1 Peter 1-3

New American Standard Bible

A Living Hope and a Sure Salvation

1 ^(A)Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who reside as ^(B)strangers, ^(C)scattered throughout ^(D)Pontus, ^(E)Galatia, ^(F)Cappadocia, ^(G)Asia, and ^(H)Bithynia, ^(I)who are chosen ²according to the ^(J)foreknowledge of God the Father, ^(K)by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, ^[a]to ^(L)obey Jesus Christ and be ^(M)sprinkled with His blood: ^(N)May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

³^(O)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who ^(P)according to His great mercy ^(Q)has caused us to be born again to ^(R)a living hope through the ^(S)resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴to obtain an ^(T)inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and ^(U)will not fade away, ^(V)reserved in heaven for you, ⁵who are ^(W)protected by the power of God ^(X)through faith for ^(Y)a salvation ready ^(Z)to be revealed in the last time. ⁶^(AA)In this you greatly rejoice, even though now ^(AB)for a little while, ^(AC)if necessary, you have been distressed by ^(AD)various ^[b]trials, ⁷so that the ^[c]^(AE)proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which perishes ^(AF)though tested by fire, ^(AG)may be found to result in praise, glory, and honor at ^(AH)the revelation of Jesus Christ; ⁸and ^(AI)though you have not seen Him, you ^(AJ)love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and ^[d]full of glory, ⁹obtaining as ^(AK)the outcome of your faith, the salvation of ^[e]your souls.

¹⁰^(AL)As to this salvation, the prophets who ^(AM)prophesied of the ^(AN)grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, ¹¹^[f]seeking to know what person or time ^(AO)the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He ^(AP)predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories ^[g]to follow. ¹²It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who ^(AQ)preached the gospel to you by ^(AR)the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which ^(AS)angels long to ^[h]look.

¹³Therefore, ^[i]^(AT)prepare your minds for action, ^[j]^(AU)keep sober in spirit, set your ^(AV)hope completely on the ^(AW)grace to be brought to you at ^(AX)the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴As ^[k]^(AY)obedient children, do not ^[l]^(AZ)be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ^(BA)ignorance, ¹⁵but ^[m]^(BB)like the Holy One who called you, ^[n]^(BC)be holy yourselves also ^(BD)in all your behavior; ¹⁶because it is written: “^(BE)You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

¹⁷If you ^(BF)address as Father the One who ^(BG)impartially ^(BH)judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves ^(BI)in fear during the time of your ^(BJ)stay on earth; ¹⁸knowing that you were not ^[o]^(BK)redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your ^(BL)futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹but with precious ^(BM)blood, as of a ^(BN)lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. ²⁰For He was ^(BO)foreknown before ^(BP)the foundation of the world, but has ^(BQ)appeared ^[p]in these last times ^(BR)for the sake of you ²¹who through Him are ^(BS)believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and ^(BT)gave Him glory, so that your faith and ^(BU)hope are in God.

²²Since you have ^(BV)purified your souls ^(BW)in obedience to the truth for a ^(BX)sincere love of the brothers and sisters, fervently love one another from ^[q]the heart, ²³for you have been ^(BY)born again ^(BZ)not of seed which is perishable, but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring ^(CA)word of God. ²⁴For,

“^(CB)All flesh is like grass,
And all its glory is like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
And the flower falls off,
²⁵^(CC)But the word of the Lord endures forever.”

And this is ^(CD)the word which was ^[r]preached to you.

As Newborn Babes

2 Therefore, ^(CE)rid yourselves of all ^[s]malice and all deceit and ^[t]hypocrisy and ^[u]envy and all ^[v]^(CF)slander, ²^(CG)and like newborn babies, long for the ^[w]^(CH)pure ^[x]milk of the word, so that by it you may ^(CI)grow ^[y]in respect to salvation, ³if you have ^(CJ)tasted ^[z]^(CK)the kindness of the Lord.

As Living Stones

⁴And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been ^(CL)rejected by people, but is ^[aa]choice and precious in the sight of God, ⁵^(CM)you also, as living stones, ^[ab]are being built up as a ^(CN)spiritual house for a holy ^(CO)priesthood, to ^(CP)offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶For this is contained in ^[ac]Scripture:

“^(CQ)Behold, I am laying in Zion a choice stone, a ^(CR)precious cornerstone,
And the one who believes in ^[ad]Him will not be ^[ae]put to shame.”

⁷^(CS)This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for unbelievers,

“^(CT)A stone which the builders ^(CU)rejected,
This became the ^[af]chief cornerstone,”

⁸and,

“^(CV)A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”;

^(CW)for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, ^(CX)and to this they were also appointed.

⁹But you are ^(CY)a chosen people, a royal ^(CZ)priesthood, a ^(DA)holy nation, ^(DB)a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you ^(DC)out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰^(DD)for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹^(DE)Beloved, ^(DF)I urge you as ^(DG)foreigners and strangers to abstain from ^(DH)fleshly lusts, which wage ^(DI)war against the soul. ¹²^(DJ)Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they ^(DK)slander you as evildoers, they may ^[ag]because of your good deeds, as they observe them, ^(DL)glorify God ^(DM)on the day of ^[ah]visitation.

Honor Authority

¹³^(DN)Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, ¹⁴or to governors as sent ^[ai]by him ^(DO)for the punishment of evildoers and the ^(DP)praise of those who do right. ¹⁵For ^[aj]^(DQ)such is the will of God, that by doing right you ^(DR)silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶Act as ^(DS)free people, and ^[ak]do not use your freedom as a ^[al]covering for evil, but use it as ^(DT)bond-servants of God. ¹⁷^(DU)Honor all people, ^(DV)love the brotherhood, ^(DW)fear God, ^(DX)honor the ^[am]king.

¹⁸^(DY)Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and ^(DZ)gentle, but also to those who are ^[an]harsh. ¹⁹For this finds favor, if for the sake of ^(EA)conscience toward God a person endures ^[ao]grief when suffering unjustly. ²⁰For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if ^(EB)when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

Christ Is Our Example

²¹For ^(EC)you have been called for this purpose, ^(ED)because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you ^(EE)an example, so that you would follow in His steps, ²²He who ^(EF)committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; ²³^[ap]and while being ^(EG)abusively insulted, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He did not threaten, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; ²⁴and He Himself ^[aq]^(EH)brought our sins in His body up on the ^[ar]^(EI)cross, so that we ^(EJ)might die to ^[as]sin and live for righteousness; ^(EK)by His ^[at]wounds you were ^(EL)healed. ²⁵For you were ^(EM)continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the ^(EN)Shepherd and ^[au]Guardian of your souls.

Godly Living

3 ^(EO)In the same way, you wives, ^(EP)be subject to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be ^(EQ)won over without a word by the behavior of their wives, ²as they observe your pure ^[av]and respectful behavior. ³^(ER)Your adornment must not be merely the external—braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or putting on apparel; ⁴but it should be ^(ES)the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. ⁵For in this way the holy women of former times, ^(ET)who hoped in God, also used to adorn themselves, being subject to their own husbands, ⁶just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, ^(EU)calling him lord; and you have proved to be her children if you do what is right ^[aw]^(EV)without being frightened by any fear.

⁷^(EW)You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with ^[ax]^(EX)someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

⁸^[ay]To sum up, ^(EY)all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, ^[az]^(EZ)loving, ^(FA)compassionate, and ^(FB)humble; ⁹^(FC)not returning evil for evil or ^(FD)insult for insult, but giving a ^(FE)blessing instead; for ^(FF)you were called for the very purpose that you would ^(FG)inherit a blessing. ¹⁰For,

“^(FH)The one who desires life, to love and see good days,
Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.
¹¹^(FI)He must turn away from evil and do good;
He must seek peace and pursue it.
¹²^(FJ)For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous,
And His ears attend to their prayer,
But the face of the Lord is against evildoers.”

¹³^(FK)And who is ^[ba]there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? ¹⁴But even if you should ^(FL)suffer for the sake of righteousness, ^(FM)you ^[bb]are blessed. ^(FN)And do not fear their ^[bc]intimidation, and do not be in dread, ¹⁵but ^[bd]sanctify ^(FO)Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready ^(FP)to make a ^[be]defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the ^(FQ)hope that is in you, but ^(FR)with gentleness and ^(FS)respect; ¹⁶^[bf]and keep a ^(FT)good conscience so that in the thing in which ^(FU)you are slandered, those who disparage your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. ¹⁷For ^(FV)it is better, ^(FW)if ^[bg]God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. ¹⁸For ^(FX)Christ also ^[bh]suffered for sins ^(FY)once for all time, the just for the unjust, so that He might ^(FZ)bring us to God, having been put to death ^(GA)in the flesh, but made alive ^(GB)in the ^[bi]spirit; ¹⁹in ^[bj]which He also went and made proclamation to the spirits in prison, ²⁰who once were disobedient when the ^(GC)patience of God ^(GD)kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of ^(GE)the ark, in which a few, that is, ^(GF)eight ^(GG)persons, were brought safely through the water. ²¹^(GH)Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—^(GI)not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God ^[bk]for a ^(GJ)good conscience—through ^(GK)the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²²^(GL)who is at the right hand of God, ^(GM)having gone into heaven, ^(GN)after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.