Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

1 From: Shim‘on Kefa, a slave and emissary of Yeshua the Messiah

To: Those who, through the righteousness of our God and of our Deliverer Yeshua the Messiah, have been given the same kind of trust as ours:

2 May grace andshalombe yours in full measure, as you come to a full knowledge of God and Yeshua our Lord.

3 God’s power has given us everything we need for life and godliness, through our knowing the One who called us to his own glory and goodness.

4 By these he has given us valuable and superlatively great promises, so that through them you might come to share in God’s nature and escape the corruption which evil desires have brought into the world.

5 For this very reason, try your hardest to furnish your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge,

6 knowledge with self-control, self-control with perseverance, perseverance with godliness,

7 godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

8 For if you have these qualities in abundance, they keep you from being barren and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

9 Indeed, whoever lacks them is blind, so shortsighted that he forgets that his past sins have been washed away.

10 Therefore, brothers, try even harder to make your being called and chosen a certainty. For if you keep doing this, you will never stumble.

11 Thus you will be generously supplied with everything you need to enter the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah.

12 For this reason, I will always remind you about these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you already have.

13 And I consider it right to keep stirring you up with reminders, as long as I am in the tent of this body.

14 I know that I will soon lay aside this tent of mine, as our Lord Yeshua the Messiah has made clear to me.

15 And I will do my best to see that after my exodus, you will be able to remember these things at all times.

16 For when we made known to you the power and the coming of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, we did not rely on cunningly contrived myths. On the contrary, we saw his majesty with our own eyes.

17 For we were there when he received honor and glory from God the Father; and the voice came to him from the grandeur of theSh’khinah, saying, “This is my son, whom I love; I am well pleased with him!”

18 We heard this voice come out of heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain.

19 Yes, we have the prophetic Word made very certain. You will do well to pay attention to it as to a light shining in a dark, murky place, until the Day dawns and the Morning Star rises in your hearts.

20 First of all, understand this: no prophecy of Scripture is to be interpreted by an individual on his own;

21 for never has a prophecy come as a result of human willing — on the contrary, people moved by theRuach HaKodeshspoke a message from God.

1 But among the people there were also false prophets, just as there will be false teachers among you. Under false pretenses they will introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and thus bring on themselves swift destruction.

2 Many will follow their debaucheries; and because of them, the true Way will be maligned.

3 In their greed they will exploit you with fabricated stories.

Their punishment, decreed long ago, is not idle; their destruction is not asleep!

4 For God did not spare the angels who sinned; on the contrary, he put them in gloomy dungeons lower than Sh’ol to be held for judgment.

5 And he did not spare the ancient world; on the contrary, he preserved Noach, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, and brought the Flood upon a world of ungodly people.

6 And he condemned the cities of S’dom and ‘Amora, reducing them to ashes and ruin, as a warning to those in the future who would live ungodly lives;

7 but he rescued Lot, a righteous man who was distressed by the debauchery of those unprincipled people;

8 for the wicked deeds which that righteous man saw and heard, as he lived among them, tormented his righteous heart day after day.

9 So the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and how to hold the wicked until the Day of Judgment while continuing to punish them,

10 especially those who follow their old natures in lust for filth and who despise authority.

Presumptuous and self-willed, these false teachers do not tremble at insulting angelic beings;

11 whereas angels, though stronger and more powerful, do not bring before the Lord an insulting charge against them.

12 But these people, acting without thinking, like animals without reason, born to be captured and destroyed, insult things about which they have no knowledge. When they are destroyed, their destruction will be total —

13 they will be paid back harm as wages for the harm they are doing.

Their idea of pleasure is carousing in broad daylight; they are spots and defects reveling in their deceptions as they share meals with you —

14 for they have eyes always on the lookout for a woman who will commit adultery, eyes that never stop sinning; and they have a heart that has exercised itself in greed; so that they seduce unstable people. What a cursed brood!

15 These people have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Bil‘am Ben-B‘or, who loved the wages of doing harm

16 but was rebuked for his sin — a dumb beast of burden spoke out with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s insanity!

17 Waterless springs they are, mists driven by a gust of wind; for them has been reserved the blackest darkness.

18 Mouthing grandiosities of nothingness, they play on the desires of the old nature, in order to seduce with debaucheries people who have just begun to escape from those whose way of life is wrong.

19 They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption; for a person is slave to whatever has defeated him.

20 Indeed, if they have once escaped the pollutions of the world through knowing our Lord and Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah, and then have again become entangled and defeated by them, their latter condition has become worse than their former.

21 It would have been better for them not to have known the Way of righteousness than, fully knowing, to turn from the holy command delivered to them.

22 What has happened to them accords with the true proverb, “A dog returns to its own vomit.” Yes, “The pig washed itself, only to wallow in the mud!”

1 Dear friends, I am writing you now this second letter; and in both letters I am trying to arouse you to wholesome thinking by means of reminders;

2 so that you will keep in mind the predictions of the holy prophets and the command given by the Lord and Deliverer through your emissaries.

3 First, understand this: during the Last Days, scoffers will come, following their own desires

4 and asking, “Where is this promised ‘coming’ of his? For our fathers have died, and everything goes on just as it has since the beginning of creation.”

5 But, wanting so much to be right about this, they overlook the fact that it was by God’s Word that long ago there were heavens, and there was land which arose out of water and existed between the waters,

6 and that by means of these things the world of that time was flooded with water and destroyed.

7 It is by that same Word that the present heavens and earth, having been preserved, are being kept for fire until the Day of Judgment, when ungodly people will be destroyed.

8 Moreover, dear friends, do not ignore this: with the Lord, one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some people think of slowness; on the contrary, he is patient with you; for it is not his purpose that anyone should be destroyed, but that everyone should turn from his sins.

10 However, the Day of the Lord will come “like a thief.” On that Day the heavens will disappear with a roar, the elements will melt and disintegrate, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up.

11 Since everything is going to be destroyed like this, what kind of people should you be? You should lead holy and godly lives,

12 as you wait for the Day of God and work to hasten its coming. That Day will bring on the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt from the heat;

13 but we, following along with his promise, wait for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness will be at home.

14 Therefore, dear friends, as you look for these things, do everything you can to be found by him without spot or defect and at peace.

15 And think of our Lord’s patience as deliverance, just as our dear brother Sha’ul also wrote you, following the wisdom God gave him.

16 Indeed, he speaks about these things in all his letters. They contain some things that are hard to understand, things which the uninstructed and unstable distort, to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.

17 But you, dear friends, since you know this in advance, guard yourselves; so that you will not be led away by the errors of the wicked and fall from your own secure position.

18 And keep growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah. To him be the glory, both now and forever!Amen.

1 From: Kefa, an emissary of Yeshua the Messiah

To: God’s chosen people, living as aliens in the Diaspora — in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia, and Bythinia —

2 chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and set apart by the Spirit for obeying Yeshua the Messiah and for sprinkling with his blood:

Grace andshalombe yours in full measure.

3 Praised be God, Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who, in keeping with his great mercy, has caused us, through the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah from the dead, to be born again to a living hope,

4 to an inheritance that cannot decay, spoil or fade, kept safe for you in heaven.

5 Meanwhile, through trusting, you are being protected by God’s power for a deliverance ready to be revealed at the Last Time.

6 Rejoice in this, even though for a little while you may have to experience grief in various trials.

7 Even gold is tested for genuineness by fire. The purpose of these trials is so that your trust’s genuineness, which is far more valuable than perishable gold, will be judged worthy of praise, glory and honor at the revealing of Yeshua the Messiah.

8 Without having seen him, you love him. Without seeing him now, but trusting in him, you continue to be full of joy that is glorious beyond words.

9 And you are receiving what your trust is aiming at, namely, your deliverance.

10 The prophets, who prophesied about this gift of deliverance that was meant for you, pondered and inquired diligently about it.

11 They were trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of the Messiah in them was referring in predicting the Messiah’s sufferings and the glorious things to follow.

12 It was revealed to them that their service when they spoke about these things was not for their own benefit, but for yours. And these same things have now been proclaimed to you by those who communicated the Good News to you through theRuach HaKodeshsent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things!

13 Therefore, get your minds ready for work, keep yourselves under control, and fix your hopes fully on the gift you will receive when Yeshua the Messiah is revealed.

14 As people who obey God, do not let yourselves be shaped by the evil desires you used to have when you were still ignorant.

15 On the contrary, following the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in your entire way of life;

16 since theTanakhsays,

“You are to be holy because I am holy.”

17 Also, if you are addressing as Father the one who judges impartially according to each person’s actions, you should live out your temporary stay on earth in fear.

18 You should be aware that the ransom paid to free you from the worthless way of life which your fathers passed on to you did not consist of anything perishable like silver or gold;

19 on the contrary, it was the costly bloody sacrificial death of the Messiah, as of a lamb without defect or spot.

20 God knew him before the founding of the universe, but revealed him in theacharit-hayamimfor your sakes.

21 Through him you trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory; so that your trust and hope are in God.

22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth, so that you have a sincere love for your brothers, love each other deeply, with all your heart.

23 You have been born again not from some seed that will decay, but from one that cannot decay, through the living Word of God that lasts forever.

24 For

all humanity is like grass,

all its glory is like a wildflower —

the grass withers, and the flower falls off;

25 but the Word ofAdonailasts forever.

Moreover, this Word is the Good News which has been proclaimed to you.

1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, of all deceit, hypocrisy and envy, and of all the ways there are of speaking against people;

2 and be like newborn babies, thirsty for the pure milk of the Word; so that by it, you may grow up into deliverance.

3 For you have tasted thatAdonaiis good.

4 As you come to him, the living stone, rejected by people but chosen by God and precious to him,

5 you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to becohanimset apart for God to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to him through Yeshua the Messiah.

6 This is why theTanakhsays,

“Look! I am laying in Tziyon a stone,

a chosen and precious cornerstone;

and whoever rests his trust on it

will certainly not be humiliated.”

7 Now to you who keep trusting, he is precious. But to those who are not trusting,

“The very stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone”;

8 also he is

a stone that will make people stumble,

a rock over which they will trip.

They are stumbling at the Word, disobeying it — as had been planned.

9 But you are a chosen people, the King’scohanim, a holy nation, a people for God to possess! Why? In order for you to declare the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; before, you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 Dear friends, I urge you as aliens and temporary residents not to give in to the desires of your old nature, which keep warring against you;

12 but to live such good lives among the pagans that even though they now speak against you as evil-doers, they will, as a result of seeing your good actions, give glory to God on the Day of his coming.

13 For the sake of the Lord, submit yourselves to every human authority — whether to the emperor as being supreme,

14 or to governors as being sent by him to punish wrongdoers and praise those who do what is good.

15 For it is God’s will that your doing good should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.

16 Submit as people who are free, but not letting your freedom serve as an excuse for evil; rather, submit as God’s slaves.

17 Be respectful to all — keep loving the brotherhood, fearing God and honoring the emperor.

18 Household servants, submit yourselves to your masters, showing them full respect — and not only those who are kind and considerate, but also those who are harsh.

19 For it is a grace when someone, because he is mindful of God, bears up under the pain of undeserved punishment.

20 For what credit is there in bearing up under a beating you deserve for doing something wrong? But if you bear up under punishment, even though you have done what is right, God looks on it with favor.

21 Indeed, this is what you were called to; because the Messiah too suffered, on your behalf, leaving an example so that you should follow in his steps.

22 “He committed no sin,

nor was any deceit found on his lips.”

23 When he was insulted, he didn’t retaliate with insults; when he suffered, he didn’t threaten, but handed them over to him who judges justly.

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the stake, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness — by his wounds you were healed.

25 For you used to be like sheep gone astray, but now you have turned to the Shepherd, who watches over you.

1 In the same way, wives, submit to your husbands; so that even if some of them do not believe the Word, they will be won over by your conduct, without your saying anything,

2 as they see your respectful and pure behavior.

3 Your beauty should not consist in externals such as fancy hairstyles, gold jewelry or what you wear;

4 rather, let it be the inner character of your heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit. In God’s sight this is of great value.

5 This is how the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves and submit to their husbands,

6 the way Sarah obeyed Avraham, honoring him as her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not succumb to fear.

7 You husbands, likewise, conduct your married lives with understanding. Although your wife may be weaker physically, you should respect her as a fellow-heir of the gift of Life. If you don’t, your prayers will be blocked.

8 Finally, all of you, be one in mind and feeling; love as brothers; and be compassionate and humble-minded,

9 not repaying evil with evil or insult with insult, but, on the contrary, with blessing. For it is to this that you have been called, so that you may receive a blessing.

10 For

“Whoever wants to love life and see good days

must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit,

11 turn from evil and do good,

seek peace and chase after it.

12 ForAdonaikeeps his eyes on the righteous,

and his ears are open to their prayers;

but the face ofAdonaiis against

those who do evil things.”

13 For who will hurt you if you become zealots for what is good?

14 But even if you do suffer for being righteous, you are blessed! Moreover, don’t fear what they fear or be disturbed,

15 but treat the Messiah as holy, as Lord in your hearts; while remaining always ready to give a reasoned answer to anyone who asks you to explain the hope you have in you — yet with humility and fear,

16 keeping your conscience clear, so that when you are spoken against, those who abuse the good behavior flowing from your union with the Messiah may be put to shame.

17 For if God has in fact willed that you should suffer, it is better that you suffer for doing what is good than for doing what is evil.

18 For the Messiah himself died for sins, once and for all, a righteous person on behalf of unrighteous people, so that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but brought to life by the Spirit;

19 and in this form he went and made a proclamation to the imprisoned spirits,

20 to those who were disobedient long ago, in the days of Noach, when God waited patiently during the building of the ark, in which a few people — to be specific, eight — were delivered by means of water.

21 This also prefigures what delivers us now, the water of immersion, which is not the removal of dirt from the body, but one’s pledge to keep a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah.

22 He has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities and powers subject to him.

1 Therefore, since the Messiah suffered physically, you too are to arm yourselves with the same attitude. For whoever has suffered physically is finished with sin,

2 with the result that he lives the rest of his earthly life no longer controlled by human desires, but by God’s will.

3 For you have spent enough time already living the way the pagans want you to live — in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, wild parties and forbidden idol-worship.

4 They think it strange that you don’t plunge with them into the same flood of dissoluteness, and so they heap insults on you.

5 But they will have to give an account to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead.

6 This is why he was proclaimed to those who have died; it was so that, although physically they would receive the judgment common to all humanity, they might live by the Spirit in the way that God has provided.

7 The accomplishing of the goal of all things is close at hand. Therefore, keep alert and self-controlled, so that you can pray.

8 More than anything, keep loving each other actively; because love covers many sins.

9 Welcome one another into your homes without grumbling.

10 As each one has received some spiritual gift, he should use it to serve others, like good managers of God’s many-sided grace —

11 if someone speaks, let him speak God’s words; if someone serves, let him do so out of strength that God supplies; so that in everything God may be glorified through Yeshua the Messiah — to him be glory and power forever and ever.Amen.

12 Dear friends, don’t regard as strange the fiery ordeal occurring among you to test you, as if something extraordinary were happening to you.

13 Rather, to the extent that you share the fellowship of the Messiah’s sufferings, rejoice; so that you will rejoice even more when hisSh’khinahis revealed.

14 If you are being insulted because you bear the name of the Messiah, how blessed you are! For the Spirit of theSh’khinah, that is, the Spirit of God, is resting on you!

15 Let none of you suffer for being a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or a meddler in other people’s affairs.

16 But if anyone suffers for being Messianic, let him not be ashamed; but let him bring glory to God by the way he bears this name.

17 For the time has come for the judgment to begin. It begins with the household of God; and if it starts with us, what will the outcome be for those who are disobeying God’s Good News? —

18 “If the righteous is barely delivered,

where will the ungodly and sinful end up?”

19 So let those who are suffering according to God’s will entrust themselves to a faithful Creator by continuing to do what is good.

1 Therefore, I urge the congregation leaders among you, as a fellow-leader and witness to the Messiah’s sufferings, as well as a sharer in the glory to be revealed:

2 shepherd the flock of God that is in your care, exercising oversight not out of constraint, but willingly, as God wants; and not out of a desire for dishonest gain, but with enthusiasm;

3 also not asmachersdomineering over those in your care, but as people who become examples to the flock.

4 Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive glory as your unfading crown.

5 Likewise, you who are less experienced, submit to leaders. Further, all of you should clothe yourselves in humility toward one another, because

God opposes the arrogant,

but to the humble he gives grace.

6 Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that at the right time he may lift you up.

7 Throw all your anxieties upon him, because he cares about you.

8 Stay sober, stay alert! Your enemy, the Adversary, stalks about like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

9 Stand against him, firm in your trust, knowing that your brothers throughout the world are going through the same kinds of suffering.

10 You will have to suffer only a little while; after that, God, who is full of grace, the one who called you to his eternal glory in union with the Messiah, will himself restore, establish and strengthen you and make you firm.

11 To him be the power forever and ever.Amen.

12 Through Sila, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written you briefly, encouraging you and giving my witness that this is God’s true grace. Stand firm in it!

13 Your sister congregation in Bavel, chosen along with you, sends greetings to you, as does my son Mark.

14 Greet each other with a kiss of love.

“Shalom aleikhem!” to all who belong to the Messiah.