1 Peter 1–2

Greeting

1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who are elect exiles of ^athe Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ²according to ^bthe foreknowledge of God the Father, ^cin the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and ^dfor sprinkling with his blood:

May ^egrace and ^fpeace be multiplied to you.

Born Again to a Living Hope

^3gBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! ^hAccording to his great mercy, ⁱhe has caused us to be born again to a living hope ^jthrough the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴to ^kan inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and ^lunfading, ^mkept in heaven for you, ⁵who by God’s power are being guarded ⁿthrough faith for a salvation ^oready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by ^pvarious trials, ⁷so that ^qthe tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes ^rthough it is tested by ^sfire—may be found to result in ^tpraise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ^8uThough you have not seen him, you love him. ^vThough you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, ⁹obtaining ^wthe outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰Concerning this salvation, ^xthe prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, ¹¹inquiring ^ywhat person or time^{1 z}the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating ^awhen he predicted ^bthe sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. ^12cIt was revealed to them that ^dthey were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you ^eby the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, ^fthings into which angels long to look.

Called to Be Holy

¹³Therefore, ^gpreparing your minds for action,² and ^hbeing sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴As obedient children, ⁱdo not be conformed to the passions ^jof your former ignorance, ¹⁵but ^kas he who called you is holy, you also be holy ^lin all your conduct, ¹⁶since it is written, ^m“You shall be holy, for I am holy.” ¹⁷And if you ⁿcall on him as Father who ^ojudges ^pimpartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves ^qwith fear throughout the time of your exile, ¹⁸knowing that you ^rwere ransomed from ^sthe futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹but ^twith the precious blood of Christ, like that of ^ua lamb ^vwithout blemish or spot. ²⁰He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but ^wwas made manifest ^xin the last times for the sake of you ^21ywho through him are believers in God, ^zwho raised him from the dead and ^agave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

²²Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for ^ba sincere brotherly love, ^clove one another earnestly from a pure heart, ^23dsince you have been born again, ^enot of perishable seed but of imperishable, through ^fthe living and abiding word of God; ²⁴for

^g“All flesh is like grass

and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

and the flower falls,

^25hbut the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word ⁱis the good news that was preached to you.

A Living Stone and a Holy People

2^jSo put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ^2kLike newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual ^lmilk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³if indeed you have ^mtasted that the Lord is good.

⁴As you come to him, a living stone ⁿrejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ^5oyou yourselves like living stones are being built up as ^pa spiritual house, to be ^qa holy priesthood, ^rto offer spiritual sacrifices ^sacceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶For it stands in Scripture:

^t“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

a cornerstone chosen and precious,

^uand whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

⁷So the honor is for you who ^vbelieve, but for those who ^vdo not believe,

^w“The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone,”¹

⁸and

^x“A stone of stumbling,

and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, ^yas they were destined to do.

⁹But you are ^za chosen race, ^aa royal ^bpriesthood, ^ca holy nation, ^da people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you ^eout of darkness into ^fhis marvelous light. ^10gOnce you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹Beloved, I urge you ^has sojourners and exiles ⁱto abstain from the passions of the flesh, ^jwhich wage war against your soul. ^12kKeep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, ^lthey may see your good deeds and glorify God on ^mthe day of visitation.

Submission to Authority

¹³ⁿBe subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution,² whether it be to the emperor³ as supreme, ¹⁴or to governors as sent by him ^oto punish those who do evil and ^pto praise those who do good. ¹⁵For this is the will of God, ^qthat by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ^16rLive as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but ^sliving as servants⁴ of God. ^17tHonor everyone. ^uLove the brotherhood. ^vFear God. Honor the emperor.

^18wServants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.^{5 19}For this is a gracious thing, when, ^xmindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. ²⁰For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But ^yif when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. ²¹For ^zto this you have been called, ^ybecause Christ also suffered for you, ^aleaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. ^22bHe committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. ^23cWhen he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, ^dbut continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. ^24eHe himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we ^fmight die to sin and ^glive to righteousness. ^hBy his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵For ⁱyou were straying like sheep, but have now returned to ^jthe Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.