1 Peter 1:22-4:8

English Standard Version

²² Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for ^(A)a sincere brotherly love, ^(B)love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ^23 (C)since you have been born again, ^(D)not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through ^(E)the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴ for

And this word ^(H)is the good news that was preached to you.

A Living Stone and a Holy People

2 ^(I)So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ^2 (J)Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual ^(K)milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have ^(L)tasted that the Lord is good.

⁴ As you come to him, a living stone ^(M)rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ^5 (N)you yourselves like living stones are being built up as ^(O)a spiritual house, to be ^(P)a holy priesthood, ^(Q)to offer spiritual sacrifices ^(R)acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in Scripture:

⁷ So the honor is for you who ^(U)believe, but for those who ^(V)do not believe,

⁸ and

They stumble because they disobey the word, ^(Y)as they were destined to do.

⁹ But you are ^(Z)a chosen race, ^(AA)a royal ^(AB)priesthood, ^(AC)a holy nation, ^(AD)a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you ^(AE)out of darkness into ^(AF)his marvelous light. ^10 (AG)Once 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 ^(AH)as sojourners and exiles ^(AI)to abstain from the passions of the flesh, ^(AJ)which wage war against your soul. ^12 (AK)Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, ^(AL)they may see your good deeds and glorify God on ^(AM)the day of visitation.

Submission to Authority

^13 (AN)Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,^[b] whether it be to the emperor^[c] as supreme, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him ^(AO)to punish those who do evil and ^(AP)to praise those who do good. ¹⁵ For this is the will of God, ^(AQ)that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ^16 (AR)Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but ^(AS)living as servants^[d] of God. ^17 (AT)Honor everyone. ^(AU)Love the brotherhood. ^(AV)Fear God. Honor the emperor.

^18 (AW)Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. ¹⁹ For this is a gracious thing, when, ^(AX)mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But ^(AY)if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. ²¹ For ^(AZ)to this you have been called, ^(BA)because Christ also suffered for you, ^(BB)leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. ^22 (BC)He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. ^23 (BD)When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, ^(BE)but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. ^24 (BF)He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we ^(BG)might die to sin and ^(BH)live to righteousness. ^(BI)By his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵ For ^(BJ)you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to ^(BK)the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Wives and Husbands

3 Likewise, wives, ^(BL)be subject to your own husbands, so that ^(BM)even if some do not obey the word, ^(BN)they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, ² when they see your ^(BO)respectful and pure conduct. ^3 (BP)Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— ⁴ but let your adorning be ^(BQ)the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. ⁵ For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, ⁶ as Sarah obeyed Abraham, ^(BR)calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and ^(BS)do not fear anything that is frightening.

⁷ Likewise, ^(BT)husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker ^(BU)vessel, since they are heirs with you^[e] of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Suffering for Righteousness' Sake

⁸ Finally, all of you, ^(BV)have unity of mind, sympathy, ^(BW)brotherly love, ^(BX)a tender heart, and ^(BY)a humble mind. ^9 (BZ)Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, ^(CA)bless, for ^(CB)to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. ¹⁰ For

¹³ Now ^(CD)who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? ^14 (CE)But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. ^(CF)Have no fear of them, ^(CG)nor be troubled, ¹⁵ but ^(CH)in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, ^(CI)always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and ^(CJ)respect, ^16 (CK)having a good conscience, so that, ^(CL)when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For ^(CM)it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

¹⁸ For Christ also ^(CN)suffered^{[f] (CO)}once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, ^(CP)that he might bring us to God, being put to death ^(CQ)in the flesh but made alive ^(CR)in the spirit, ¹⁹ in which^[g] he went and ^(CS)proclaimed^[h] to the spirits in prison, ²⁰ because^[i] they formerly did not obey, ^(CT)when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, ^(CU)while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, ^(CV)eight persons, were brought safely through water. ²¹ Baptism, which corresponds to this, ^(CW)now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but ^(CX)as an appeal to God for a good conscience, ^(CY)through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who has gone into heaven and ^(CZ)is at the right hand of God, ^(DA)with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Stewards of God's Grace

4 Since therefore ^(DB)Christ suffered in the flesh,^{[j] (DC)}arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for ^(DD)whoever has suffered in the flesh ^(DE)has ceased from sin, ^2 (DF)so as to live for ^(DG)the rest of the time in the flesh ^(DH)no longer for human passions but ^(DI)for the will of God. ³ For the time that is past ^(DJ)suffices ^(DK)for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. ⁴ With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of ^(DL)debauchery, and ^(DM)they malign you; ⁵ but they will give account to him who is ready ^(DN)to judge the living and the dead. ⁶ For this is why ^(DO)the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.

^7 (DP)The end of all things is at hand; therefore ^(DQ)be self-controlled and sober-minded ^(DR)for the sake of your prayers. ⁸ Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since ^(DS)love covers a multitude of sins.