1 Peter 1
New King James Version
Greeting to the Elect Pilgrims
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To the [a]pilgrims (A)of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 (B)elect (C)according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, (D)in sanctification of the Spirit, for (E)obedience and (F)sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:
(G)Grace to you and peace be multiplied.
A Heavenly Inheritance
3 (H)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who (I)according to His abundant mercy (J)has begotten us again to a living hope (K)through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance [b]incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, (L)reserved in heaven for you, 5 (M)who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 (N)In this you greatly rejoice, though now (O)for a little while, if need be, (P)you have been [c]grieved by various trials, 7 that (Q)the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though (R)it is tested by fire, (S)may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, 8 (T)whom having not [d]seen you love. (U)Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
10 Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, (V)the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to [e]us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which (W)angels desire to look into.
Living Before God Our Father
13 Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 as obedient children, not (X)conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; 15 (Y)but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 because it is written, (Z)“Be holy, for I am holy.”
17 And if you call on the Father, who (AA)without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your [f]stay here in fear; 18 knowing that you were not redeemed with [g]corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 19 but (AB)with the precious blood of Christ, (AC)as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 20 (AD)He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was [h]manifest (AE)in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, (AF)who raised Him from the dead and (AG)gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
The Enduring Word
22 Since you (AH)have purified your souls in obeying the truth [i]through the Spirit in [j]sincere (AI)love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, 23 (AJ)having been born again, not of [k]corruptible seed but [l]incorruptible, (AK)through the word of God which lives and abides [m]forever, 24 because
(AL)“All flesh is as grass,
And all [n]the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
25 (AM)But the [o]word of the Lord endures forever.”
(AN)Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.
Footnotes
- 1 Peter 1:1 sojourners, temporary residents
- 1 Peter 1:4 imperishable
- 1 Peter 1:6 distressed
- 1 Peter 1:8 M known
- 1 Peter 1:12 NU, M you
- 1 Peter 1:17 sojourning, dwelling as resident aliens
- 1 Peter 1:18 perishable
- 1 Peter 1:20 revealed
- 1 Peter 1:22 NU omits through the Spirit
- 1 Peter 1:22 Lit. unhypocritical
- 1 Peter 1:23 perishable
- 1 Peter 1:23 imperishable
- 1 Peter 1:23 NU omits forever
- 1 Peter 1:24 NU its glory as
- 1 Peter 1:25 spoken word
1 Peter 1
New American Standard Bible
A Living Hope and a Sure Salvation
1 (A)Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who reside as (B)strangers, (C)scattered throughout (D)Pontus, (E)Galatia, (F)Cappadocia, (G)Asia, and (H)Bithynia, (I)who are chosen 2 according to the (J)foreknowledge of God the Father, (K)by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, [a]to (L)obey Jesus Christ and be (M)sprinkled with His blood: (N)May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
3 (O)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who (P)according to His great mercy (Q)has caused us to be born again to (R)a living hope through the (S)resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an (T)inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and (U)will not fade away, (V)reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are (W)protected by the power of God (X)through faith for (Y)a salvation ready (Z)to be revealed in the last time. 6 (AA)In this you greatly rejoice, even though now (AB)for a little while, (AC)if necessary, you have been distressed by (AD)various [b]trials, 7 so that the [c](AE)proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes (AF)though tested by fire, (AG)may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at (AH)the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and (AI)though you have not seen Him, you (AJ)love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and [d]full of glory, 9 obtaining as (AK)the outcome of your faith, the salvation of [e]your souls.
10 (AL)As to this salvation, the prophets who (AM)prophesied of the (AN)grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, 11 [f]seeking to know what person or time (AO)the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He (AP)predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories [g]to follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who (AQ)preached the gospel to you by (AR)the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which (AS)angels long to [h]look.
13 Therefore, [i](AT)prepare your minds for action, [j](AU)keep sober in spirit, set your (AV)hope completely on the (AW)grace to be brought to you at (AX)the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As [k](AY)obedient children, do not [l](AZ)be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your (BA)ignorance, 15 but [m](BB)like the Holy One who called you, [n](BC)be holy yourselves also (BD)in all your behavior; 16 because it is written: “(BE)You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
17 If you (BF)address as Father the One who (BG)impartially (BH)judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves (BI)in fear during the time of your (BJ)stay on earth; 18 knowing that you were not [o](BK)redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your (BL)futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19 but with precious (BM)blood, as of a (BN)lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 20 For He was (BO)foreknown before (BP)the foundation of the world, but has (BQ)appeared [p]in these last times (BR)for the sake of you 21 who through Him are (BS)believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and (BT)gave Him glory, so that your faith and (BU)hope are in God.
22 Since you have (BV)purified your souls (BW)in obedience to the truth for a (BX)sincere love of the brothers and sisters, fervently love one another from [q]the heart, 23 for you have been (BY)born again (BZ)not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring (CA)word of God. 24 For,
“(CB)All flesh is like grass,
And all its glory is like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
And the flower falls off,
25 (CC)But the word of the Lord endures forever.”
And this is (CD)the word which was [r]preached to you.
Footnotes
- 1 Peter 1:2 Lit unto obedience and sprinkling
- 1 Peter 1:6 Or temptations
- 1 Peter 1:7 Or genuineness
- 1 Peter 1:8 Lit glorified
- 1 Peter 1:9 One early ms does not contain your
- 1 Peter 1:11 Or inquiring
- 1 Peter 1:11 Lit after these
- 1 Peter 1:12 Or gain a clear glimpse
- 1 Peter 1:13 Lit belt up the waist of your mind
- 1 Peter 1:13 Lit be sober
- 1 Peter 1:14 Lit children of obedience
- 1 Peter 1:14 Or conform yourselves
- 1 Peter 1:15 Lit according to
- 1 Peter 1:15 Or become
- 1 Peter 1:18 Or ransomed
- 1 Peter 1:20 Lit at the end of the times
- 1 Peter 1:22 Two early mss a pure heart
- 1 Peter 1:25 Lit preached as good news to you
1 Peter 1
New Living Translation
Greetings from Peter
1 This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.
I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.[a] 2 God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.
May God give you more and more grace and peace.
The Hope of Eternal Life
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, 4 and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5 And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
6 So be truly glad.[b] There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. 7 These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
8 You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9 The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
10 This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. 11 They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward.
12 They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.
A Call to Holy Living
13 So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”[c]
17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.
21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.
22 You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters.[d] Love each other deeply with all your heart.[e]
23 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 24 As the Scriptures say,
“People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
25 But the word of the Lord remains forever.”[f]
And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.
Footnotes
- 1:1 Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia were Roman provinces in what is now Turkey.
- 1:6 Or So you are truly glad.
- 1:16 Lev 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7.
- 1:22a Greek must have brotherly love.
- 1:22b Some manuscripts read with a pure heart.
- 1:24-25 Isa 40:6-8.
1 Peter 1
Contemporary English Version
1 From Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.
To God's people who are scattered like foreigners in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.
2 God the Father decided to choose you as his people, and his Spirit has made you holy. You have obeyed Jesus Christ and are sprinkled with his blood.[a]
I pray that God will be kind to you and will keep on giving you peace!
A Real Reason for Hope
3 Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new life and a hope that lives on. 4 (A) God has something stored up for you in heaven, where it will never decay or be ruined or disappear.
5 You have faith in God, whose power will protect you until the last day.[b] Then he will save you, just as he has always planned to do. 6 On that day you will be glad, even if you have to go through many hard trials for a while. 7 (B) Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns.
8 You have never seen Jesus, and you don't see him now. But still you love him and have faith in him, and no words can tell how glad and happy 9 you are to be saved. This is why you have faith.
10 Some prophets told how God would treat you with undeserved grace, and they searched hard to find out more about the way you would be saved. 11 The Spirit of Christ was in them and was telling them how Christ would suffer and would then be given great honor. So they searched to find out exactly who Christ would be and when this would happen. 12 But they were told that they were serving you and not themselves. They preached to you by the power of the Holy Spirit, who was sent from heaven. And their message was only for you, even though angels would like to know more about it.
Chosen To Live a Holy Life
13 Be alert and think straight. Put all your hope in how God will treat you with undeserved grace when Jesus Christ appears. 14 Behave like obedient children. Don't let your lives be controlled by your desires, as they used to be. 15 Always live as God's holy people should, because God is the one who chose you, and he is holy. 16 (C) That's why the Scriptures say, “I am the holy God, and you must be holy too.”
17 You say that God is your Father, but God doesn't have favorites! He judges all people by what they do. So you must honor God while you live as strangers here on earth. 18 You were rescued[c] from the useless way of life you learned from your ancestors. But you know you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don't last forever. 19 (D) You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb. 20 Christ was chosen even before the world was created, but because of you, he did not come until these last days. 21 And when he did come, it was to lead you to have faith in God, who raised him from death and honored him in a glorious way. This is why you have put your faith and hope in God.
22 You obeyed the truth,[d] and your souls were made pure. Now you sincerely love each other. But you must keep on loving with all your heart. 23 Do this because God has given you new birth by his message that lives on forever. 24 (E) The Scriptures say,
“Humans wither like grass,
and their glory fades
like wild flowers.
Grass dries up,
and flowers fall
to the ground.
25 But what the Lord has said
will stand forever.”
Our good news to you is what the Lord has said.
Footnotes
- 1.2 sprinkled with his blood: According to Exodus 24.3-8 the people of Israel were sprinkled with the blood of cows to show they would keep their agreement with God. Peter says that it is the blood of Jesus that seals the agreement between God and his people (see Hebrews 9.18-21).
- 1.5 the last day: When God will judge all people.
- 1.18 rescued: The Greek word often, though not always, means payment of a price to free a slave or prisoner.
- 1.22 You obeyed the truth: Some manuscripts add “by the power of the Spirit.”
1 Peter 1
New Century Version
1 From Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.
To God’s chosen people who are away from their homes and are scattered all around Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. 2 God planned long ago to choose you by making you his holy people, which is the Spirit’s work. God wanted you to obey him and to be made clean by the blood of the death of Jesus Christ.
Grace and peace be yours more and more.
We Have a Living Hope
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In God’s great mercy he has caused us to be born again into a living hope, because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. 4 Now we hope for the blessings God has for his children. These blessings, which cannot be destroyed or be spoiled or lose their beauty, are kept in heaven for you. 5 God’s power protects you through your faith until salvation is shown to you at the end of time. 6 This makes you very happy, even though now for a short time different kinds of troubles may make you sad. 7 These troubles come to prove that your faith is pure. This purity of faith is worth more than gold, which can be proved to be pure by fire but will ruin. But the purity of your faith will bring you praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is shown to you. 8 You have not seen Christ, but still you love him. You cannot see him now, but you believe in him. So you are filled with a joy that cannot be explained, a joy full of glory. 9 And you are receiving the goal of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
10 The prophets searched carefully and tried to learn about this salvation. They prophesied about the grace that was coming to you. 11 The Spirit of Christ was in the prophets, telling in advance about the sufferings of Christ and about the glory that would follow those sufferings. The prophets tried to learn about what the Spirit was showing them, when those things would happen, and what the world would be like at that time. 12 It was shown them that their service was not for themselves but for you, when they told about the truths you have now heard. Those who preached the Good News to you told you those things with the help of the Holy Spirit who was sent from heaven—things into which angels desire to look.
A Call to Holy Living
13 So prepare your minds for service and have self-control. All your hope should be for the gift of grace that will be yours when Jesus Christ is shown to you. 14 Now that you are obedient children of God do not live as you did in the past. You did not understand, so you did the evil things you wanted. 15 But be holy in all you do, just as God, the One who called you, is holy. 16 It is written in the Scriptures: “You must be holy, because I am holy.”[a]
17 You pray to God and call him Father, and he judges each person’s work equally. So while you are here on earth, you should live with respect for God. 18 You know that in the past you were living in a worthless way, a way passed down from the people who lived before you. But you were saved from that useless life. You were bought, not with something that ruins like gold or silver, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, who was like a pure and perfect lamb. 20 Christ was chosen before the world was made, but he was shown to the world in these last times for your sake. 21 Through Christ you believe in God, who raised Christ from the dead and gave him glory. So your faith and your hope are in God.
22 Now that your obedience to the truth has purified your souls, you can have true love for your Christian brothers and sisters. So love each other deeply with all your heart.[b] 23 You have been born again, and this new life did not come from something that dies, but from something that cannot die. You were born again through God’s living message that continues forever. 24 The Scripture says,
“All people are like the grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field.
The grass dies and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord will live forever.” Isaiah 40:6–8
And this is the word that was preached to you.
Footnotes
- 1:16 “You must be . . . holy.” Quotation from Leviticus 11:45; 19:2; 20:7.
- 1:22 with all your heart Some Greek copies read “with a pure heart.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.