1 Peter 1–2

Salutation

¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To the exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ²who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood:

May grace and peace be yours in abundance.^*

A Living Hope

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead^{* 4}and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ⁵who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.^{* 6}In this you rejoice,^a even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials,^{* 7}so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.^{* 8}Although you have not seen^b him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,^{* 9}for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.^c

¹⁰Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace intended for you made careful search and inquiry,^{* 11}inquiring about the time and circumstances^d that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings intended for Christ and the subsequent glory.^{* 12}It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look!^*

A Call to Holy Living

¹³Therefore prepare your minds for action;^e discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed.^{* 14}Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. ¹⁵Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct,^{* 16}for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”^*

¹⁷If you invoke as Father the one who judges impartially according to each person’s work, live in fear during the time of your exile.^{* 18}You know that you were ransomed from the futile conduct inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.^{* 20}He was destined before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake.^{* 21}Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your trust and hope are in God.

²²Now that you have purified your souls^f by your obedience to the truth^g so that you have genuine mutual affection, love one another deeply from the heart.^{h* 23}You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.^{i* 24}For

“All flesh is like grass

and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

and the flower falls,^*

²⁵but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

That word is the good news that was announced to you.^*

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

²Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander.^{* 2}Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation^*—³if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.^j*

⁴Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and ⁵like living stones let yourselves be built^k into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.^{* 6}For it stands in scripture:

“See, I am laying in Zion a stone,

a cornerstone chosen and precious,

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

⁷This honor, then, is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,^l

“The stone that the builders rejected

has become the very head of the corner,”^*

⁸and

“A stone that makes them stumble

and a rock that makes them fall.”

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

⁹But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people,^m in order that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.^*

¹⁰Once you were not a people,

but now you are God’s people;

once you had not received mercy,

but now you have received mercy.^*

Live as Servants of God

¹¹Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul.^{n* 12}Conduct yourselves honorably among the gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.^o*

¹³For the Lord’s sake be subject to every human authority,^p whether to the emperor as supreme^{* 14}or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. ¹⁵For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. ¹⁶As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil.^{* 17}Honor everyone. Love the family of believers.^q Fear God. Honor the emperor.^*

The Example of Christ’s Suffering

¹⁸Slaves, be subject to your masters with all respect,^r not only those who are good and gentle but also those who are dishonest. ¹⁹For it is a commendable thing if, being aware of God, a person endures pain while suffering unjustly. ²⁰If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do good and suffer for it, this is a commendable thing before God.^{* 21}For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.^*

²²“He committed no sin,

and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

²³When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.^{* 24}He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross,^s so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds^t you have been healed.^{* 25}For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.^u*