The Lord Will Return
1 My dear friends, this is the second letter I have written to encourage you to do some honest thinking. I don't want you to forget 2 what God's prophets said would happen. You must never forget what the holy prophets taught in the past. And you must remember what the apostles told you our Lord and Savior has commanded us to do.
3 But first you must realize that in the last days some people won't think about anything except their own selfish desires. They will make fun of you 4 and say, “Didn't your Lord promise to come back? Yet the first leaders have already died, and the world hasn't changed a bit.”
5 They will say this because they want to forget that long ago the heavens and the earth were made at God's command. The earth came out of water and was made from water. 6 Later it was destroyed by the waters of a mighty flood. 7 But God has commanded the present heavens and earth to remain until the day of judgment. Then they will be set on fire, and ungodly people will be destroyed.
8 Dear friends, don't forget that for the Lord one day is the same as 1,000 years, and 1,000 years is the same as one day. 9 The Lord isn't slow about keeping his promises, as some people think he is. In fact, God is patient, because he wants everyone to turn from sin and no one to be lost.
10 The day of the Lord's return will surprise us like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a loud noise, and the heat will melt the whole universe. Then the earth and everything on it will be seen for what they are.
11 Everything will be destroyed. So you should serve and honor God by the way you live. 12 You should look forward to the day when God judges everyone, and you should try to make it come soon. On that day the heavens will be destroyed by fire, and everything else will melt in the heat. 13 But God has promised us a new heaven and a new earth, where justice will rule. We are really looking forward to this!
14 My friends, while you are waiting, you should make certain the Lord finds you pure, spotless, and living at peace. 15 Don't forget that the Lord is patient because he wants people to be saved. This is also what our dear friend Paul said when he wrote you with the wisdom God had given him. 16 Paul talks about these same things in all his letters, but part of what he says is hard to understand. Some ignorant and unsteady people even destroy themselves by twisting what he said. They do the same thing with other Scriptures too.
17 My dear friends, you have been warned ahead of time! So don't let the errors of evil people lead you down the wrong path and make you lose your balance. 18 Let the gift of undeserved grace and the understanding that come from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ help you keep on growing. Praise Jesus now and forever! Amen.
Zhuba la She
1 Badiwa, ogu lukwalo gwe bubili gwanda mu kwalila, mu hwalo idzedzi dzandakamukwalila ndakagwisa kumukumbuludza kuti ndimuse njalakang'wa dzenyu mbuyanana. 2 Kuti mualakane matama akalebgwa ntolo nge balebesambeli bakayengemala nenge ndayo yakadwa kuna She kakale ali Ntjidzi, yakazha nge batumwa babe kumuli. 3 Tje kutanga makafanila hwisisa kuti mu mazhuba e bupelo badadi banowozha bedada kakale bakasala shule njemulo dzabo dzakabipa, 4 bemudwa beti, “Wakamugadzabgwe kuti unowozha, ngono ungayi? Botate bedu tjinga kwabakafa, tjimwe ne tjimwe tjigele sekwa tjakabe tjili itjo kudwa ku budwilo gwe shango.” 5 Banokangang'wa mwaza kuti, ntolo kwazo Ndzimu wakadusa dama, ngono kudzimu kukabumbika. Shango yakabumbiwa kudwa mu vula, ibumbiwa nge vula, 6 ngono ndinge vula ye nkubila yakanyeledza ikalobesa shango ye kutanga. 7 Nge dama ilelo zwalo, kudzimu kwa ngwenu ne shango ya ngwenu zwakabiganyidzigwa moto. Zwakabiganyidziwa kuswikila zhuba le kusumikilisiwa nenge kulobesiwa kwe basinga tjile nge kunoshakwa nge Ndzimu.
8 Koga musitongo kangang'wa tjing'ompela etji, badiwa! Kuna She zhuba ling'ompela lofanana ne makole ali tjiwulu (1 000), na iwo makole ali tjiwulu anofanana ne zhuba ling'ompela. 9 She abatononoka mu kushinga tjabakagadzabgwe se kunokumbula bamwe. Koga bana moyonlefu nge kwenyu, ngoti abatoshaka kuti kube ne mmwe unolobesiwa, koga banoyemula kuti bose bashanduke mu matjinyo abo.
10 Koga zhuba la She lowozha se mbava, ngono zhuzhugwi kowonyelela nge zhoba hwulu ne lubumbo gose gwe zhuzhugwi gowokolomodziwa nge moto, ngono ne shango ne tjimwe ne tjimwe tjimuili tjowopisiwa. 11 Ngono se zwithu zose izwezwi zowonyeledziwa nge zila yakajali, imwi makafanila mube bathu bakatini? Makafanila tjila butjilo gwe buyengemali ne bundzimu, 12 makalindila zhuba le Ndzimu kakale muthama kuti lizhe tjinyolotjo. Zhuba ilelo linowothama kuti zhuzhugwi kupisiwe kakale kunyeledziwe nenge lubumbo gose gwe zhuzhugwi gukolomodziwe nge moto. 13 Koga ngekwe kugadzabgwe kukwe takamilila kudzimu kutshwa ne shango tshwa, iko kunowobe kuli nzi we ndulamo.
14 Ndizo badiwa, muti se makamilila zhuba ilelo, tukutililani kuti muwang'we muna kunyalala musina tjibadzi tje bubi. 15 Zibani kuti bumoyonlefu gwa She i jidzo koga sekwa makakwaligwa ndi Paulo, ikamu tjedu tjinodika, eshingisa butjenjedu gwaakapiwa, 16 eleba sa ikoku mu hwalo dzose dzaanokwala ngekwako. Kuna zwithu zwakasima kuhwisisika, mu hwalo dzidze zwinoyita kuti bathu basina luzibo ne bana njalakang'wa dzisakagadzikana bakazwitjenesa, nge zila ipoga sekwa banothama nge hwalo dzimwe dze Ndzimu ngono bakaloba.
17 Koga imwi badiwa, moziba kale ikoku. Muzwitjengete kuti ndizo musitongokwebegwa mu zila ye jinyo, ye bathu basina nlayo mudwa muletja kugadzikana kwenyu. 18 Koga kulani mu ngoni ne mu luzibo gwa She wedu Ntjidzi Jesu Kirisiti. Ngaakudziwe ngwenu nenge kusingapele! Ngakujalo.