The First Letter of Peter
Greeting
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To the elect pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling with His blood:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you all.
Born Again to a Living Hope
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to His great mercy, after causing us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable and undefiled and unfading, after having been kept in heaven for you all, 5 who by the power of God are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time, 6 in this you all greatly rejoice, now for a little while, if it is necessary, after being saddened by various trials, 7 in order that the trustworthiness of your faith — more precious than gold that perishes while being tested through fire — may be found to praise and honor and glory in the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom, after not seeing, you all love; whom now, while not seeing, you all are believing and greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and glorious, 9 receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets investigated and searched diligently, after prophesying about the grace coming to you all, 11 searching into what person or what time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them, that not themselves but you all, they were serving in the things that now were announced to you all through those preaching the gospel to you all through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, into which the angels desire to look into.
Called to Be Holy
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for actiona, being sober—minded, set your hope completely on the grace, being brought to you all in the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former ignorance of your lusts, 15 but as He who called you all is holy, you all also be holy in all your behavior 16 because it has been written, “You all will be holy since I am holy.b” 17 And if you all call on the Father who judges impartially according to each one's works, behave in fear during the time of your sojourning, 18 knowing that not with perishable things, like silver or gold, were you all redeemed from the futile behaviors of your forefathers, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like a lamb without blemish or spot, 20 having been foreknown before the foundation of the world, but being made manifest in the last times for your sake, 21 who through Him, are believers in God, after raising Him from the dead and giving Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 After having purified your souls in obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love from a pure heart, love one another fervently, 23 after having been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24 because,
“All flesh is like grass,
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
25 but the glory of the Lord remains forever.c”
And this word is the good news being preached to you all.
A Living Stone and a Holy People
2 Therefore, after putting away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and slander, 2 like newborn infants, greatly desire the logicald, pure milk, in order that in it, you all may grow to salvation — 3 if you all tasted that the Lord is good, 4 while coming to Him, a living stone, after having been rejected by men before God, chosen and precious, 5 and you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house unto a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 Because it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and the one believing in Him will not be put to shamee.f”
7 Therefore, the honor is for you all, those believing, but for those not believing,
“The stone that those building rejected,
this became the head of the corner,g”
8 and
“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.h”
They stumble because they disobey the word into which they were appointed.
9 But you all are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, so that you all may proclaim the excellencies of Him after calling you all out of darkness into His marvelous light. 10 Once you all were not a people, but now you all are a people of God; once you all had not received mercy, but now you all received mercy.
11 Beloved, I urge you all as foreigners and exiles to abstain from fleshly passions which war against your soul. 12 Keepi your behavior among the Gentiles honorable in order that when they speak against you all as evildoers, seeing your good works, they may glorify God on the day of visitation.
Submission To Authority
13 Submit yourselvesj to every human ordinancek for the Lord's sake, whether king as supreme 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish evildoers but praise those who do good, 15 since this is the desire of God, while doing good, to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as free people and not as a cover-up, using freedom for evil, but as servants for God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
18 Servants, be submissivel in all fear to your masters not only to the good and gentle, but also to the crooked. 19 For this is grace, if conscious of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what creditm is it, if while sinning and being beaten, you all endure? But if, while doing good and suffering, you all endure, this is grace before God. 21n For to this you all were called because Christ also suffered for you all, leaving you all an exampleo in order that you all may follow in His footsteps. 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth.p 23 While being reviled, He was not reviling back; while suffering, He was not threatening but was entrusting Himself to Him judging justly. 24 He bore our sins Himself in His body on the tree in order that after dying to sins, we might live to righteousness. By His wounds, you all were healed. 25 For you all were straying like sheep, but now you all were turned toward the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
Wives and Husbands
3 Likewise, wives, be subjectq to your husbands in order that even if some are disobedientr to the word through the behavior of their wives, they will be won without a word, 2 after watching your fearful, pure behavior. 3 Do not let your adornment be external — the braiding of hair, and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear — 4 but let it be the hidden man of the heart in the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is precious before God. 5 For this is how the holy women, hoping in God, were adorning themselves, submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose children you all are while doing good and not fearing anything frightening.
7 Likewise, husbands, live with them according to knowledge, as the weaker vessel, showing honor to the woman, as they are heirs with you of the grace of life, not to hinder your prayers.
Suffering For Righteousness' Sake
8 Finally, everyone be like—minded. Have sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, a friendly mind, 9 not repaying evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, blessing since for this you all were called in order that you all may obtain a blessing. 10 For,
“The one desiring to love life
and to see good days,
cease the tongue from evil
and his lips not to speak deceit;
11 avoid evil and do good;
seek peace and pursue it.
12 Because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and His ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those doing evil.s”
13 And who is the one treating you all evilly if you all are zealous for good? 14 But even if you all may suffer for righteousness' sake, you all will be blessed. The fear of them, do not feart nor be troubledu,v 15 but sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, always ready to make a defensew to anyone asking you all for a reason for the hope that is in you all 16 but with meekness and fear, having a good conscience in order that when you all are slandered, those reviling your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer while doing good, if it is the desire of God, than while doing evil.
18 Since, Christ also sufferedx once for sins; the righteous for the unrighteous in order that He might bring you all to God, after being put to death in the flesh, and after being made alive in the spirit 19 in which, after going even to the spirits in prison, He preached, 20 at which time they were disbelievingy when the patience of God was waiting in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, into which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 Baptism, which is a corresponding type, now saves you all, not as a removal of dirt from the flesh, but as an answer of good conscience to God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who is at the right hand of God after going into heaven, with angels and authorities and powers being subjected to Him.
Stewards of God's Grace
4 Since Christ, therefore, sufferedz in the flesh,aa also arm yourselves with the same way of thinking since the one suffering in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 no longer to live in the flesh for human lusts but for the desire of God for the rest of time. 3 For sufficient is the time after having passed to have accomplished the will of the Gentiles, after having livedab in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, revelingac, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. 4 In this, they are surprised you all do not join them in the same overflow of debauchery, blaspheming you all; 5 they will give account to the one ready to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this reason, the gospel was preached even to the dead in order that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
7 But the end of all things has approached; be self-controlled, therefore, and be sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all, have fervent love for one another because love covers a multitude of sins.ad 9 Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 As each received a gift of grace, use it for serving one another as good stewards of the diverse grace of God: 11 if anyone speaks, as one who speaks the oraclesae of God; if anyone serves, as one who serves from the strength that God supplies — in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in whom is the glory and mightaf forever and ever. Amen.
Suffering as a Christian
12 Beloved, do not be surprisedag at the fiery trial coming upon you all to test you all as though something strange were happening to you all. 13 But as you all share in the sufferings of Christ, rejoice, in order that in the revelation of His glory, you all may rejoice and be glad. 14 If you all are reviled in the name of Christ. You all are blessed because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you all. 15 For some of you all, do not suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. 16 But if anyone suffers as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God in that part. 17 Since it is the time to begin judgment at the household of God, but if it begins first at us, what will the conclusion be for those not obeying the gospel of God? 18 And
“If the righteous is scarcely saved,
where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?ah”
19 Therefore, those suffering according to the desire of God entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.
Shepherd the Flock of God
5I exhort the elders among you all as a fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ and also a partaker of the glory about to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God among you all, exercising oversight, not unwillingly but voluntarily, according to God, not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over your chargesai, but being examples to the flock. 4 And after the chief Shepherd appears, you all will receive the unfading crown of glory. 5 Likewise, you all who are younger, be subject to the elders. All of you all, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another since “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.aj”
6 Be humble, therefore, under the mighty hand of God in order that He may exalt you all at the proper time, 7 after casting all your cares upon Him because He cares for you all. 8 Be sober-minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firmak in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being accomplished perfectly in your brotherhood in the world. 10 But the God of all grace, the One calling you all to His eternal glory in Christ, after suffering a little, will Himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you all. 11 To Him be the power forever. Amen.
Final Greetings
12 Through Silvanus, a faithful brother as I count him, I wrote a little to you all, exhorting and witnessing this to be the true grace of God in which you all stand. 13 The oneal who is elect with you all in Babylon greets you all, and so does Mark, my son. 14 Greet one another with the kiss of love.
Peace to all of you all who are in Christ.