So take the Truth seriously!!
3
1 Ταύτην ἤδη, ἀγαπητοί, δευτέραν ὑμῖν γράφω ἐπιστολήν (ἐν αἷς διεγείρω ὑμῶν ἐν ὑπομνήσει τὴν εἱλικρινῆ* διάνοιαν), 2 μνησθῆναι τῶν προειρημένων ῥημάτων ὑπὸ τῶν ἁγίων προφητῶν, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀποστόλων ὑμῶν† ἐντολῆς τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ Σωτῆρος.
Scoffers will come
3 Τοῦτο πρῶτον γινώσκοντες· ὅτι ἐλεύσονται ἐπ᾿ ἐσχάτου‡ τῶν ἡμερῶν§ ἐμπαῖκται, κατὰ τὰς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας αὐτῶν* πορευόμενοι 4 καὶ λέγοντες· «Ποῦ ἐστιν ἡ ἐπαγγελία τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ;» Ἀφ᾿ ἧς γὰρ οἱ πατέρες ἐκοιμήθησαν πάντα οὕτως διαμένει ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς κτίσεως. 5 Λανθάνει γὰρ αὐτοὺς τοῦτο θέλοντας, ὅτι οὐρανοὶ ἦσαν ἔκπαλαι καὶ γῆ (ἐξ ὕδατος καὶ δι᾿ ὕδατος) συνεστῶτα† τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγῳ, 6 δι᾿ ὧν‡ ὁ τότε κόσμος ὕδατι κατακλυσθεὶς ἀπώλετο.
This world will be destroyed
7 Οἱ δὲ νῦν οὐρανοί, καὶ ἡ γῆ, τῷ αὐτοῦ§ λόγῳ τεθησαυρισμένοι εἰσὶν πυρί, τηρούμενοι εἰς ἡμέραν κρίσεως καὶ ἀπωλείας τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἀνθρώπων.
The Lord is longsuffering
8 Ἓν δὲ τοῦτο* μὴ λανθανέτω ὑμᾶς, ἀγαπητοί, ὅτι μία ἡμέρα παρὰ Κυρίῳ ὡς χίλια ἔτη, καὶ χίλια ἔτη ὡς ἡμέρα μία.† 9 Οὐ βραδύνει ὁ ‡ Κύριος τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ὥς τινες βραδυτῆτα ἡγοῦνται, ἀλλὰ μακροθυμεῖ εἰς ἡμᾶς,§ μὴ βουλόμενός τινας ἀπολέσθαι ἀλλὰ πάντας εἰς μετάνοιαν χωρῆσαι.
Hasten the day of God
10 Ἥξει δὲ ἡ * ἡμέρα Κυρίου ὡς κλέπτης ἐν νυκτί,† ἐν ᾖ ‡ οὐρανοὶ§ ῥοιζηδὸν παρελεύσονται, στοιχεῖα δὲ καυσούμενα λυθήσονται*—καὶ γῆ καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ ἔργα κατακαήσεται.† 11 Τούτων οὖν‡ πάντων λυομένων, ποταποὺς δεῖ ὑπάρχειν ὑμᾶς§ ἐν ἁγίαις ἀναστροφαῖς καὶ εὐσεβείαις, 12 προσδοκῶντας καὶ σπεύδοντας τὴν παρουσίαν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμέρας, δι᾿ ἣν* οὐρανοί, πυρούμενοι, λυθήσονται, καὶ στοιχεῖα καυσούμενα τήκεται;†
A better world is coming
13 Καινοὺς δὲ οὐρανοὺς καὶ γῆν καινὴν‡ κατὰ τὸ ἐπάγγελμα αὐτοῦ§ προσδοκῶμεν, ἐν οἷς δικαιοσύνη κατοικεῖ.
So be serious!
14 Διό, ἀγαπητοί, ταῦτα προσδοκῶντες, σπουδάσατε ἄσπιλοι καὶ ἀμώμητοι* αὐτῷ εὑρεθῆναι ἐν εἰρήνῃ· 15 καὶ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν μακροθυμίαν σωτηρίαν ἡγεῖσθε—καθὼς καὶ ὁ ἀγαπητὸς ἡμῶν ἀδελφὸς Παῦλος, κατὰ τὴν αὐτῷ δοθεῖσαν† σοφίαν, ἔγραψεν ὑμῖν, 16 ὡς καὶ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς‡ ἐπιστολαῖς (λαλῶν ἐν αὐταῖς περὶ τούτων, ἐν οἷς§ εἰσιν* δυσνόητά τινα), ἃ οἱ ἀμαθεῖς καὶ ἀστήρικτοι στρεβλοῦσιν,† ὡς καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς Γραφάς, πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν αὐτῶν ἀπώλειαν. 17 Ὑμεῖς οὖν, ἀγαπητοί, προγινώσκοντες φυλάσσεσθε, ἵνα μή, τῇ τῶν ἀθέσμων πλάνῃ συναπαχθέντες, ἐκπέσητε τοῦ ἰδίου στηριγμοῦ. 18 Αὐξάνητε‡ δὲ ἐν χάριτι καὶ γνώσει τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ Σωτῆρος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.
Αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα καὶ νῦν καὶ εἰς ἡμέραν αἰῶνος. Ἀμήν.§,*
* 3:1 εἱλικρινη f35 [20%] ¦ εἰλικρινη rell † 3:2 υμων f35 𝕻72ℵA,B,C [70%] RP,HF,OC,CP,NU ¦ ημων [28.8%] TR ¦ — [1.2%] ‡ 3:3 εσχατου f35 [87%] RP,HF,TR,CP ¦ εσχατων 𝕻72ℵA,B,048v [13%] OC,NU ¦ εσχατω C § 3:3 ημερων f35 [88%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ 1 εν εμπαιγμονη ℵA,B,048v [5.6%] NU ¦ 1 εμπαιγμωνη (𝕻72)C [5%] ¦ 1 εμπαιγμωνης [1.2%] ¦ one other reading [0.2%] * 3:3 επιθυμιας αυτων f35 B,C(048) [79%] RP,HF,OC,CP,NU ¦ ~ 21 ℵA [20%] TR ¦ 1 𝕻72 [1%] ¦ one other reading † 3:5 συνεστωτα f35 ℵ [23%] ¦ συνεστωσα 𝕻72A,C(048) [76%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP,NU ¦ συνεστωσαι [1%] ¦ συνεστωσης B (The nominative plural neuter perfect active participle works with ησαν as a periphrastic construction whose subject includes both ‘heavens’ [m] and ‘earth’ [f]. Peter’s syntax is almost as convoluted as Paul’s, at times. f35 [Kr] is early and independent of Kx.) ‡ 3:6 ων f35 𝕻72ℵA,B,C,048 [97%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP,NU ¦ ον [2%] ECM ¦ ο [1%] § 3:7 τω αυτου f35 ℵC [90%] RP,HF,OC,CP ¦ 1 αυτω 𝕻72A,B [9%] NU ¦ 2 TR ¦ two other variants * 3:8 τουτο rell ¦ τουτω 𝕻72 [22%] † 3:8 ημερα μια f35 𝕻72ℵA,B,C [98%] RP,HF,OC,TR,NU ¦ ~ 21 [2%] CP ‡ 3:9 ο f35 [81%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ — 𝕻72ℵA,B,C,048 [19%] NU § 3:9 εις ημας f35 [80%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ 1 υμας 𝕻72B,C,048v [13%] NU ¦ δι υμας ℵA [4%] ¦ δι 2 [2%] ¦ εφ υμας [1%] (Some copyists assimilated to the 2nd person in verse 8, but here in verse 9 Peter is making a general statement that is properly inclusive.) * 3:10 η f35 ℵA [82%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ — 𝕻72B,C,048 [18%] NU † 3:10 εν νυκτι f35 C (88%) RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ — 𝕻72ℵA,B,048 (12%) NU ‡ 3:10 η f35 ℵ,048 [67%] OC ¦ 1 οι 𝕻72A,B,C [33%] RP,HF,TR,CP,NU (Just as in verse 5 ‘heavens’ occurs without the article, so here.) § 3:10 ουρανοι rell ¦ 1 μεν ℵ [11%] * 3:10 λυθησονται f35 A [94%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ λυθησεται 𝕻72ℵB,C,048v [6%] NU † 3:10 κατακαησεται f35 A,048 (90.2%) RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ κατακαησονται (3.4%) ¦ ευρεθησεται ℵB (3.2%) NU [ευρεθησεται λουμενα 𝕻72 (alone)] ¦ αφανισθησονται C (alone) ¦ — [part of a larger omission] (2.8%) ¦ ουχ ευρεθησεται [0%] ECM (ECM follows essentially the Sahidic version.) (The reading of NU is inferior to the point of being almost nonsensical.) ‡ 3:11 ουν f35 ℵA,048 (87.6%) RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ ουτως (𝕻72)B (6.2%) NU ¦ δε ουτως C (3%) ¦ δε (2%) ¦ 1 ουτως (1.2%) § 3:11 υμας f35 A,C,048v [90%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP[NU]ECM ¦ ημας ℵ [8.6%] ¦ — 𝕻72B [1%] ¦ εαυτους [0.4%] * 3:12 ην rell ¦ 1 οι [20%] † 3:12 τηκεται f35 𝕻72ℵA,B,048v [91%] RP,HF,OC,TR,NU ¦ τακησεται C [7%] CP ¦ τακησονται [1.4%] ¦ two other readings [0.6%] ‡ 3:13 γην καινην rell ¦ ~ 21 ℵA,048 [17%] § 3:13 επαγγελμα αυτου rell ¦ ~ 21 CP * 3:14 αμωμητοι rell ¦ αμωμοι A [13%] † 3:15 αυτω δοθεισαν f35 [60%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ ~ 21 𝕻72(ℵ)A,B,C,048 [40%] NU ‡ 3:16 ταις f35 ℵ (96.8%) RP,HF,OC,TR,CP,ECM ¦ — 𝕻72A,B,C (3.2%) NU (A not very difficult case of homoioteleuton, 3 x -αις; ECM is certainly correct in abandoning NU here.) § 3:16 οις f35 C [83%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP ¦ αις 𝕻72ℵA,B [17%] NU * 3:16 εισιν f35 A [33%] ¦ εστιν 𝕻72ℵB,C [67%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP,NU ¦ one other reading † 3:16 στρεβλουσιν f35 ℵA,B [95%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP,NU ¦ στρεβλωσουσιν 𝕻72Cv [5%] ECM ‡ 3:18 αυξανητε f35 [27%] ¦ αυξανετε ℵA,B [60%] RP,HF,OC,TR,CP,NU ¦ αυξανεσθε 𝕻72C [5%] ¦ αυξανησθε [3%] ¦ αυξανοιτε [5%] (Imperative or Subjunctive? I take it that Peter is offering a gentler alternative to falling from their steadfastness; render “rather, may you grow in grace …”) § 3:18 αμην f35 𝕻72ℵA,C (97.4%) RP,HF,OC,TR,CP[NU] ¦ — B (2.6%) ECM * 3:18 The citation of f35 is based on forty-three MSS—18, 35, 141, 149, 201, 204, 328, 386, 394, 432, 604, 664, 757, 824, 928, 986, 1072, 1075, 1100, 1248, 1249, 1503, 1548, 1637, 1725, 1732, 1754, 1761, 1768, 1855, 1864, 1865, 1876, 1892, 1897, 2221, 2352, 2431, 2466, 2554, 2587, 2626 and 2723—all of which I collated myself. 35, 1725, 1864, 2554 and 2723 are very pure representatives of f35 in 2 Peter, with not a single variant, and so for the exemplars of 18, 141, 824, 1072, 1075, 1503, 1865 and 1897. For 35, 1725, 1864, 2554 and 2723 to have no variants after all the centuries of transmission is surely an eloquent demonstration of the faithfulness and accuracy of that transmission. Since these MSS come from all over the Mediterranean world (Sinai, Jerusalem, Patmos, Constantinople, Bucharest, Aegean, Trikala, Athens, Meteora, Sparta, Ochrida, Mt. Athos [nine different monasteries], Grottaferrata, Vatican, etc.) they are certainly representative of the family, giving us the precise family profile—it is reflected in the Text without exception.ECM collated 127 continuous text manuscripts (MSS) for 2 Peter, apart from a few fragments, which number represents about 20% of the extant (known) MSS. By a careful comparison of TuT and ECM I believe we can arrive at some reasonably close extrapolations. Thus I venture to predict, if complete collations ever become available, that for any non-Byzantine variants listed with 5 to 1% support (in my apparatus) the margin of error should not exceed ±1%; for non-Byzantine variants listed with 10 to 6% support the margin of error will hardly exceed ±2%; where there is some division among the Byzantine witnesses the margin of error will rarely exceed ±10%. However, I guarantee the witness of Family 35. Please see the last footnote for Matthew for further information.