Greeting
1 aPeter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who are elect exiles of the bDispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the cforeknowledge of God the Father, in the dsanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for esprinkling with his blood:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
Born Again to a Living Hope
3 fBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be gborn again to a living hhope ithrough the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an jinheritance that is kimperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation lready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you mrejoice, though now nfor a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the otested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the prevelation of Jesus Christ. 8 qThough you have not seen him, you love him. rThough you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours ssearched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time1 the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he tpredicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent uglories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things vthat have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you wby the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, xthings into which angels long to look.
Called to Be Holy
13 Therefore, preparing your minds for action,2 and being ysober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, zdo not be conformed to the apassions of your bformer ignorance, 15 but as he who ccalled you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, d“You shall be holy, for I am holy.” 17 And if you call on him as Father who judges eimpartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your fexile, 18 knowing that you were gransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, hnot with perishable things such as isilver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a jlamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was kmade manifest in the last times for the sake of you 21 lwho through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him mglory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a nsincere brotherly love, olove one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of pimperishable, qthrough the rliving and abiding word of God; 24 for
s“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is tthe good news that was preached to you.
A Living Stone and a Holy People
1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure uspiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have vtasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, a living stone wrejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being xbuilt up as a spiritual yhouse, to be a holy zpriesthood, to offer aspiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
b“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a ccornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
d“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”3
8 and
e“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were fdestined to do.
9 But you are ga chosen race, ha royal priesthood, a holy nation, ia people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you jout of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 kOnce you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 Beloved, I urge you as lsojourners and mexiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, nwhich wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and oglorify God on the day of visitation.
Submission to Authority
13 pBe subject for the Lord’s sake qto every human institution,4 whether it be to the emperor5 as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, rthat by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but sliving as servants6 of God. 17 tHonor everyone. Love the ubrotherhood. vFear God. Honor the emperor.
18 wServants, xbe subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.7 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while ysuffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, zwhen you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For to this you have been called, because aChrist also suffered for you, leaving you an bexample, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 cHe committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 dWhen he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but econtinued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 fHe himself bore our sins in his body on the gtree, that we might hdie to sin and ilive to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were jstraying like sheep, but have now returned to the kShepherd and Overseer of your souls.
The Steadfast Love of the Lord
1 fShout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
gPraise befits the upright.
2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
hmake melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with iloud shouts.
4 For the word of the Lord is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
jthe earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
6 kBy the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7 lHe gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
mhe puts the deeps in storehouses.
8 nLet all the earth fear the Lord;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 oThe Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
phe frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.
12 qBlessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
13 The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all the children of man;
14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.
16 The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 uThe war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.
18 Behold, the veye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who whope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive xin famine.
20 Our soul waits for the Lord;
he is our help and our yshield.
21 For our heart is zglad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your asteadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
