1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a ^ywitness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the ^zflock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,^{1 a}not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;² not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 ^bnot domineering over those in your charge, but being ^cexamples to the flock. 4 And ^dwhen the chief ^eShepherd appears, you will receive the unfading ^fcrown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. ^gClothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ^h“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 ⁱcasting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 ^jBe sober-minded; ^kbe watchful. Your adversary the devil ^lprowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 ^mResist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your ⁿbrotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have ^osuffered a little while, the God of all grace, ^pwho has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 ^qTo him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

12 By Silvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, I have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is the true grace of God. Stand firm in it. 13 ^rShe who is at ^sBabylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with the kiss of love.

Peace to all of you who are in Christ.

1 ^aSimeon¹ Peter, a servant² and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of ^bour God and Savior Jesus Christ:

2 ^cMay grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him ^dwho called us to³ his own glory and ^eexcellence,⁴ 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and ^fvery great promises, so that through them you may become ^gpartakers of the divine nature, having ^hescaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with ⁱvirtue,⁵ and ^jvirtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with ^klove. 8 For if these qualities⁶ are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or ^lunfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is ^mblind, having forgotten that he was ⁿcleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers,^{7 o}be all the more diligent to ^pconfirm your calling and election, for if you practice these qualities you will never ^qfall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you an ^rentrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

12 Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are ^sestablished ^tin the truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this ^ubody,^{8 v}to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, ^was our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised ^xmyths when ^ywe made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^zbut we were eyewitnesses of his ^amajesty. 17 For when he received honor and ^bglory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ^c“This is my beloved Son,⁹ with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a ^dlamp ^eshining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the ^fmorning star ^grises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 ^hFor no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but ⁱmen spoke from God as they were carried along ^jby the Holy Spirit.