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Salutation

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To the exiles of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood:

May grace and peace be yours in abundance.(A)

A Living Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead(B) and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.(C) In this you rejoice,[a] even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials,(D) so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.(E) Although you have not seen[b] him, you love him, and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,(F) for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.[c]

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace intended for you made careful search and inquiry,(G) 11 inquiring about the time and circumstances[d] that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings intended for Christ and the subsequent glory.(H) 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in regard to the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought you good news by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look!(I)

A Call to Holy Living

13 Therefore prepare your minds for action;[e] discipline yourselves; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed.(J) 14 Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance. 15 Instead, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct,(K) 16 for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”(L)

17 If you invoke as Father the one who judges impartially according to each person’s work, live in fear during the time of your exile.(M) 18 You know that you were ransomed from the futile conduct inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.(N) 20 He was destined before the foundation of the world but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake.(O) 21 Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your trust and hope are in God.

22 Now that you have purified your souls[f] by your obedience to the truth[g] so that you have genuine mutual affection, love one another deeply from the heart.[h](P) 23 You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.[i](Q) 24 For

“All flesh is like grass
    and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
    and the flower falls,(R)
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

That word is the good news that was announced to you.(S)

Footnotes

  1. 1.6 Or Rejoice in this
  2. 1.8 Other ancient authorities read known
  3. 1.9 Or lives
  4. 1.11 Or the person and time
  5. 1.13 Gk gird up the loins of your mind
  6. 1.22 Or lives
  7. 1.22 Other ancient authorities add through the Spirit
  8. 1.22 Other ancient authorities read a pure heart
  9. 1.23 Or through the word of the living and enduring God

Greetings

From:[a] Peter, an apostle of Jesus, the Messiah.[b]

To: The exiles of the Dispersion[c] in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, the people chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctifying action of the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus, the Messiah,[d] and to be sprinkled with his blood.

May grace and peace be yours in abundance!

Our Hope and Joy are in the Messiah

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah![e] Because of his great mercy he has granted us a new birth, resulting in an immortal hope through the resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah,[f] from the dead and to an inheritance kept in heaven for you that can’t be destroyed, corrupted, or changed. Through faith you are being protected by God’s power for a salvation that is ready to be revealed at the end of this era. You greatly rejoice in this, even though you have to suffer various kinds of trials for a little while, so that your genuine faith, which is more valuable than gold that perishes when tested by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus, the Messiah,[g] is revealed.

Though you have not seen[h] him, you love him. And even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

10 Even the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours, carefully researched and investigated this salvation. 11 They tried to find out what era or specific time the Spirit of the Messiah[i] in them kept referring to when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah[j] and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you in regard to the things that have now been announced to you by those who brought you the good news through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things that even the angels desire to look into.

Be Holy

13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep a clear head, and set your hope completely on the grace to be given you when Jesus, the Messiah,[k] is revealed. 14 As obedient children, do not be shaped by the desires that used to influence you when you were ignorant. 15 Instead, be holy in every aspect of your life, just as the one who called you is holy. 16 For it is written, “You must be holy, because I am holy.”[l]

17 If you call “Father” the one who judges everyone impartially according to what they have done, you must live in reverent fear as long as you are strangers in a strange land. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things like silver or gold that you have been ransomed from the worthless way of life handed down to you by your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of the Messiah,[m] like that of a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 On the one hand, he was foreknown before the creation[n] of the world, but on the other hand, he was revealed at the end of time for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God.

Love One Another

22 Now that you have obeyed the truth[o] and have purified your souls to love your brothers sincerely, you must love one another intensely and with a pure heart. 23 For you have been born again, not by a seed that perishes but by one that cannot perish—by the living and everlasting word of God.[p] 24 For

“All human life[q] is like grass,
    and all its glory is like a flower in the grass.
The grass dries up and the flower drops off,
25 but the word of the Lord[r] lasts forever.”[s]

Now this word is the good news that was announced to you.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Peter 1:1 The Gk. lacks From
  2. 1 Peter 1:1 Or Christ
  3. 1 Peter 1:1 Or Diaspora; i.e. the Jewish communities outside the land of Israel
  4. 1 Peter 1:2 Or Christ
  5. 1 Peter 1:3 Or Christ
  6. 1 Peter 1:3 Or Christ
  7. 1 Peter 1:7 Or Christ
  8. 1 Peter 1:8 Other mss. read known
  9. 1 Peter 1:11 Or Christ
  10. 1 Peter 1:11 Or Christ
  11. 1 Peter 1:13 Or Christ
  12. 1 Peter 1:16 Cf. Lev 11:44-45; Lev 19:2
  13. 1 Peter 1:19 Or Christ
  14. 1 Peter 1:20 Or foundation
  15. 1 Peter 1:22 Other mss. read the truth through the Spirit
  16. 1 Peter 1:23 Or by the word of the living and everlasting God
  17. 1 Peter 1:24 Lit. all flesh
  18. 1 Peter 1:25 MT source citation reads Lord
  19. 1 Peter 1:25 Cf. Isa 40:6-8