Beginning

He writes that through the abundant mercy of God, we are begotten again to a living hope, and how faith must be tried. How the salvation in Christ is nothing new, but a thing prophesied of old. He exhorts them to lead godly lives, since they are now born anew by the word of God.

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that dwell here and there as strangers throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, and Asia, and Bithynia, ² elect by the foreknowledge of God the Father through the sanctifying of the Spirit, for obedience and for sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Grace be with you, and peace be multiplied.

³ Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who through his abundant mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death, ⁴ to enjoy an inheritance immortal and undefiled, and that does not perish, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. Which salvation is prepared all ready to be shown in the last time – ⁶ in which time you will rejoice, though now for a season (if need require) you are in heaviness ⁷ through manifold trials, so that your faith, once tried, being much more precious than gold that perishes (though it be tried with fire), may be found to laud, glory, and honour at the appearing of Jesus Christ – ⁸ whom you have not seen, and yet love him; in whom even now, though you see him not, yet you do believe, and rejoice with joy inexpressible and glorious, ⁹ receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰ Of this salvation have the prophets enquired and searched, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, ¹¹ searching when or at what time the Spirit of Christ that was in them was signifying – which Spirit foretold the sufferings that would come to Christ and the glory that would follow after. ¹² To these prophets it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us, they would minister the things that are now shown to you by those who, by the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven, have preached to you the things which the angels desire to behold.

¹³ Therefore gird up the loins of your minds, be sober, and trust fully on the grace that is brought to you by the declaring of Jesus Christ, ¹⁴ as obedient children – not fashioning yourselves to your old lusts of ignorance, ¹⁵ but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy, in all manner of conduct, ¹⁶ because it is written: Be holy, for I am holy.

¹⁷ And if it be so that you call on the Father, who without respect of person judges according to each one’s works, see that you pass the time of your pilgrimage in fear. ¹⁸ For you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible silver and gold from the vain ways that you received from the fathers, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb undefiled and without spot. ²⁰ He was ordained before the world was made, but was shown in these last times for your sakes – ²¹ you who, by means of him, have believed on God, who raised him from death and glorified him so that your faith and hope may be in God.

²² And inasmuch as you have purified your souls through the Spirit, in the obedience of truth with brotherly love unfeigned, see that you love one another with a pure heart fervently. ²³ For you are born anew, not of mortal seed, but of immortal: by the word of God, which lives and lasts forever.

²⁴ For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is as the flower of grass.  The grass withers, and the flower falls away, ²⁵ but the word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the word which by the gospel was preached among you.

He exhorts the people to lay aside all vice, shows that Christ is the foundation they have built upon, and prays them to abstain from fleshly lusts and to obey worldly rulers. How servants should conduct themselves toward their masters. He exhorts them to suffer after the example of Christ.

2 Therefore, lay aside all vice, and all guile and dissimulation and envy, and all backbiting. ² And as newborn babes, desire the milk (not of the body, but of the soul) that is without corruption, so that you may grow therein – ³ if it so be that you have tasted that the Lord is sweet, ⁴ to whom you come as to a living stone, rejected by men, but chosen by God, and precious.

⁵ And you, as living stones, are made a spiritual house, and a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ Of this it is contained in the scripture: Behold, I put in Zion a head cornerstone, elect and precious; and he that believes on him shall not be ashamed.

⁷ To you therefore who believe, he is precious. But to those who do not believe, the stone which the builders refused is made the head stone in the corner, ⁸ and a stone to stumble at, and a rock to offend those who stumble at the word and do not believe that whereon they were set.

⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and his own special people, in order that you should show forth the virtues of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light – ¹⁰ you who in time past were not a people, yet are now the people of God; who were not under mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

¹¹ Dearly beloveds, I beseech you: as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which fight against the soul. ¹² And see that you lead virtuous lives among the Gentiles, so that those who backbite you as evil-doers may see your good works and praise God in the day of visitation.

¹³ Submit yourselves to every human authority, for the Lord’s sake – whether it be to the king as to the chief head, ¹⁴ or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, but for the praise of those who do well. ¹⁵ For so is the will of God, so that you put to silence the ignorance of foolish men – ¹⁶ as free, and not as having freedom for a cloak of evil, but even as the servants of God.

¹⁷ Honour all people. Love brotherly fellowship. Fear God, and honour the king.

¹⁸ Servants, obey your masters with all fear, not only if they are good and kind, but also though they be ill-natured. ¹⁹ For it is meritorious if a person for conscience towards God endures grief, suffering wrongfully. ²⁰ For how is it praiseworthy if when you are buffeted for your faults, you take it patiently? But if when you do well you suffer wrong, and take it patiently, then is there favour with God.

²¹ For to this indeed you have been called. For Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow his steps – ²² who did no sin, neither was there guile found in his mouth; ²³ who, when he was reviled, reviled not in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed the cause to him who judges righteously. ²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree so that we may be delivered from sin and live in righteousness; by his stripes you were healed. ²⁵ For you were as sheep going astray, but are now returned unto the shepherd and bishop of your souls.

How wives ought to order themselves toward their husbands and in their apparel. The duty of men toward their wives. He exhorts them all to unite and to love, and patiently to suffer trouble. Of baptism.

3 Likewise, let the wives be subject to their husbands, so that even those who do not believe in the word may without the word be won by the conduct of the wives, ² when they see your pure living coupled with fear.

³ Your adornment should not be outward, with broided hair and hanging on of gold, or in putting on gorgeous apparel, ⁴ but let the hid man of the heart be incorrupt, with a meek and quiet spirit – which spirit is before God a thing much set by. ⁵ For after this manner in the old time did the holy women who trusted in God attire themselves, and were obedient to their husbands, ⁶ even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, and called him Lord – whose daughters you are as long as you do well, not being afraid of every shadow.

⁷ Likewise, ye men, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour to the wife as to the weaker vessel, and as to those who are heirs also of the grace of life, so that your prayers be not hindered.

⁸ In conclusion, be ye all of one mind, suffer with one another, love as brethren, be tender-hearted. Be mild and courteous – ⁹ not rendering evil for evil, nor rebuke for rebuke, but contrariwise bless, remembering that you are called to this, even so that you may be heirs of blessing. ¹⁰ If anyone longs after life and loves to see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile. ¹¹ Let him eschew evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. ¹² For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

¹³ Moreover, who is it that will harm you if you follow that which is good? ¹⁴ Notwithstanding, happy are you if you suffer for righteousness’ sake. Yea, and fear not, though men seem terrible to you, neither be troubled, ¹⁵ but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. 

Be ready always to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you – and that with meekness and fear, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that when they backbite you as evildoers, they may be ashamed, seeing they have falsely accused your good living in Christ.

¹⁷ It is better (if the will of God be so) that you suffer for well-doing, than for evil-doing. ¹⁸ For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, in order to bring us to God; and was killed as concerning the flesh, but was quickened to life in the Spirit. ¹⁹ In which Spirit he also went and preached to the spirits who were in prison, ²⁰ who were in time past disobedient, when the longsuffering of God abode exceeding patiently in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, wherein few, that is to say, eight souls, were saved by water. ²¹ This signifies the baptism that now saves us – not the removal of soil from the flesh, but in that a good conscience consents to God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²² who is on the right hand of God, and has gone into heaven, angels, power, and might subdued to him.

He exhorts people to cease from sin, to spend no more time in vice, to be sober, to be fit and ready to pray, to love each other, and to be patient in trouble – and to beware that no one suffer as an evil-doer, but only as Christian; and not to be ashamed.

4 Inasmuch as Christ has suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind. For he who suffers in the flesh, ceases from sin, ² that he henceforward should live as much time as remains in the flesh, not after the lusts or desires of men, but after the will of God. ³ For it is enough for us that we have spent the time that is past of our life after the will of the Gentiles, walking in wantonness, lusts, drunkenness; in eating, drinking, and in abominable idolatry.

⁴ And it seems to them a strange thing that you run not also with them to the same excess of disorder, and therefore they speak evil of you. ⁵ But they will give accounts to him who is ready to judge the quick and the dead. ⁶ For to this purpose was the gospel preached to the dead: that they should be judged like other men in the flesh, but should live before God in the spirit.

⁷ The end of all things is at hand. Be therefore discreet and sober, so that you may be fit for prayer. ⁸ But above all things, have fervent love among you. For love covers the multitude of sins.

⁹ Be ready to take one another into your homes, and that without grudging. ¹⁰ As each one has received the gift, minister the same to one another, as good ministers of the manifold grace of God. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, let him do so as though he spoke the words of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as of the ability that God gives to him, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion forever and while the world stands. Amen.

¹² Dearly beloveds, be not troubled in this heat that has now come among you to try you, as if some strange thing had happened to you. ¹³ But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ’s passions, so that when his glory appears, you may be merry and glad. ¹⁴ If you are railed upon for the name of Christ, happy are you. For the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified.

¹⁵ See that none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief or an evil-doer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. ¹⁶ If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in the matter. ¹⁷ For the time has come that judgment must begin at the house of God. If it first begins at us, what shall the end be of those who do not believe the gospel of God? ¹⁸ And if the righteous are scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? ¹⁹ Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to him with well-doing, as to a faithful Creator.

A special exhortation for all bishops or priests to feed the flock of Christ, and what their duty is, and what reward they shall have if they be diligent. He exhorts young persons to submit themselves to the elders, and everyone to love one another, to be sober, and to watch so that they may resist the enemy.

5 The elders who are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the afflictions of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed. ² See that you feed the flock of Christ that is among you, taking the oversight of them not as though you were compelled to it, but willingly; ³ not for wrongful gain, but of a good mind; not as though you were lords over the parishes, but so that you are an example to the flock. ⁴ And when the chief shepherd appears, you shall receive an incorruptible crown of glory.

⁵ Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to the elders. Submit yourselves everyone, one to another. Knit yourselves together in lowliness of mind. For God resists the proud, and gives grace to the humble. ⁶ Submit yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you when the time is come. ⁷ Cast all your care upon him, for he cares for you.

⁸ Be sober and watch, for your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour; ⁹ whom resist steadfast in the faith, remembering that you do but fulfil the same afflictions as are appointed to your brethren that are in the world. ¹⁰ The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, will his own self, after you have suffered a little affliction, make you perfect – will settle, strengthen, and establish you. ¹¹ To him be glory and dominion forever and while the world endures. Amen.

¹² By Silvanus, whom I consider a faithful brother to you, I have written briefly, exhorting and testifying how this is the true grace of God, wherein you stand.

¹³ The companions of your election who are at Babylon send greetings to you; and Mark, my son.

¹⁴ Greet ye one another with the kiss of love.

Peace be with you
all who are in
Christ Jesus.
Amen.