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Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

A reading plan that walks through the entire New Testament in 24 weeks of daily readings.

Duration: 168 days

1 Peter 1:1-3:7

I. Address

Chapter 1

Greeting.^[a] ¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen sojourners of the dispersion^[b] in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,^(A) ²in the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification by the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ: may grace and peace be yours in abundance.^(B)

II. The Gift and Call of God in Baptism

Blessing. ³^[c]Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,^(C) ⁴to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you^(D) ⁵who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time. ⁶^[d]In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials,^(E) ⁷so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.^(F) ⁸Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,^(G) ⁹as you attain the goal of [your] faith, the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰^[e]Concerning this salvation, prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and investigated it, ¹¹investigating the time and circumstances that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the glories to follow them.^(H) ¹²It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you with regard to the things that have now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you [through] the holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels longed to look.

Obedience. ¹³^[f]Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind,^[g] live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance^[h] ¹⁵but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct,^(I) ¹⁶for it is written, “Be holy because I [am] holy.”^(J)

Reverence. ¹⁷Now if you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning,^(K) ¹⁸realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold^(L) ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ^(M) as of a spotless unblemished lamb.^[i] ²⁰He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you, ²¹who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Mutual Love.^[j] ²²Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a [pure] heart.^(N) ²³You have been born anew,^(O) not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and abiding word of God,^[k] ²⁴for:

“All flesh is like grass,
and all its glory like the flower of the field;
the grass withers,
and the flower wilts;^(P)
²⁵but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.

Chapter 2

God’s House and People. ¹^[l]Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander;^(Q) ²like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into salvation, ³^(R)for you have tasted that the Lord is good.^[m] ⁴Come to him, a living stone,^[n] rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God,^(S) ⁵and, like living stones, let yourselves be built^[o] into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.^(T) ⁶For it says in scripture:

“Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone, chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame.”^(U)

⁷Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith:

“The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”^(V)

⁸and

“A stone that will make people stumble,
and a rock that will make them fall.”

They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny.^(W)

⁹^[p]But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.^(X)

¹⁰Once you were “no people”
but now you are God’s people;
you “had not received mercy”
but now you have received mercy.^(Y)

III. The Christian in a Hostile World

Christian Examples. ¹¹^[q]Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners^[r] to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul.^(Z) ¹²Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that if they speak of you as evildoers, they may observe your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation.

Christian Citizens.^[s] ¹³Be subject to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether it be to the king as supreme^(AA) ¹⁴or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the approval of those who do good. ¹⁵For it is the will of God that by doing good you may silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶Be free, yet without using freedom as a pretext for evil, but as slaves of God.^(AB) ¹⁷Give honor to all, love the community, fear God, honor the king.^(AC)

Christian Slaves. ¹⁸^[t]Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and equitable but also to those who are perverse.^(AD) ¹⁹For whenever anyone bears the pain of unjust suffering because of consciousness of God, that is a grace. ²⁰But what credit is there if you are patient when beaten for doing wrong? But if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. ²¹For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered^[u] for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.^(AE)

²²“He committed no sin,^(AF)
and no deceit was found in his mouth.”^[v]

²³When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.^(AG) ²⁴He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.^(AH) ²⁵For you had gone astray like sheep,^(AI) but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.^[w]

Chapter 3

Christian Spouses. ¹^[x]Likewise, you wives should be subordinate to your husbands so that, even if some disobey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct ²when they observe your reverent and chaste behavior.^(AJ) ³Your adornment should not be an external one: braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or dressing in fine clothes,^(AK) ⁴but rather the hidden character of the heart, expressed in the imperishable beauty of a gentle and calm disposition, which is precious in the sight of God. ⁵For this is also how the holy women who hoped in God once used to adorn themselves and were subordinate to their husbands; ⁶thus Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him “lord.” You are her children when you do what is good and fear no intimidation.

⁷^(AL)Likewise, you husbands should live with your wives in understanding, showing honor to the weaker female sex, since we are joint heirs of the gift of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.^[y]

Christian Conduct.^[z]

Footnotes

1:1–2 The introductory formula names Peter as the writer (but see Introduction). In his comments to the presbyters (1 Pt 5:1), the author calls himself a “fellow presbyter.” He addresses himself to the Gentile converts of Asia Minor. Their privileged status as a chosen and sanctified people makes them worthy of God’s grace and peace. In contrast is their actual existence as aliens and sojourners, scattered among pagans, far from their true country.
1:1 Dispersion: literally, diaspora; see Jas 1:1 and Introduction to that letter. Pontus…Bithynia: five provinces in Asia Minor, listed in clockwise order from the north, perhaps in the sequence in which a messenger might deliver the letter.
1:3–5 A prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God who bestows the gift of new life and hope in baptism (new birth, 1 Pt 1:3) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The new birth is a sign of an imperishable inheritance (1 Pt 1:4), of salvation that is still in the future (to be revealed in the final time, 1 Pt 1:5).
1:6–9 As the glory of Christ’s resurrection was preceded by his sufferings and death, the new life of faith that it bestows is to be subjected to many trials (1 Pt 1:6) while achieving its goal: the glory of the fullness of salvation (1 Pt 1:9) at the coming of Christ (1 Pt 1:7).
1:10–12 The Spirit of Christ (1 Pt 1:11) is here shown to have been present in the prophets, moving them to search, investigate, and prophesy about the grace of salvation that was to come (1 Pt 1:10), and in the apostles impelling them to preach the fulfillment of salvation in the message of Christ’s sufferings and glory (1 Pt 1:12).
1:13–25 These verses are concerned with the call of God’s people to holiness and to mutual love by reason of their redemption through the blood of Christ (1 Pt 1:18–21).
1:13 Gird up the loins of your mind: a figure reminiscent of the rite of Passover when the Israelites were in flight from their oppressors (Ex 12:11), and also suggesting the vigilance of the Christian people in expectation of the parousia of Christ (Lk 12:35).
1:14–16 The ignorance here referred to (1 Pt 1:14) was their former lack of knowledge of God, leading inevitably to godless conduct. Holiness (1 Pt 1:15–16), on the contrary, is the result of their call to the knowledge and love of God.
1:19 Christians have received the redemption prophesied by Isaiah (Is 52:3), through the blood (Jewish symbol of life) of the spotless lamb (Is 53:7, 10; Jn 1:29; Rom 3:24–25; cf. 1 Cor 6:20).
1:22–25 The new birth of Christians (1 Pt 1:23) derives from Christ, the imperishable seed or sowing that produces a new and lasting existence in those who accept the gospel (1 Pt 1:24–25), with the consequent duty of loving one another (1 Pt 1:22).
1:23 The living and abiding word of God: or, “the word of the living and abiding God.”
2:1–3 Growth toward salvation is seen here as two steps: first, stripping away all that is contrary to the new life in Christ; second, the nourishment (pure spiritual milk) that the newly baptized have received.
2:3 Tasted that the Lord is good: cf. Ps 34:9.
2:4–8 Christ is the cornerstone (cf. Is 28:16) that is the foundation of the spiritual edifice of the Christian community (1 Pt 2:5). To unbelievers, Christ is an obstacle and a stumbling block on which they are destined to fall (1 Pt 2:8); cf. Rom 11:11.
2:5 Let yourselves be built: the form of the Greek word could also be indicative passive, “you are being built” (cf. 1 Pt 2:9).
2:9–10 The prerogatives of ancient Israel mentioned here are now more fully and fittingly applied to the Christian people: “a chosen race” (cf. Is 43:20–21) indicates their divine election (Eph 1:4–6); “a royal priesthood” (cf. Ex 19:6) to serve and worship God in Christ, thus continuing the priestly functions of his life, passion, and resurrection; “a holy nation” (Ex 19:6) reserved for God, a people he claims for his own (cf. Mal 3:17) in virtue of their baptism into his death and resurrection. This transcends all natural and national divisions and unites the people into one community to glorify the one who led them from the darkness of paganism to the light of faith in Christ. From being “no people” deprived of all mercy, they have become the very people of God, the chosen recipients of his mercy (cf. Hos 1:9; 2:25).
2:11–3:12 After explaining the doctrinal basis for the Christian community, the author makes practical applications in terms of the virtues that should prevail in all the social relationships of the members of the community: good example to Gentile neighbors (1 Pt 2:11–12); respect for human authority (1 Pt 2:13–17); obedience, patience, and endurance of hardship in domestic relations (1 Pt 2:18–25); Christian behavior of husbands and wives (1 Pt 3:1–7); mutual charity (1 Pt 3:8–12).
2:11 Aliens and sojourners: no longer signifying absence from one’s native land (Gn 23:4), this image denotes rather their estrangement from the world during their earthly pilgrimage (see also 1 Pt 1:1, 17).
2:13–17 True Christian freedom is the result of being servants of God (2 Pt 2:16; see note on 1 Pt 2:18–23). It includes reverence for God, esteem for every individual, and committed love for fellow Christians (1 Pt 2:17). Although persecution may threaten, subjection to human government is urged (1 Pt 2:13, 17) and concern for the impact of Christians’ conduct on those who are not Christians (1 Pt 2:12, 15).
2:18–21 Most of the labor in the commercial cities of first-century Asia Minor was performed by a working class of slaves. The sense of freedom contained in the gospel undoubtedly caused great tension among Christian slaves: witness the special advice given concerning them here and in 1 Cor 7:21–24; Eph 6:5–8; Col 3:22–25; Phlm. The point made here does not have so much to do with the institution of slavery, which the author does not challenge, but with the nonviolent reaction (1 Pt 2:20) of slaves to unjust treatment. Their patient suffering is compared to that of Jesus (1 Pt 2:21), which won righteousness for all humanity.
2:21 Suffered: some ancient manuscripts and versions read “died” (cf. 1 Pt 3:18).
2:22–25 After the quotation of Is 53:9b, the passage describes Jesus’ passion with phrases concerning the Suffering Servant from Is 53:4–12, perhaps as employed in an early Christian confession of faith; cf. 1 Pt 1:18–21 and 1 Pt 3:18–22.
2:25 The shepherd and guardian of your souls: the familiar shepherd and flock figures express the care, vigilance, and love of God for his people in the Old Testament (Ps 23; Is 40:11; Jer 23:4–5; Ez 34:11–16) and of Jesus for all humanity in the New Testament (Mt 18:10–14; Lk 15:4–7; Jn 10:1–16; Hb 13:20).
3:1–6 The typical marital virtues of women of the ancient world, obedience, reverence, and chastity (1 Pt 3:1–2), are outlined here by the author, who gives them an entirely new motivation: Christian wives are to be virtuous so that they may be instrumental in the conversion of their husbands. In imitation of holy women in the past (1 Pt 3:5) they are to cultivate the interior life (1 Pt 3:4) instead of excessive concern with their appearance (1 Pt 3:3).
3:7 Husbands who do not respect their wives will have as little success in prayer as those who, according to Paul, have no love: their prayers will be “a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal” (1 Cor 13:1). Consideration for others is shown as a prerequisite for effective prayer also in Mt 5:23–24; 1 Cor 11:20–22; Jas 4:3. After all, whatever the social position of women in the world and in the family, they are equal recipients of the gift of God’s salvation. Paul is very clear on this point, too (see 1 Cor 11:11–12; Gal 3:28).
3:8–12 For the proper ordering of Christian life in its various aspects as described in 1 Pt 2:11–3:9, there is promised the blessing expressed in Ps 34:13–17. In the Old Testament this refers to longevity and prosperity; here, it also refers to eternal life.

New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.