II Epistle of Peter

Wycliffe's Translation Presented by The Master's Table

Chapter 1
1 Simount Petre, seruaunt and apostle of `Jhesu Crist, to hem that han take with vs the euene feith, in the riytwisnesse of oure God and sauyour Jhesu Crist,
2 grace and pees be fillid to you, bi the knowing of oure Lord Jhesu Crist.
3 Hou alle thingis of his godlich vertu, that ben to lijf and pitee, ben youun to vs, bi the knowyng of hym, that clepide vs for his owne glorie and vertu.
4 Bi whom he yaf to vs moost preciouse biheestis; that bi these thingis ye schulen be maad felows of Goddis kynde, and fle the corrupcioun of that coueytise, that is in the world.
5 And bringe ye in alle bisynesse, and mynystre ye in youre feith vertu, and `in vertu kunnyng;
6 in kunnyng abstinence, in abstynence pacience, in pacience pitee;
7 in pitee, love of britherhod, and in loue of britherhod charite.
8 For if these ben with you, and ouercomen, thei schulen not make you voide, nethir with out fruyt, in the knowyng of oure Lord Jhesu Crist.
9 But to whom these ben not redi, he is blynd, and gropith with his hoond, and foryetith the purgyng of his elde trespassis.
10 Wherfor, britheren, be ye more bisi, that by goode werkis ye make youre clepyng and chesyng certeyn;
11 for ye doynge these thingis schulen not do synne ony tyme. For thus the entryng in to euerlastynge kyngdom of oure Lord and sauyour Jhesu Crist, schal be mynystrid to you plenteuousli.
12 For which thing Y schal bigynne to moneste you euere more of these thingis; and Y wole that ye be kunnynge, and confermyd in this present treuthe.
13 Forsothe Y deme iustli, as long as Y am in this tabernacle, to reise you in monesting; and Y am certeyn,
14 that the putting awei of my tabernacle is swift, bi this that oure Lord Jhesu Crist hath schewid to me.
15 But Y schal yyue bisynesse, and ofte after my deth ye haue mynde of these thingis.
16 For we not suynge vnwise talis, han maad knowun to you the vertu and the biforknowyng of oure Lord Jhesu Crist; but we weren maad biholderis of his greetnesse.
17 For he took of God the fadir onour and glorie, bi siche maner vois slidun doun to hym fro the greet glorie, This is my loued sone, in whom Y haue plesid to me; here ye hym.
18 And we herden this vois brouyt from heuene, whanne we weren with hym in the hooli hil.
19 And we han a saddere word of prophecie, to which ye yyuynge tent don wel, as to a lanterne that yyueth liyt in a derk place, til the dai bigynne to yyue liyt, and the dai sterre sprenge in youre hertis.
20 And firste vndurstonde ye this thing, that ech prophesie of scripture is not maad bi propre interpretacioun;
21 for prophesie was not brouyt ony tyme bi mannus wille, but the hooli men of God inspirid with the Hooli Goost spaken.

CAP 2
1 But also false prophetis weren in the puple, as in you schulen be maistris lieris, that schulen bringe in sectis of perdicioun; and thei denyen thilke Lord that bouyte hem, and bringen on hem silf hasti perdicioun.
2 And many schulen sue her letcheries, bi whiche the weie of treuthe schal be blasfemyd;
3 and thei schulen make marchaundie of you in coueytise bi feyned wordis. To whiche doom now a while ago ceessith not, and the perdicioun of hem nappith not.
4 For if God sparide not aungels synnynge, but bitook hem to be turmentid, and to be drawun doun with boondis of helle in to helle, to be kept in to dom;
5 and sparide not the firste world, but kept Noe, the eiythe man, the biforgoere of riytwisnesse, and brouyte in the greet flood to the world of vnfeithful men;
6 and he droof in to poudre the citees of men of Sodom and of men of Gommor, and dampnede bi turnyng vpsedoun, and putte hem the ensaumple of hem that weren to doynge yuele;
7 and delyuerid the iust Loth, oppressid of the wrong, and of the letcherouse conuersacioun of cursid men;
8 for in siyt and hering he was iust, and dwellide amongst hem that fro dai in to dai turmentiden with wickid werkis a iust soule.
9 For the Lord kan delyuere piteuouse men fro temptacioun, and kepe wickid men `in to the dai of dom to be turmentid;
10 but more hem that walken aftir the fleisch, in coueytinge of vnclennesse, and dispisen lordschiping, and ben boold, plesynge hem silf, and dreden not to bringe in sectis, blasfemynge; where aungels,
11 whanne thei ben more in strengthe and vertu, beren not `that was the execrable doom ayens hem.
12 But these ben as vnresonable beestis, kyndli in to takyng, and in to deth, blasfemynge in these thingis that thei knowen not, and schulen perische in her corrupcioun,
13 and resseyue the hire of vnriytwisnesse. And thei gessen delicis of defouling and of wemme, to be likyngis of dai, flowynge in her feestis with delicis, doynge letcherie with you,
14 and han iyen ful of auowtrie, and vnceessynge trespas, disseyuynge vnstidfast soulis, and han the herte excercisid to coueitise; the sones of cursyng,
15 that forsaken the riyt weie, and erriden, suynge the weie of Balaam of Bosor, which louyde the hire of wickidnesse.
16 But he hadde repreuyng of his woodnesse; a doumb beest vndur yok, that spak with vois of man, that forbede the vnwisdom of the profete.
17 These ben wellis with out watir, and mystis dryuun with `whirlinge wyndys, to whiche the thicke mijst of derknessis is reseruyd.
18 And thei speken in pryde of vanyte, and disseyuen in desiris of fleisch of letcherie hem, that scapen a litil.
19 Whiche lyuen in errour, and biheten fredom to hem, whanne thei ben seruauntis of corrupcioun. For of whom ony man is ouercomun, of hym also he is seruaunt.
20 For if men forsaken the vnclennessis of the world, bi the knowyng of oure Lord and sauyour Jhesu Crist, and eftsone ben wlappid in these, and ben ouercomun, the lattere thingis ben maad to hem worse than the formere.
21 For it was betere to hem to not knowe the weie of riytwisnesse, than to turne ayen aftir the knowyng, fro that hooli maundement that was bitakun to hem.
22 For thilke very prouerb bifelde to hem, The hound turnede ayen to his castyng, and a sowe is waischun in walwyng in fenne.

CAP 3
1 Lo! ye moost dereworth britheren, Y write to you this secounde epistle, in which Y stire youre clere soule bi monesting togidere,
2 that ye be myndeful of tho wordis, that Y biforseide of the hooli prophetis, and of the maundementis of the hooli apostlis of the Lord and sauyour.
3 First wite ye this thing, that in the laste daies disseyueris schulen come in disseit, goynge aftir her owne coueityngis,
4 seiynge, Where is the biheest, or the comyng of hym? for sithen the fadris dieden, alle thingis lasten fro the bigynnyng of creature.
5 But it is hid fro hem willynge this thing, that heuenes were bifore, and the erthe of water was stondynge bi watir, of Goddis word;
6 bi which that ilke world clensid, thanne bi watir perischide.
7 But the heuenes that now ben, and the erthe, ben kept bi the same word, and ben reseruyd to fier in to the dai of doom and perdicioun of wickid men.
8 But, ye moost dere, this o thing be not hid to you, that o dai anentis God is as a thousynde yeeris, and a thousynde yeeris ben as o dai.
9 The Lord tarieth not his biheest, as summe gessen, but he doith pacientli for you, and wole not that ony men perische, but that alle turne ayen to penaunce.
10 For the dai of the Lord schal come as a theef, in which heuenes with greet bire schulen passe, and elementis schulen be dissoluyd bi heete, and the erthe, and alle the werkis that ben in it, schulen be brent.
11 Therfor whanne alle these thingis schulen be dissolued, what manner men bihoueth it you to be in hooli lyuyngis and pitees,
12 abidinge and hiyynge in to the comyng of the dai of oure Lord Jhesu Crist, bi whom heuenes brennynge schulen be dissoluyd, and elementis schulen faile bi brennyng of fier.
13 Also we abiden bi hise biheestis newe heuenes and newe erthe, in which riytwisnesse dwellith.
14 For which thing, ye moost dere, abidynge these thingis, be ye bisye to be foundun to hym in pees vnspottid and vndefoulid.
15 And deme ye long abiding of oure Lord Jhesu Crist youre heelthe, as also oure moost dere brother Poul wroot to you, bi wisdom youun to hym.
16 As and in alle epistlis he spekith `in hem of these thingis; in which ben summe hard thingis to vndurstonde, whiche vnwise and vnstable men deprauen, as also thei don othere scripturis, to her owne perdicioun.
17 Therfor ye, britheren, bifor witynge kepe you silf, lest ye be disseyued bi errour of vnwise men, and falle awei fro youre owne sadnesse.
18 But wexe ye in the grace and the knowyng of oure Lord Jhesu Crist and oure Sauyour; to hym be glorie now and in to the dai of euerlastyngnesse. Amen.