1 Peter 1:3–2:10

³Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to the abundance of His kindness did beget us again to a living hope, through the rising again of Jesus Christ out of the dead, ⁴to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and unfading, reserved in the heavens for you, ⁵who, in the power of God are being guarded, through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time.

⁶In which ye are glad, a little now, if it be necessary, being made to sorrow in manifold trials, ⁷that the proof of your faith—much more precious than of gold that is perishing, and through fire being approved—may be found to praise, and honour, and glory, in the revelation of Jesus Christ, ⁸whom, not having seen, ye love, in whom, now not seeing and believing, ye are glad with joy unspeakable and glorified, ⁹receiving the end of your faith—salvation of souls.

¹⁰Concerning which salvation seek out and search out did prophets who concerning the grace toward you did prophecy, ¹¹searching in regard to what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ that was in them was manifesting, testifying beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory after these, ¹²to whom it was revealed, that not to themselves, but to us they were ministering these, which now were told to you (through those who did proclaim good news to you,) in the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, to which things messengers do desire to bend looking.

¹³Wherefore having girded up the loins of your mind, being sober, hope perfectly upon the grace that is being brought to you in the revelation of Jesus Christ, ¹⁴as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves to the former desires in your ignorance, ¹⁵but according as He who did call you is holy, ye also, become holy in all behaviour, ¹⁶because it hath been written, ‘Become ye holy, because I am holy;’ ¹⁷and if on the Father ye do call, who without acceptance of persons is judging according to the work of each, in fear the time of your sojourn pass ye, ¹⁸having known that, not with corruptible things—silver or gold—were ye redeemed from your foolish behaviour delivered by fathers, ¹⁹but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and unspotted—Christ’s— ²⁰foreknown, indeed, before the foundation of the world, and manifested in the last times because of you, ²¹who through him do believe in God, who did raise out of the dead, and glory to him did give, so that your faith and hope may be in God. ²²Your souls having purified in the obedience of the truth through the Spirit to brotherly love unfeigned, out of a pure heart one another love ye earnestly, ²³being begotten again, not out of seed corruptible, but incorruptible, through a word of God—living and remaining—to the age.

²⁴Because all flesh is as grass, and all glory of man as flower of grass; wither did the grass, and the flower of it fell away, ²⁵and the saying of the Lord doth remain—to the age; and this is the saying that was proclaimed good news to you.

Chapter 2

¹Having put aside, then, all evil, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envyings, and all evil speakings, ²as new-born babes the word’s pure milk desire ye, that in it ye may grow, ³if so be ye did taste that the Lord is gracious.

⁴To whom coming—a living stone—by men, indeed, having been disapproved of, but with God choice, precious, ⁵and ye yourselves, as living stones, are built up, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶Wherefore, also, it is contained in the Writing: ‘Lo, I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone, choice, precious, and he who is believing on him may not be put to shame;’ ⁷to you, then, who are believing is the preciousness; and to the unbelieving, a stone that the builders disapproved of, this one did become for the head of a corner, ⁸and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence—who are stumbling at the word, being unbelieving,—to which also they were set; ⁹and ye are a choice race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired, that the excellences ye may shew forth of Him who out of darkness did call you to His wondrous light; ¹⁰who were once not a people, and are now the people of God; who had not found kindness, and now have found kindness.