The First Letter From Peter

1 Peter, apostle of Jesus Christ, to the chosen who are living abroad among the Jewish colonies of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, to obedience and sprinkling of Jesus Christ’s blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

3 Blessed be our Lord Jesus Christ’s God and Father, he who in accordance with his great mercy has given us rebirth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 into an imperishable, undefiled, unfading inheritance that has been kept in heaven for you 5 who by the power of God are guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be disclosed at the last— 6 wherein you exult, though for a little while now, if need be, you have been saddened in various trials, 7* that the quality of your faith may be found more valuable than gold (which is a perishable thing, but is tested by fire) for praise and glory and honor at the manifestation of Jesus Christ, 8 whom you love without having seen him; believing in whom, without now seeing him, you exult in ineffable and glorified gladness, 9* obtaining the end of faith, soul-salvation. 10 Concerning which salvation prophets sought and searched, who prophesied of the grace that has reached you, 11 searching to find out what time or what sort of time Christ’s spirit in them was pointing to in testifying beforehand the sufferings to which Christ was destined and the glory after these; 12 to whom it was disclosed that they were dispensing them not to themselves but to you,—the things that have now been announced to you through those who brought the gospel to you in the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things that angels desire to look into.

13 Wherefore, girding up the loins of your mind, keep absolutely sober and hope in the grace that is being brought you in the manifestation of Jesus Christ. 14 Like children of obedience, not conforming to your old-time desires that you had during your ignorance, 15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves in all your life, 16 since it is written “You shall be holy, because I am holy.” 17 And if you invoke a Father who judges impartially according to each one’s doing, live a life of fear for the time of your stay, 18 knowing that it was not with perishable things, silver or gold, that you were redeemed from the futile life your fathers handed down to you, 19 but with precious blood as if of a lamb without defect or spot, Christ’s blood, 20 who had been foreknown before the foundation of the world but had made his appearance at the latter end of time for the sake of you 21 who through him are believers in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. 22 Having purified your spirits by obedience to the truth for unfeigned brotherliness, love each other ardently from your hearts, 23 reborn not from perishable seed but from imperishable, through the living word of God—living and abiding, 24 because “all flesh is like the herbage of the field, and all its glory like field flowers: the herbage withers and the flowers fall off; 25 but the word of the Lord abides forever,” and this is the word that has been brought to you as gospel.

2 So, laying off all malice and all trickery, and insincerities and grudges and all detraction, 2 long like newborn babies for unadulterated intellectual milk, that on it you may grow to salvation, 3 if you have tasted that the Lord is kind; 4 coming to whom, a living stone condemned by men but in God’s estimation select and noble, 5* you too as living stones are being built to a spiritual house, for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6* Because there is a text where it reads “Here I am laying in Sion a noble select crowning-stone, and he who believes on him shall not be put to shame.” 7 So the nobility is for you believers; but for disbelievers “The stone that the builders condemned, that stone has come to be the top of the corner” 8 and “a stone to strike against, a rock to stumble over”—who stumble by disobeying the word; which is what they were set for. 9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for preservation, that you may publish the merits of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light— 10 you who had once been No Nation but are God’s nation now, who had been Unpitied but have now had pity taken on you.

11 Dear friends, I exhort you, as men living abroad among an alien race, to abstain from fleshly desires, which wage a war against the soul, 12 and to keep up a good life among the foreigners, that where they decry you as evil-doers they may in consequence of your good deeds, as they watch them, glorify God on the day of visitation.

13 Be submissive to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether to the emperor as sovereign 14 or to governors as sent through him for punishment of evil-doers and praise of right-doers,— 15 because such is God’s will, that by doing right you should silence senseless men’s ignorance;— 16 as freemen, and not as having freedom for a cover to viciousness, but as servants of God. 17 Honor everybody; love the brotherhood; fear God; honor the emperor. 18 Domestics, be submissive to your masters in all fear, not only to the kind and reasonable but also to the cranky; 19 for it is a credit if one bears troubles for the consciousness of God, when one suffers unjustly. 20 For what is there grand about it if you endure when you do wrong and are cuffed? but if you endure when you do right and suffer, that is a credit with God. 21 For this is what you were called for, because Christ too suffered on your account, leaving behind a pattern for you that you might follow in his track— 22 he who did no sin, nor was trickery found in his mouth; 23 who did not answer with abuse when he was abused, did not make threats when he suffered, but committed his case to him who judges justly; 24 who himself carried our sins up to the tree in his body, that we might perish to sins and live to righteousness; by whose stripes you have been healed, 25 for you were like sheep astray, but you have now turned back to the Shepherd and Visitor of your souls.

3 Likewise, wives, be submissive to your husbands, so that even if some are disobedient to the word they shall through their wives’ life be won without words 2 when they watch your pure life lived in fear. 3 And be yours not the outward adornment of plaiting hair and wearing jewels or putting on dresses, 4 but the secret person of the heart in the imperishable adornment of a meek and quiet spirit, which is worth a fortune before God. 5 For so in former times did the holy women who hoped in God adorn themselves, submitting to their husbands, 6* as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him “lord”; whose children you have become when you do right and fear no terror. 7 Husbands likewise, live intelligently with womankind as a weaker thing, according them honor as co-heirs in the grace of life, so as not to have your prayers hindered. 8 And finally, all be united, sympathizing, brother-loving, kindly, humble, 9** not paying back hurt for hurt or abuse for abuse, but contrariwise blessing everybody; because this is what you were called for, that you might inherit a blessing. 10 For “he who would love life and see good days, let him stop his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit, 11 and let him shun evil and do the good, seek peace and pursue it; 12 because the Lord’s eyes are upon the righteous and his ears are toward their petition, but the Lord’s face is against the doers of evil.” 13 And who is it that will harm you if you show yourselves zealous for good?

14 But if you do suffer for right-doing, happy are you; and do not stand in fear of them, nor be agitated, 15 but “magnify in your hearts the holiness of the Lord” (Christ), always ready to make your defense to anyone who asks you to give an account of the hope you have in you, but with meekness and fear, 16 keeping a good conscience, that where you are decried those who are spiteful toward your good life in Christ may be put to shame. 17 For it is better, if God’s will will have it so, to suffer in doing right than in doing wrong; 18* because so did Christ suffer for sins once, a saint for guilty men, to bring you to God, being put to death in flesh, but given life in spirit 19 while he went and preached to the spirits in prison too, 20 that had once disobeyed when in Noah’s days God’s patience was waiting while an ark was being constructed, into which a few, that is eight souls, came safe through water— 21* what in the antitype is now saving you too, baptism, not flesh’s taking off grime but a good conscience’s inquiry after God, saving you through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who is at God’s right hand, gone to heaven, with angels and authorities and powers put under his control.

4** So, since Christ has suffered in flesh, arm yourselves too with that same thought, because he who has suffered in flesh has come to a stop in sins; 2 so as to live your remaining time in the flesh no longer by men’s desires but by the will of God. 3 For the bygone time is enough for having done the wish of the nations, going along in immoralities, lusts, hard drinkings, revels, carousals, and unholy idolatries, 4* in which business they find it surprising that you do not run with them into the same inundation of debauchery, and they vilify you; 5 but they shall account for it to him who is in readiness to judge living and dead. 6 For it was for this that even dead men had the gospel preached to them, that they might be judged men’s way in flesh, but live God’s way in spirit.

7 But the end of everything is almost here; so be sane, and keep sober for prayers, 8 above all having your love to each other ardent, because love covers a multitude of sins; 9 hospitable toward each other without grumbling; 10 as each has received a grant, giving each other the benefit of it as good stewards of God’s diversified grace: 11 if one speaks, speaking as communications of God; if one renders services, doing it as out of strength that God furnishes; that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong glory and might forever and ever—amen.

12 Dear friends, do not be taken by surprise at the fiery ordeal among you coming upon you for a test, as if a surprising thing were happening to you, 13 but, insofar as you are solidary with the Christ’s sufferings, be glad, that at the manifestation of his glory too you may exultantly be glad. 14 If you are twitted with Christ’s name, happy are you, because the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God, is resting on you. 15 For let no one of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or a doer of any harm, or as an intruder into other people’s concerns; 16 but if it is as a Christian let him not be ashamed, but glorify God for that name— 17 because it is time for judgment to begin with the house of God; and if it begins first with you, what is to be the end of those who disobey God’s gospel? 18 and if the honest man barely gets through, where will the impious sinner appear? 19 Hence let those also who suffer according to God’s will commit their souls in right-doing to a faithful Creator.

5 So I exhort elders among you, I a fellow-elder and a witness to the Christ’s sufferings, a sharer too in the glory that is to be disclosed,— 2* shepherd God’s flock that you have among you, not as a matter of compulsion, but willingly, God’s way; not mercenarily, but enthusiastically; 3 and not as lording it over the parishes, but setting an example to the flock; 4 and when the Head Shepherd makes his appearance you shall obtain the amaranth-wreath of glory. 5* Likewise, juniors, be submissive to elders; and all of you wear toward each other the livery of humility, because “God sets himself against the proud but gives grace to the lowly.”

6 So humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand that he may uplift you in due time, 7 throwing all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 8 Keep sober; keep awake. Your antagonist the Devil is walking around, like a roaring lion, looking for somebody to swallow down; 9 stand firm against him, solid in faith, knowing that the same series of sufferings is being gone through by your brotherhood in the world. 10** And the God of all grace, he who in Christ called you to his eternal glory, will himself, after you have suffered a little while, look after your soundness, firmness, strength, foundation. 11 To him belongs might forever and ever—amen.

12* By Silvanus, our faithful brother as I reckon him to be, I write you these few words to exhort you and testify to you that this is the veritable grace of God, in which stand firm. 13 Your sister in election at Babylon sends greetings, and my son Mark. 14 Give my greetings to each other with a kiss of love. Peace to you all, all that are in Christ.

MARGINAL NOTES TO FIRST PETER