1 Peter 1

Greeting

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To God’s chosen strangers in the world of the diaspora, who live in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.

2 God the Father chose you because of what he knew beforehand. He chose you through the Holy Spirit’s work of making you holy and because of the faithful obedience and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
May God’s grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Thanksgiving

3 May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! On account of his vast mercy, he has given us new birth. You have been born anew into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.4 You have a pure and enduring inheritance that cannot perish—an inheritance that is presently kept safe in heaven for you.

5 Through his faithfulness, you are guarded by God’s power so that you can receive the salvation he is ready to reveal in the last time.
6 You now rejoice in this hope, even if it’s necessary for you to be distressed for a short time by various trials.7 This is necessary so that your faith may be found genuine. (Your faith is more valuable than gold, which will be destroyed even though it is itself tested by fire.) Your genuine faith will result in praise, glory, and honor for you when Jesus Christ is revealed.8 Although you’ve never seen him, you love him. Even though you don’t see him now, you trust him and so rejoice with a glorious joy that is too much for words.

9 You are receiving the goal of your faith: your salvation.
10 The prophets, who long ago foretold the grace that you’ve received, searched and explored, inquiring carefully about this salvation.11 They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them was saying when he bore witness beforehand about the suffering that would happen to Christ and the glory that would follow. They wondered what sort of person or what sort of time they were speaking about.

12 It was revealed to them that in their search they were not serving themselves but you. These things, which even angels long to examine, have now been proclaimed to you by those who brought you the good news. They did this in the power of the Holy Spirit, who was sent from heaven.

Response of obedience

13 Therefore, once you have your minds ready for action and you are thinking clearly, place your hope completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.14 Don’t be conformed to your former desires, those that shaped you when you were ignorant. But, as obedient children,15 you must be holy in every aspect of your lives, just as the one who called you is holy.16 It is written, You will be holy, because I am holy. t17 Since you call upon a Father who judges all people according to their actions without favoritism, you should conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your dwelling in a strange land.18 Live in this way, knowing that you were not liberated by perishable things like silver or gold from the empty lifestyle you inherited from your ancestors.19 Instead you were liberated by the precious blood of Christ, like that of a flawless, spotless lamb.20 Christ was chosen before the creation of the world, but was only revealed at the end of time. This was done for you,

21 who through Christ are faithful to the God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory. So now, your faith and hope should rest in God.
22 As you set yourselves apart by your obedience to the truth so that you might have genuine affection for your fellow believers, love each other deeply and earnestly.23 Do this because you have been given new birth—not from the type of seed that decays but from seed that doesn’t. This seed is God’s life-giving and enduring word.

24 Thus,
All human life on the earth is like grass,
and all human glory is like a flower in a field.
The grass dries up and its flower falls off,

25  but the Lord’s word endures forever. t
This is the word that was proclaimed to you as good news.

1 Peter 1

Salutation

1 From Peter,t an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those temporarily residingt abroadt (in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia,t and Bithynia) who are chosent

2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by being set apart by the Spirit for obedience and for sprinklings with Jesus Christ’s blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure!t

New Birth to Joy and Holiness

3 Blessed bet the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he gave us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,4 that is,t intot an inheritance imperishable, undefiled, and unfading. It is reserved in heaven for you,5 who by God’s power are protected through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.6 This brings you great joy,t although you may have to sufferst for a short time in various trials.7 Such trials show the proven character of your faith,ts which is much more valuable than gold – gold that is tested by fire, even though it is passing awayt – and will bring praiset and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.t8 Yout have not seen him, but you love him. Yout do not see him now but you believe in him, and so you rejoicet with an indescribable and glorioust joy,

9 because you are attaining the goal of your faith – the salvation of your souls.
10 Concerning this salvation,t the prophetss who predicted the grace that would come to yout searched and investigated carefully.11 They probedt into what person or timets the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when he testified beforehand about the sufferings appointed for Christt and his subsequent glory.t

12 They were shownt that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things now announced to you through those who proclaimed the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things angels long to catch a glimpse of.
13 Therefore, get your minds ready for actiont by being fully sober, and set your hopet completely on the grace that will be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.t14 Like obedient children, do not comply witht the evil urges you used to follow in your ignorance,t15 but, like the Holy One who called you, become holy yourselves in all of your conduct,16 for it is written, “You shall be holy, because I am holy.”s17 And if you address as Father the one who impartially judges according to each one’s work, live out the time of your temporary residence heret in reverence.18 You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed – not by perishable things like silver or gold,19 but by precious blood like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, namely Christ.20 He was foreknownt before the foundation of the world butt was manifested in these last timest for your sake.

21 Through him you now trustst in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22 You have purifiedt your souls by obeying the truths in order to show sincere mutual love.t Sot love one another earnestly from a pure heart.s23 You have been born anew, not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

24 For
all fleshsis like grass
and all its glory like the flower of the grass;t
the grass withers and the flower falls off,

25 but the word of the Lordsendures forever.s
And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.