1 Peter 1; 1 Peter 2;
1 Peter 3; 1 Peter 4; 1 Peter 5
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God's elect,
strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia
and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit,
for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: Grace and peace be
yours in abundance. 3 Praise be to the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and
into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for
you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the
coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In
this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to
suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that
your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by
fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when
Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you
love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are
filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are
receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.10 Concerning
this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you,
searched intently and with the greatest care, 11 trying to
find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was
pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would
follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving
themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you
by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from
heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. 13 Therefore,
prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the
grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 As
obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in
ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be
holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: "Be holy,
because I am holy." 17 Since you call on a Father who
judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in
reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable
things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life
handed down to you from your forefathers, 19 but with the
precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He
was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last
times for your sake. 21Through him you believe in God, who raised
him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in
God. 22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the
truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply,
from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of
perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of
God. 24 For, "All men are like grass, and all their glory
is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, 25 but
the word of the Lord stands forever." And this is the word that was
preached to you.
1 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit,
hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2Like newborn babies,
crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your
salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is
good. 4 As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men
but chosen by God and precious to him-- 5 you also, like
living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood,
offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For
in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious
cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to
shame." 7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious.
But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has
become the capstone, " 8 and, "A stone that causes
men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they
disobey the message--which is also what they were destined for. 9 But
you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging
to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness
into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but
now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you
have received mercy. 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens
and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against
your soul. 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that,
though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify
God on the day he visits us. 13 Submit yourselves for the
Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as
the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him
to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15 For
it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of
foolish men. 16 Live as free men, but do not use your freedom
as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17 Show
proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor
the king. 18 Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with
all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those
who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if a man bears up
under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. 20 But
how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure
it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable
before God. 21 To this you were called, because Christ
suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his
steps. 22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found
in his mouth." 23 When they hurled their insults at him,
he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he
entrusted himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore
our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for
righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you
were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and
Overseer of your souls.
1 Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so
that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without
words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the
purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not
come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold
jewelry and fine clothes. 4 Instead, it should be that of your
inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great
worth in God's sight. 5 For this is the way the holy women of
the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were
submissive to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed
Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is
right and do not give way to fear. 7 Husbands, in the same way
be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the
weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that
nothing will hinder your prayers. 8 Finally, all of you, live
in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate
and humble. 9 Do not repay evil with evil or insult with
insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may
inherit a blessing. 10 For, "Whoever would love life and
see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful
speech. 11 He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek
peace and pursue it. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the
righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord
is against those who do evil." 13 Who is going to harm
you if you are eager to do good? 14 But even if you should
suffer for what is right, you are blessed. "Do not fear what they fear; do
not be frightened." 15 But in your hearts set apart
Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you
to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and
respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that those who
speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their
slander. 17 It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for
doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ died for sins
once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was
put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit, 19through
whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison 20 who
disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark
was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through
water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you
also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience
toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who
has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and
powers in submission to him.
1 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm
yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body
is done with sin. 2 As a result, he does not live the rest of
his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. 3 For
you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do--living
in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable
idolatry. 4 They think it strange that you do not plunge with
them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. 5 But
they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the
dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to
those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard
to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit. 7 The
end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so
that you can pray. 8 Above all, love each other deeply,
because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9 Offer
hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10 Each one
should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully
administering God's grace in its various forms.11 If anyone speaks,
he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he
should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be
praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and
ever. Amen. 12 Dear friends, do not be surprised at the
painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to
you. 13But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of
Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14 If
you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit
of glory and of God rests on you. 15 If you suffer, it should
not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a
meddler. 16 However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be
ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17 For it is
time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us,
what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And,
"If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the
ungodly and the sinner?" 19 So then, those who suffer
according to God's will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and
continue to do good.
1 To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a
witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be
revealed: 2 Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your
care, serving as overseers--not because you must, but because you are willing,
as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3 not
lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And
when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will
never fade away. 5 Young men, in the same way be submissive to
those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one
another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the
humble." 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's
mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.7 Cast all your
anxiety on him because he cares for you. 8 Be self-controlled
and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour. 9 Resist him, standing firm in the faith,
because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the
same kind of sufferings. 10 And the God of all grace, who
called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little
while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11 To
him be the power for ever and ever. Amen. 12 With the help of
Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly,
encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast
in it. 13 She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you,
sends you her greetings, and so does my son Mark. 14 Greet one
another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
