The Second Letter of Peter was a letter, and it did not logically stop at the end of a chapter. If you continue with "Chapter Two - Verse 1" of that letter, you see that the very next sentence Peter writes in that letter is about false teachers, trying to get people to agree with their own (private) false interpretations of what Peter had been talking about, and Peter goes on to counsel them to not listen to those false teachers (and, by implication, their "private", erroneous interpretations of prophecy and teachings), but to listen rather to the Church leaders (like Peter himself) who continued to instruct them in the correct interpretation of the prophecies and teachings.
That is the broader, and more useful context to read those texts in, as I see it.
(With that, I have to say good night to you, as I have to get up pretty early. God bless you, Alamo-Girl.)
I took your advice and extended the context backwards and forwards to pick up the full paragraphs, both dealing with the subject matter of prophesy. In letter format, the two paragraphs look like this:
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not. 2 Peter 1:16 through 2 Peter 2:1-3
Thank you for the conversation! It has been interesting.