1 Peter 1

Holman Christian Standard Bible

Greeting

1 Peter,^(A) an apostle of Jesus Christ:

To the temporary residents^(B) dispersed^[a]^(C) in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,^(D) chosen^(E) ²according to the foreknowledge^(F) of God the Father and set apart by the Spirit^(G) for obedience^(H) and for sprinkling with the blood^(I) of Jesus Christ.

May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

A Living Hope

³Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.^(J) According to His great mercy,^(K) He has given us a new birth^(L) into a living hope^(M) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead^(N) ⁴and into an inheritance that is imperishable,^(O) uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven^(P) for you. ⁵You are being protected by God’s power^(Q) through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.^(R) ⁶You rejoice in this,^[b] though now for a short time you have had to struggle in various trials^(S) ⁷so that the genuineness of your faith^(T)—more valuable than gold, which perishes though refined by fire^(U)—may result^(V) in^[c] praise, glory, and honor^(W) at the revelation of Jesus Christ.^(X) ⁸You love Him,^(Y) though you have not seen^(Z) Him. And though not seeing Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice^(AA) with inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹because you are receiving the goal of your^[d] faith, the salvation of your souls.^[e]

¹⁰Concerning this salvation, the prophets^(AB) who prophesied about the grace that would come to you searched and carefully investigated. ¹¹They inquired into what time or what circumstances^[f] the Spirit of Christ^(AC) within them was indicating when He testified in advance^(AD) to the messianic sufferings^[g]^(AE) and the glories^(AF) that would follow.^[h] ¹²It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you. These things have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you^(AG) by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.^(AH) Angels desire to look into these things.

A Call to Holy Living

¹³Therefore, with your minds ready for action,^[i]^(AI) be serious^(AJ) and set your hope^(AK) completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation^(AL) of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴As obedient children,^(AM) do not be conformed to the desires of your former ignorance. ¹⁵But as the One who called you^(AN) is holy,^(AO) you also are to be holy in all your conduct; ¹⁶for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy.^(AP)^[j]

¹⁷And if you address as Father the One who judges impartially^(AQ) based on each one’s work,^(AR) you are to conduct yourselves in fear^(AS) during the time of your temporary residence. ¹⁸For you know that you were redeemed from your empty way of life^(AT) inherited from the fathers, not with perishable things like silver or gold,^(AU) ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ,^(AV) like that of a lamb^(AW) without defect or blemish. ²⁰He was chosen^[k]^(AX) before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the times^(AY) for you ²¹who through Him are believers in God,^(AZ) who raised Him from the dead^(BA) and gave Him glory,^(BB) so that your faith and hope are in God.

²²By obedience to the truth,^[l] having purified yourselves^[m] for sincere love of the brothers, love one another^(BC) earnestly^[n] from a pure^[o] heart,^(BD) ²³since you have been born again^(BE)—not of perishable seed^(BF) but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God.^(BG) ²⁴For

All flesh is like grass,
and all its glory^(BH) like a flower of the grass.
The grass withers, and the flower falls,
²⁵but the word of the Lord endures forever.^(BI)^[p]

And this is the word that was preached as the gospel to you.

Footnotes

1 Peter 1:1 Jewish people scattered throughout Gentile lands who spoke Gk and were influenced by Gk culture.
1 Peter 1:6 Or In this [fact] rejoice
1 Peter 1:7 Lit may be found for
1 Peter 1:9 Other mss read our, or they omit the possessive pronoun
1 Peter 1:9 Or your lives
1 Peter 1:11 Or inquired about the person or time
1 Peter 1:11 Or the sufferings of Christ
1 Peter 1:11 Lit the glories after that
1 Peter 1:13 Lit Therefore, when you have the loins of your mind girded
1 Peter 1:16 Lv 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7
1 Peter 1:20 Or foreknown
1 Peter 1:22 Other mss add through the Spirit
1 Peter 1:22 Or purified your souls
1 Peter 1:22 Or intensely
1 Peter 1:22 Other mss omit pure
1 Peter 1:25 Is 40:6-8

1 Peter 1

The Message

1 ^1-2I, Peter, am an apostle on assignment by Jesus, the Messiah, writing to exiles scattered to the four winds. Not one is missing, not one forgotten. God the Father has his eye on each of you, and has determined by the work of the Spirit to keep you obedient through the sacrifice of Jesus. May everything good from God be yours!

A New Life

^3-5What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole.

^6-7I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.

^8-9You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don’t see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you’ll get what you’re looking forward to: total salvation.

^10-12The prophets who told us this was coming asked a lot of questions about this gift of life God was preparing. The Messiah’s Spirit let them in on some of it—that the Messiah would experience suffering, followed by glory. They clamored to know who and when. All they were told was that they were serving you, you who by orders from heaven have now heard for yourselves—through the Holy Spirit—the Message of those prophecies fulfilled. Do you realize how fortunate you are? Angels would have given anything to be in on this!

A Future in God

^13-16So roll up your sleeves, get your head in the game, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.”

¹⁷You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living.

^18-21Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.

^22-25Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said,

The old life is a grass life,
its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers;
Grass dries up, flowers wilt,
God’s Word goes on and on forever.

This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)

The Message (MSG)

1 Peter 1 Holman Christian Standard Bible