1 So I exhort the elders among you, ^mas a fellow elder and ⁿa witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 ^oshepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,^{1 p}not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you;^{2 q}not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not ^rdomineering over those in your charge, but ^sbeing examples to the flock. 4 And when ^tthe chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the ^uunfading ^vcrown of glory. 5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. ^wClothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ^x“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

6 ^xHumble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 ^ycasting all your anxieties on him, because ^zhe cares for you. 8 ^aBe sober-minded; ^bbe watchful. Your ^cadversary the devil ^dprowls around ^elike a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 ^fResist him, ^gfirm in your faith, knowing that ^hthe same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And ⁱafter you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, ^jwho has called you to his ^keternal glory in Christ, will himself ^lrestore, ^mconfirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 ⁿTo him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

12 By ^oSilvanus, a faithful brother as I regard him, ^pI have written briefly to you, exhorting and declaring that this is ^qthe true grace of God. ^rStand firm in it. 13 She who is at Babylon, who is likewise chosen, sends you greetings, and so does ^sMark, my son. 14 ^tGreet one another with the kiss of love.

^uPeace to all of you who are in Christ.

1 Simeon¹ Peter, a servant² and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who have obtained ^aa faith of equal standing with ours ^bby the righteousness of our ^cGod and Savior Jesus Christ:

2 ^dMay grace and peace be multiplied to you ^ein 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 ^fwho called us to³ his own glory and excellence,⁴ 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become ^gpartakers of the divine nature, ^hhaving escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith ⁱwith virtue,⁵ and virtue ^jwith knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control ^kwith steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness ^lwith brotherly affection, and brotherly affection ^mwith love. 8 For if these qualities⁶ are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or ⁿunfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he ^ois blind, having forgotten that he was ^pcleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers,⁷ be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and ^qelection, for if you practice these qualities ^ryou will never fall. 11 For in this way there will be richly provided for you ^san entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

12 Therefore I intend ^talways to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in ^uthe truth that you have. 13 I think it right, as long as I am in this ^vbody,^{8 w}to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 ^xsince I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, ^yas 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 ^zcleverly devised ^amyths when we made known to you ^bthe power and ^ccoming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but ^dwe were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ^e“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 ^fthe holy mountain. 19 And ^gwe have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention ^has to a lamp shining in a dark place, until ⁱthe day ^jdawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For ^kno prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God ^las they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.