1 Peter 1

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.