1•1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen •2in accordance with the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ:

May grace and peace be multiplied to †you.

•3Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In accordance with his great mercy he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, •4[and] to an inheritance [which is] imperishable, undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven for †you, •5who by God's power are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. •6In this †you are overjoyed,¹ although now for a little while, if necessary, †you have been made sorrowful in various trials. •7[This is] so that the proven character of †your faith ([which is] more precious than gold that is [to be] destroyed even though it is proven through fire) may be found [to be] for praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. •8Although †you have not seen² him, †you love [him]; although †you do not now see [him], yet †you believe in him and are overjoyed with inexpressible and glorified joy. •9†You get [as] the end [result] of †your³ faith the salvation of [†your] souls.

•10Concerning this salvation the prophets who prophesied about the grace [meant] for †you sought and searched carefully. •11They were searching for what or what sort of time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating, when he was testifying beforehand to the sufferings [predicted] for Christ and the glories [to come] after these things. •12It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but †you, in these things which have now been disclosed to †you through those who proclaimed the gospel to †you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels desire to look.

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•13Therefore tie up [the robe] on the waist of †your mind, be sober, set †your hope completely on the grace that is to be brought to †you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. •14As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former desires [†you had] in †your ignorance, •15but as the One who called †you [is] holy, be also holy †yourselves in all [†your] conduct; •16because it is written, "†You shall be holy, because I [am] holy."⁴

•17And if †you call on [as] Father the One who judges impartially according to each one's work, [then] conduct [†yourselves] with fear during the time of †your sojourning [on earth]. •18†You know that †you were redeemed from †your vain conduct handed down from [†your] fathers, not with perishable things [such as] silver or gold, •19but with the precious blood of Christ, like [that] of a lamb unblemished and spotless. •20He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made apparent at the last of the times⁵ because of †you •21who through him believe in God. He raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that †your faith and hope are in God.

•22Having purified †your souls by [†your] obedience to the truth⁶ for unhypocritical love of the brothers, love one another earnestly from a clean⁷ heart. •23†You have been born again, not of perishable seed but [of] imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; •24because

And this is the word whose good news is proclaimed to †you.

2•1Therefore put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy¹ and envy¹ and all criticisms. •2Like newborn babies, long for the undiluted spiritual² milk, so that by it †you may grow up to salvation,³ •3if †you have "tasted that the Lord [is] kind."⁴

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•4As †you come to him—a living stone, rejected indeed by men but chosen [and] precious with God—•5†you †yourselves also, as living stones, are being built [into] a spiritual house, into a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. •6[This is] because it states in scripture:

They stumble at the word, since they disobey.⁸ Indeed to this they were appointed.

•9But †you [are] "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God's own] possession, that †you may declare the virtues"⁹ of the One who called †you out of darkness into his marvelous light. •10Once †you were not a people but now [†you are] the people of God; [once] †you had not received mercy but now †you have received mercy.¹⁰

•11Beloved, I exhort [†you] as sojourners and exiles to keep abstaining from fleshly desires, which wage war against the soul. •12Keep †your conduct good among the Gentiles, so that in that which they criticise †you as evildoers, they may from [†your] good works, which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

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•13Be subject to every human institution for the Lord's sake, whether [it be] to the king as supreme, •14or to governors as sent through him for vengeance on evildoers but praise of those who do good. •15Because this is the will of God—[that] by doing good †you may muzzle the ignorance of senseless men. •16[Live] as free [men], and [yet] do not use [†your] freedom as a covering for evil; but [live] as slaves of God. •17Honor all [people]. Keep loving the brotherhood. Keep fearing God. Keep honoring the king.

•18Household servants, be subject to [†your] masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the harsh. •19For this [is] favorable, if because of consciousness of God, someone bears up under sorrows while suffering unjustly. •20For what credit [is it], if when †you sin and are beaten [for it] †you endure [it]? But if when †you do good and suffer [for it] †you endure [it], this [is] favorable with God. •21For to this †you have been called, because Christ also suffered¹¹ for †you, leaving †you a model [to copy], so that †you would follow [in] his steps. •22"He did no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth."¹² •23When he was reviled, he did not start reviling in return; when he suffered, he did not start threatening; but he kept committing [his cause] to the One who judges justly. •24"He himself bore our sins"¹³ in his body on the tree,¹⁴ so that we might die to [our] sins and live to righteousness. "By his wound †you have been healed. •25For †you were going astray like sheep,"¹⁵ but have now returned to the Shepherd and Supervisor¹⁶ of †your souls.

3•1Likewise [†you] wives, be subject to [†your] own husbands, so that even if some are disobeying the word, they may be won without a word through the conduct of [their] wives, •2when they observe †your pure conduct [coupled] with respect [for them].¹ •3†Your adorning must not be

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an outward one [consisting] of braiding of hair and wearing of gold [jewelry] or of putting on clothes, •4but [rather it must be] the hidden man of the heart with the imperishable [jewel] of a meek and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is of costly value. •5For so once also the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves and were subject to [their] own husbands, •6as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.² †You have become her children if †you do good and are not afraid of any terror.

•7Likewise [†you] husbands, live with [†your wives] in accordance with knowledge, showing honor to the woman as to a weaker vessel, as indeed [†you are] joint heirs of the grace of life, in order that †your prayers may not be hindered.

•8And finally, all [of †you should be] like-minded, sympathetic, loving as brothers, tender-hearted, [and] humble-minded.³ •9Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling; but on the contrary bless, because to this †you have been called, so that †you may inherit a blessing. •10For

•13And who [is there] to ill-treat †you if †you are zealous for what is good? •14But even if †you do suffer for righteousness' sake, [†you are] blessed. "Now do not be afraid of them,⁵ nor be troubled, •15but sanctify Christ⁶ [as] Lord"⁷ in †your hearts. Always be ready to [make] a defense to everyone who asks †you a reason for the hope that is in †you, but [do it] with meekness and fear, •16having a good conscience, so that, in that about which †you are criticized,⁸ those who are abusing

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†your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. •17For [it is] better, if the will of God [so] wills, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. •18[This is] because Christ also suffered⁹ for sins¹⁰ once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that he might bring †you¹¹ to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit; •19in which also he went and preached to the spirits in prison,¹² •20who formerly did not obey, when the patience of God was waiting in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. •21[As] an antitype of this [water], baptism¹³ also now saves †you, not [as] a removal of filth from the flesh but [as] an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, •22who has gone into heaven and is at the right [hand] of God, [with] angels and authorities and powers being subject to him.

4•1Since therefore Christ suffered in the flesh,¹ †you must arm †yourselves also with the same insight, because the one who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin,² •2so as to live the rest of the time in the flesh no longer by the desires of men but by the will of God. •3For the time that has past [is] enough to have worked out the intention of the Gentiles, having walked in unrestrained sensuality, desires, excesses with wine, carousings, drinking parties, and unallowable idolatries. •4In this they think it strange that †you do not run together with [them] in the same outpouring of dissipation, and [so] they slander †you. •5They will give account to the One who is ready to judge the living and the dead. •6For for this [reason] the gospel was proclaimed even to the dead, so that they might be judged in the flesh from the standpoint of men, but live in the Spirit from the standpoint of God.

•7Now the end of all things has come near. Therefore be prudent and sober for prayers. •8Above all things have an earnest love among †yourselves, because love covers a multitude of

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sins. •9Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. •10Just as each one has received a charismatic gift, use it for service among †yourselves, as good stewards of God's varied grace: •11if anyone speaks, [he must speak] as the oracles of God; if anyone serves, [he must serve] as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him is the glory and the might forever and ever.³ Amen.

•12Beloved, quit thinking that the fiery ordeal is strange which is happening among †you for †your testing, as though a strange thing were occurring to †you. •13But keep rejoicing in so far as †you share Christ's sufferings, so that at the revelation of his glory †you may also rejoice and be overjoyed. •14If †you are reproached for the name of Christ, [†you are] blessed, because the Spirit of glory⁴ and of God rests on †you.⁵ •15For no one among †you must suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or as one who tries to supervise other people's affairs; •16but if [anyone suffers] as a Christian, he must not be ashamed, but he must keep glorifying God in this name.⁶ •17[This is] because the time [has come] for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if [it begins] first with us, what [will be] the end of those who are disobeying the gospel of God? •18And

5•1Therefore I exhort the elders among †you, [as] a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ [and] also one who shares in the glory that is going to be revealed: •2shepherd the flock of God that is among †you, supervising¹ not by compulsion but voluntarily, in accordance with [the will of] God,² nor from fondness for dishonest gain but eagerly, •3nor as

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lording it over the portions [of the flock assigned to †you] but being examples to the flock. •4And when the chief Shepherd appears †you will get in return the unfading crown of glory.

•5Likewise †you who are younger be subject to the elders. And clothe [†yourselves], all [of †you], with humility toward one another, because "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble."³ •6Humble [†yourselves] therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt †you in due time. •7"Throw all †your worry on him,"⁴ because he cares about †you.

•8Be sober, be watchful. †Your adversary the devil is walking around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. •9Resist him, firm in [†your] faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being laid upon †your brotherhood throughout the world. •10Now the God of all grace, who has called †you to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus,⁵ after †you have suffered a little, will himself restore, establish, strengthen, [and] ground⁶ [†you]. •11To him [be] the might⁷ forever.⁸ Amen.

•12Through Silvanus, a faithful brother as I reckon [him], I have written to †you briefly, exhorting and testifying that this is the true grace of God, in which †you stand. •13She⁹ who is in Babylon, chosen together [with †you], greets †you; and [so does] my son Mark. •14Greet one another with a kiss of love.

Peace to all of †you who are in Christ.¹⁰