1 PETER
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Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the exiles of the
Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 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. 3 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, 4 and into an inheritance that is
imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who are being
protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed
in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have
had to suffer various trials, 7 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. 8
Although you have not seen 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, 9
for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that was to
be yours made careful search and inquiry, 11 inquiring about the person or time
that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to
the sufferings destined for Christ and the subsequent glory. 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! 13
Therefore prepare your minds for action; discipline yourselves; set all your
hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed. 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; 16 for it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." 17 If
you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to
their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. 18 You know
that you were ransomed from the futile ways 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. 20 He was destined before
the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your
sake. 21 Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead
and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God. 22 Now that you
have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine
mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. 23 You have been born anew,
not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word
of God. 24 For "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of
grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, 25 but the word of the Lord
endures forever." That word is the good news that was announced to you.
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Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile,
insincerity, envy, and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure,
spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation-- 3 if indeed you have
tasted that the Lord is good. 4 Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by
mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and 5 like living stones, let
yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in
scripture: "See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." 7 To you then who
believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the
builders rejected has become the very head of the corner," 8 and "A stone that
makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they
disobey the word, as they were destined to do. 9 But you are a chosen race, a
royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may
proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his
marvelous light. 10 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 as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage
war against the soul. 12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so
that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and
glorify God when he comes to judge. 13 For the Lord's sake accept the authority
of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, 14 or of
governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who
do right. 15 For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the
ignorance of the foolish. 16 As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not
use your freedom as a pretext for evil. 17 Honor everyone. Love the family of
believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 18 Slaves, accept the authority of your
masters with all deference, not only those who are kind and gentle but also
those who are harsh. 19 For it is a credit to you if, being aware of God, you
endure pain while suffering unjustly. 20 If you endure when you are beaten for
doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer
for it, you have God's approval. 21 For to this you have been called, because
Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow
in his steps. 22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth." 23
When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not
threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. 24 He himself
bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live
for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were going
astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of
your souls.
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) Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so
that, even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a
word by their wives' conduct, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your
lives. 3 Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing
gold ornaments or fine clothing; 4 rather, let your adornment be the inner self
with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in
God's sight. 5 It was in this way long ago that the holy women who hoped in God
used to adorn themselves by accepting the authority of their husbands. 6 Thus
Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her daughters as long
as you do what is good and never let fears alarm you. 7 Husbands, in the same
way, show consideration for your wives in your life together, paying honor to
the woman as the weaker sex, since they too are also heirs of the gracious gift
of life--so that nothing may hinder your prayers. 8 Finally, all of you, have
unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble
mind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary,
repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called--that you might
inherit a blessing. 10 For "Those who desire life and desire to see good days,
let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit; 11
let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it. 12
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their
prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil." 13 Now who will
harm you if you are eager to do what is good? 14 But even if you do suffer for
doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be
intimidated, 15 but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to
make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that
is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience
clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct
in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if
suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil. 18 For Christ
also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order
to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the
spirit, 19 in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in
prison, 20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the
days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight
persons, were saved through water. 21 And baptism, which this prefigured, now
saves you--not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a
good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into
heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers
made subject to him.
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Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also
with the same intention (for whoever has suffered in the flesh has finished with
sin), 2 so as to live for the rest of your earthly life no longer by human
desires but by the will of God. 3 You have already spent enough time in doing
what the Gentiles like to do, living in licentiousness, passions, drunkenness,
revels, carousing, and lawless idolatry. 4 They are surprised that you no longer
join them in the same excesses of dissipation, and so they blaspheme. 5 But they
will have to give an accounting to him who stands ready to judge the living and
the dead. 6 For this is the reason the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead,
so that, though they had been judged in the flesh as everyone is judged, they
might live in the spirit as God does. 7 The end of all things is near; therefore
be serious and discipline yourselves for the sake of your prayers. 8 Above all,
maintain constant love for one another, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9
Be hospitable to one another without complaining. 10 Like good stewards of the
manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has
received. 11 Whoever speaks must do so as one speaking the very words of God;
whoever serves must do so with the strength that God supplies, so that God may
be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ. To him belong the glory and the
power forever and ever. Amen. 12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery
ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange
were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's
sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is
revealed. 14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because
the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. 15 But let
none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, a criminal, or even as a mischief
maker. 16 Yet if any of you suffers as a Christian, do not consider it a
disgrace, but glorify God because you bear this name. 17 For the time has come
for judgment to begin with the household of God; if it begins with us, what will
be the end for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And "If it is hard
for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinners?"
19 Therefore, let those suffering in accordance with God's will entrust
themselves to a faithful Creator, while continuing to do good.
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Now as an elder myself and a witness of the sufferings of Christ,
as well as one who shares in the glory to be revealed, I exhort the elders among
you 2 to tend the flock of God that is in your charge, exercising the oversight,
not under compulsion but willingly, as God would have you do it --not for sordid
gain but eagerly. 3 Do not lord it over those in your charge, but be examples to
the flock. 4 And when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the crown of
glory that never fades away. 5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept
the authority of the elders. And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility
in your dealings with one another, for "God opposes the proud, but gives grace
to the humble." 6 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so
that he may exalt you in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him, because he
cares for you. 8 Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your
adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him,
steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the
world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. 10 And after you have suffered
for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal
glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.
11 To him be the power forever and ever. Amen. 12 Through Silvanus, whom I
consider a faithful brother, I have written this short letter to encourage you
and to testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it. 13 Your
sister church in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings; and so
does my son Mark. 14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you
who are in Christ.
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