| New King James Version (NKJV) |
New International Version (NIV) |
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1 Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),
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1 Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking.
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2 that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,
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2 I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles.
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3 knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
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3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.
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4 and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."
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4 They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."
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5 For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
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5 But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water.
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6 by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
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6 By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed.
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| Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. (New King James Version) |
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide. (New International Version Bible Online) |
