excellence, knowledge;

But ¹  these men, ²  like irrational animals – creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed ³  – do not understand whom ⁴  they are insulting, and consequently ⁵  in their destruction they will be destroyed, ⁶ 

suffering harm as the wages for their harmful ways. ¹  By considering it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight, ²  they are stains and blemishes, indulging ³  in their deceitful pleasures when they feast together with you.

and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man in anguish over the debauched lifestyle of lawless ¹  men, ² 

Therefore, dear friends, since you are waiting for ¹  these things, strive to be found ²  at peace, without spot or blemish, when you come into his presence. ³ 

Through these things ¹  he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised ²  you may become partakers of the divine nature, ³  after escaping ⁴  the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire. ⁵ 

Moreover, ¹  we ²  possess the prophetic word as an altogether reliable thing. ³  You do well if you pay attention ⁴  to this ⁵  as you would ⁶  to a light shining in a murky place, until the day dawns and the morning star ⁷  rises in your hearts. ⁸ 

But false prophets arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. ¹  These false teachers ²  will ³  infiltrate your midst ⁴  with destructive heresies, ⁵  even to the point of ⁶  denying the Master who bought them. As a result, they will bring ⁷  swift destruction on themselves.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, ¹  the heavens will disappear ²  with a horrific noise, ³  and the celestial bodies ⁴  will melt away ⁵  in a blaze, ⁶  and the earth and every deed done on it ⁷  will be laid bare. ⁸ 

May grace and peace be lavished on you ¹  as you grow ²  in the rich knowledge ³  of God and of Jesus our Lord! ⁴ 

Therefore, I intend to remind you constantly ¹  of these things even though you know them and are well established in the truth that you now have.

When this voice was conveyed from heaven, we ourselves ¹  heard it, for we were with him on the holy mountain. ² 

(for while he lived among them day after day, that righteous man was tormented in his righteous soul ¹  by the lawless deeds he saw and heard ² )

Since all these things are to melt away ¹  in this manner, ²  what sort of people must we ³  be, conducting our lives in holiness and godliness, ⁴