1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,a

To God’s elect,b exilesc scatteredd throughout the provinces of Pontus,e Galatia,f Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,g 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledgeh of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit,i to be obedientj to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:k

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.l

Praise to God for a Living Hope

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!m In his great mercyn he has given us new birtho into a living hopep through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,q 4 and into an inheritancer that can never perish, spoil or fade.s This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,t 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s poweru until the coming of the salvationv that is ready to be revealedw in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice,x though now for a little whiley you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.z 7 These have come so that the proven genuinenessa of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fireb—may result in praise, glory and honorc when Jesus Christ is revealed.d 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in hime and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.f

10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spokeg of the grace that was to come to you,h searched intently and with the greatest care,i 11 trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christj in them was pointing when he predictedk the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow. 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you,l when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to youm by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.n Even angels long to look into these things.

Be Holy

13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober,o set your hopep on the grace to be brought to youq when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.r 14 As obedients children, do not conformt to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance.u 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;v 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”a w

17 Since you call on a Fatherx who judges each person’s worky impartially,z live out your time as foreignersa here in reverent fear.b 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemedc from the empty way of lifed handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious bloode of Christ, a lambf without blemish or defect.g 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world,h but was revealed in these last timesi for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God,j who raised him from the deadk and glorified him,l and so your faith and hopem are in God.

22 Now that you have purifiedn yourselves by obeyingo the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply,p from the heart.b 23 For you have been born again,q not of perishable seed, but of imperishable,r through the living and enduring word of God.s 24 For,

“All people are like grass,

and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;

the grass withers and the flowers fall,

25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”c t

And this is the word that was preached to you.

2 Therefore, rid yourselvesu of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slanderv of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk,w so that by it you may grow upx in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.y

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

4 As you come to him, the living Stonez—rejected by humans but chosen by Goda and precious to him—5 you also, like living stones, are being builtb into a spiritual housea c to be a holy priesthood,d offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.e 6 For in Scripture it says:

“See, I lay a stone in Zion,

a chosen and precious cornerstone,f

and the one who trusts in him

will never be put to shame.”b g

7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,h

“The stone the builders rejectedi

has become the cornerstone,”c j

8 and,

“A stone that causes people to stumble

and a rock that makes them fall.”d k

They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.l

9 But you are a chosen people,m a royal priesthood,n a holy nation,o God’s special possession,p that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.q 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;r once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Living Godly Lives in a Pagan Society

11 Dear friends,s I urge you, as foreigners and exiles,t to abstain from sinful desires,u which wage war against your soul.v 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deedsw and glorify Godx on the day he visits us.

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority:y whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrongz and to commend those who do right.a 15 For it is God’s willb that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.c 16 Live as free people,d but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil;e live as God’s slaves.f 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers,g fear God, honor the emperor.h

18 Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters,i not only to those who are good and considerate,j but also to those who are harsh. 19 For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God.k 20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.l 21 To thism you were called,n because Christ suffered for you,o leaving you an example,p that you should follow in his steps.

22 “He committed no sin,q

and no deceit was found in his mouth.”e r

23 When they hurled their insults at him,s he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats.t Instead, he entrusted himselfu to him who judges justly.v 24 “He himself bore our sins”w in his body on the cross,x so that we might die to sinsy and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”z 25 For “you were like sheep going astray,”f a but now you have returned to the Shepherdb and Overseer of your souls.c

3 Wives, in the same way submit yourselvesd to your own husbandse so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won overf without words by the behavior of their wives, 2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes.g 4 Rather, it should be that of your inner self,h the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.i 5 For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in Godj used to adorn themselves.k They submitted themselves to their own husbands, 6 like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord.l You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

7 Husbands,m in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers.

Suffering for Doing Good

8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded,n be sympathetic, love one another,o be compassionate and humble.p 9 Do not repay evil with evilq or insult with insult.r On the contrary, repay evil with blessing,s because to thist you were calledu so that you may inherit a blessing.v 10 For,

“Whoever would love life

and see good days

must keep their tongue from evil

and their lips from deceitful speech.

11 They must turn from evil and do good;

they must seek peace and pursue it.

12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous

and his ears are attentive to their prayer,

but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”a w

13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?x 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.y “Do not fear their threatsb; do not be frightened.”c z 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answera to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hopeb that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience,c so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.d 17 For it is better, if it is God’s will,e to suffer for doing goodf than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered onceg for sins,h the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.i He was put to death in the bodyj but made alive in the Spirit.k 19 After being made alive,d he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spiritsl—20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patientlym in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.n In it only a few people, eight in all,o were savedp through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves youq also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear consciencer toward God.e It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,s 22 who has gone into heavent and is at God’s right handu—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.v