1 Peter 1-5

New International Reader's Version

1 I, Peter, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Jesus Christ.

I am sending this letter to you, God’s chosen people. You are people who have had to wander in the world. You are scattered all over the areas of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. ² You have been chosen in keeping with what God the Father had planned. That happened through the Spirit’s work to make you pure and holy. God chose you so that you might obey Jesus Christ. God wanted you to be in a covenant relationship with him. He established this relationship by the blood of Christ.

May more and more grace and peace be given to you.

Peter Praises God for a Living Hope

³ Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us a new birth and a living hope. This hope is living because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. ⁴ He has given us new birth so that we might share in what belongs to him. This is a gift that can never be destroyed. It can never spoil or even fade away. It is kept in heaven for you. ⁵ Through faith you are kept safe by God’s power. Your salvation is going to be completed. It is ready to be shown to you in the last days. ⁶ Because you know all this, you have great joy. You have joy even though you may have had to suffer for a little while. You may have had to suffer sadness in all kinds of trouble. ⁷ Your troubles have come in order to prove that your faith is real. Your faith is worth more than gold. That’s because gold can pass away even when fire has made it pure. Your faith is meant to bring praise, honor and glory to God. This will happen when Jesus Christ returns. ⁸ Even though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not see him now, you believe in him. You are filled with a glorious joy that can’t be put into words. ⁹ You are receiving the salvation of your souls. This salvation is the final result of your faith.

¹⁰ The prophets searched very hard and with great care to find out about this salvation. They spoke about the grace that was going to come to you. ¹¹ They wanted to find out when and how this salvation would come. The Spirit of Christ in them was telling them about the sufferings of the Messiah. These were his sufferings that were going to come. The Spirit of Christ was also telling them about the glory that would follow. ¹² It was made known to the prophets that they were not serving themselves. Instead, they were serving you when they spoke about the things that you have now heard. Those who have preached the good news to you have told you these things. They have done it with the help of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Be Holy

¹³ So be watchful, and control yourselves completely. In this way, put your hope in the grace that lies ahead. This grace will be brought to you when Jesus Christ returns. ¹⁴ You should obey your Father. You shouldn’t give in to evil desires. They controlled your life when you didn’t know any better. ¹⁵ The God who chose you is holy. So you should be holy in all that you do. ¹⁶ It is written, “Be holy, because I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44,45; 19:2)

¹⁷ You call on a Father who judges each person’s work without favoring one over another. So live as outsiders during your time here. Live with the highest respect for God. ¹⁸ You were set free from an empty way of life. This way of life was handed down to you by your own people of long ago. You know that you were not bought with things that can pass away, like silver or gold. ¹⁹ Instead, you were bought with the priceless blood of Christ. He is a perfect lamb. He doesn’t have any flaws at all. ²⁰ He was chosen before God created the world. But he came into the world for your sake in these last days. ²¹ Because of what Christ has done, you believe in God. It was God who raised him from the dead. And it was God who gave him glory. So your faith and hope are in God.

²² You have made yourselves pure by obeying the truth. So you have an honest and true love for each other. So love one another deeply, from your hearts. ²³ You have been born again by means of the living word of God. His word lasts forever. You were not born again from a seed that will die. You were born from a seed that can’t die. ²⁴ It is written,

And this is the word that was preached to you.

2 So get rid of every kind of evil, and stop telling lies. Don’t pretend to be something you are not. Stop wanting what others have, and don’t speak against one another. ² Like newborn babies, you should long for the pure milk of God’s word. It will help you grow up as believers. ³ You can do this now that you have tasted how good the Lord is.

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

⁴ Christ is the living Stone. People did not accept him, but God chose him. God places the highest value on him. ⁵ You also are like living stones. As you come to Christ, you are being built into a house for worship. There you will be holy priests. You will offer spiritual sacrifices. God will accept them because of what Jesus Christ has done. ⁶ In Scripture it says,

⁷ This stone is very valuable to you who believe. But to people who do not believe,

⁸ And,

They trip and fall because they do not obey the message. That is also what God planned for them.

⁹ But God chose you to be his people. You are royal priests. You are a holy nation. You are God’s special treasure. You are all these things so that you can give him praise. God brought you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once 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.

Living Godly Lives Among People Who Don’t Believe

¹¹ Dear friends, you are outsiders and those who wander in this world. So I’m asking you not to give in to your sinful desires. They fight against your soul. ¹² People who don’t believe might say you are doing wrong. But lead good lives among them. Then they will see your good deeds. And they will give glory to God on the day he comes to judge.

¹³ Follow the lead of every human authority. Do this for the Lord’s sake. Obey the emperor. He is the highest authority. ¹⁴ Obey the governors. The emperor sends them to punish those who do wrong. He also sends them to praise those who do right. ¹⁵ By doing good you will put a stop to the talk of foolish people. They don’t know what they are saying. ¹⁶ Live as free people. But don’t use your freedom to cover up evil. Live as people who are God’s slaves. ¹⁷ Show proper respect to everyone. Love the family of believers. Have respect for God. Honor the emperor.

¹⁸ Slaves, obey your masters out of deep respect for God. Obey not only those who are good and kind. Obey also those who are not kind. ¹⁹ Suppose a person suffers pain unfairly because they want to obey God. This is worthy of praise. ²⁰ But suppose you receive a beating for doing wrong, and you put up with it. Will anyone honor you for this? Of course not. But suppose you suffer for doing good, and you put up with it. God will praise you for this. ²¹ You were chosen to do good even if you suffer. That’s because Christ suffered for you. He left you an example that he expects you to follow. ²² Scripture says,

²³ People shouted at him and made fun of him. But he didn’t do the same thing back to them. When he suffered, he didn’t say he would make them suffer. Instead, he trusted in the God who judges fairly. ²⁴ “He himself carried our sins” in his body on the cross. (Isaiah 53:5) He did it so that we would die as far as sins are concerned. Then we would lead godly lives. “His wounds have healed you.” (Isaiah 53:5) ²⁵ “You were like sheep wandering away.” (Isaiah 53:6) But now you have returned to the Shepherd. He is the one who watches over your souls.

3 Wives, follow the lead of your own husbands. Suppose some of them don’t believe God’s word. Then let them be won to Christ without words by seeing how their wives behave. ² Let them see how pure you are. Let them see that your lives are full of respect for God. ³ Fancy hairstyles don’t make you beautiful. Wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes doesn’t make you beautiful. ⁴ Instead, your beauty comes from inside you. It is the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Beauty like this doesn’t fade away. God places great value on it. ⁵ This is how the holy women of the past used to make themselves beautiful. They put their hope in God. And they followed the lead of their own husbands. ⁶ Sarah was like that. She obeyed Abraham. She called him her master. Do you want to be like her? Then do what is right. And don’t give in to fear.

⁷ Husbands, consider the needs of your wives. They are weaker than you. So treat them with respect. Honor them as those who will share with you the gracious gift of life. Then nothing will stand in the way of your prayers.

Suffering for Doing Good

⁸ Finally, I want all of you to agree with one another. Be understanding. Love one another. Be kind and tender. Be humble. ⁹ Don’t pay back evil with evil. Don’t pay back unkind words with unkind words. Instead, pay back evil with kind words. This is what you have been chosen to do. You will receive a blessing by doing this. ¹⁰ Scripture says,

¹³ Who is going to hurt you if you really want to do good? ¹⁴ But suppose you do suffer for doing what is right. Even then you will be blessed. Scripture says, “Don’t fear what others say they will do to hurt you. Don’t be afraid.” (Isaiah 8:12) ¹⁵ But make sure that in your hearts you honor Christ as Lord. Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you about the hope you have. Be ready to give the reason for it. But do it gently and with respect. ¹⁶ Live so that you don’t have to feel you’ve done anything wrong. Some people may say evil things about your good conduct as believers in Christ. If they do, they will be put to shame for speaking like this about you. ¹⁷ God may want you to suffer for doing good. That’s better than suffering for doing evil. ¹⁸ Christ also suffered once for sins. The one who did what is right suffered for those who don’t do right. He suffered to bring you to God. His body was put to death. But the Holy Spirit brought him back to life. ¹⁹ After that, Christ went and made an announcement to the spirits in prison. ²⁰ Long ago these spirits did not obey. That was when God was patient while Noah was building the ark. And only a few people went into the ark. In fact, there were only eight. Those eight people were saved through water. ²¹ The water of the flood is a picture. It is a picture of the baptism that now saves you too. This baptism has nothing to do with removing dirt from your body. Instead, it promises God that you will keep a clear sense of right and wrong. This baptism saves you by the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. ²² He has gone into heaven. He is at God’s right hand. Angels, authorities and powers are under his control.

Living for God

4 Christ suffered in his body. So prepare yourselves to think in the same way Christ did. Do this because whoever suffers in their body is finished with sin. ² As a result, they don’t live the rest of their earthly life for evil human desires. Instead, they live to do what God wants. ³ You have spent enough time in the past doing what ungodly people choose to do. You lived a wild life. You longed for evil things. You got drunk. You went to wild parties. You worshiped statues of gods, which the Lord hates. ⁴ Ungodly people are surprised that you no longer join them in what they do. They want you to join them in their wild and wasteful living. So they say bad things about you. ⁵ But they will have to explain their actions to God. He is ready to judge those who are alive and those who are dead. ⁶ That’s why the good news was preached even to people who are now dead. It was preached to them for two reasons. It was preached so that their bodies might be judged. This judgment is made by human standards. But the good news was also preached so that their spirits might live. This life comes by means of God’s power.

⁷ The end of all things is near. So be watchful and control yourselves. Then you may pray. ⁸ Most of all, love one another deeply. Love erases many sins by forgiving them. ⁹ Welcome others into your homes without complaining. ¹⁰ God’s gifts of grace come in many forms. Each of you has received a gift in order to serve others. You should use it faithfully. ¹¹ If anyone speaks, they should do it as one speaking God’s words. If anyone serves, they should do it with the strength God provides. Then in all things God will be praised through Jesus Christ. Glory and power belong to him for ever and ever. Amen.

Suffering for Being a Christian

¹² Dear friends, don’t be surprised by the terrible things happening to you. The trouble you are having has come to test you. So don’t feel as if something strange were happening to you. ¹³ Instead, be joyful that you are taking part in Christ’s sufferings. Then you will have even more joy when Christ returns in glory. ¹⁴ Suppose people say bad things about you because you believe in Christ. Then you are blessed, because God’s Spirit rests on you. He is the Spirit of glory. ¹⁵ If you suffer, it shouldn’t be because you are a murderer. It shouldn’t be because you are a thief or someone who does evil things. It shouldn’t be because you interfere with other people’s business. ¹⁶ But suppose you suffer for being a Christian. Then don’t be ashamed. Instead, praise God because you are known by the name of Christ. ¹⁷ It is time for judgment to begin with the household of God. And since it begins with us, what will happen to people who don’t obey God’s good news? ¹⁸ Scripture says,

¹⁹ Here is what people who suffer because of God’s plan should do. They should commit themselves to their faithful Creator. And they should continue to do good.

To Older and Younger Believers

5 I’m speaking to the elders among you. I was a witness of Christ’s sufferings. And I will also share in the glory that is going to come. I’m making my appeal to you as one who is an elder together with you. ² Be shepherds of God’s flock, the believers under your care. Watch over them, though not because you have to. Instead, do it because you want to. That’s what God wants you to do. Don’t do it because you want to get money in dishonest ways. Do it because you really want to serve. ³ Don’t act as if you were a ruler over those under your care. Instead, be examples to the flock. ⁴ The Chief Shepherd will come again. Then you will receive the crown of glory. It is a crown that will never fade away.

⁵ In the same way, I’m speaking to you who are younger. Follow the lead of those who are older. All of you, put on a spirit free of pride toward one another. Put it on as if it were your clothes. Do this because Scripture says,

⁶ So make yourselves humble. Put yourselves under God’s mighty hand. Then he will honor you at the right time. ⁷ Turn all your worries over to him. He cares about you.

⁸ Be watchful and control yourselves. Your enemy the devil is like a roaring lion. He prowls around looking for someone to swallow up. ⁹ Stand up to him. Remain strong in what you believe. You know that you are not alone in your suffering. The family of believers throughout the world is going through the same thing.

¹⁰ God always gives you all the grace you need. So you will only have to suffer for a little while. Then God himself will build you up again. He will make you strong and steady. And he has chosen you to share in his eternal glory because you belong to Christ. ¹¹ Give him the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Final Greetings

¹² I consider Silas to be a faithful brother. With his help I have written you this short letter. I have written it to encourage you. And I have written to speak the truth about the true grace of God. Remain strong in it.

¹³ The members of the church in Babylon send you their greetings. They were chosen together with you. Mark, my son in the faith, also sends you his greetings.

¹⁴ Greet each other with a kiss of friendship.

May God give peace to all of you who believe in Christ.