1 Peter — Legacy Standard Bible

A Living Hope

1^aPeter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as ^bexiles, ^cscattered throughout ^dPontus, ^eGalatia, ^fCappadocia, ^gAsia, and ^hBithynia, who are chosen ²according to the ^aforeknowledge of God the Father, ^bby the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to the ^cobedience of Jesus Christ and the ^dsprinkling of His blood: ^eMay grace and peace be multiplied to you.

³^aBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who ^baccording to His great mercy ^chas caused us to be born again to ^da living hope through the ^eresurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴to obtain an ^ainheritance incorruptible and undefiled and ^bunfading, having been ^ckept in heaven for you, ⁵who are ^aprotected by the power of God ^bthrough faith for ^ca salvation ready ^dto be revealed in the last time. ⁶^aIn this you greatly rejoice, even though now ^bfor a little while, ^cif necessary, you have been grieved by ^dvarious ¹trials, ⁷so that the ¹^,^aproof of your faith, being more precious than gold which ²is perishable, ^beven though tested by fire, ^cmay be found to result in praise and glory and honor at ^dthe revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸And ^athough you have not seen Him, you ^blove Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and ¹full of glory, ⁹receiving as ^athe outcome of your faith the salvation of ¹your souls.

¹⁰^aConcerning this salvation, the prophets, who ^bprophesied of the ^cgrace that would come to you, made careful searches and inquiries, ¹¹¹inquiring to know what time or what kind of time ^athe Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He was ^bpredicting the sufferings of Christ and the glories ²to follow. ¹²It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been declared to you through those who ^aproclaimed the gospel to you by ^bthe Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which ^cangels long to ¹look.

¹³Therefore, having ¹^,^agirded your minds for action, ²^,^bbeing sober in spirit, fix your ^chope completely on the ^dgrace ³to be brought to you at ^ethe revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴As ¹^,^aobedient children, not ²^,^bbeing conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ^cignorance, ¹⁵but ¹^,^alike the Holy One who called you, ²^,^bbe holy yourselves also ^cin all your conduct; ¹⁶because it is written, “^aYou shall be holy, for I am holy.”

¹⁷And if you ^aaddress as Father the One who ^bimpartially ^cjudges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves ¹^,^din fear during the time of your ^esojourn, ¹⁸knowing that you were not ¹^,^aredeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your ^bfutile conduct inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹but with precious ^ablood, as of a ^blamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. ²⁰He was ^aforeknown before ^bthe foundation of the world, but ^cappeared ¹in these last times ^dfor the sake of you ²¹who through Him are ^abelievers in God, who raised Him from the dead and ^bgave Him glory, so that your faith and ^chope are in God.

²²Since you have ^ain obedience to the truth ^bpurified your souls for a love of the brothers ^cwithout hypocrisy, fervently love one another from ¹the heart, ²³for you have been ^aborn again ^bnot of corruptible seed but incorruptible, that is, through the living and enduring ^cword of God. ²⁴For, “^aAll flesh is like grass,And all its glory like the flower of grass.The grass withers,And the flower falls off,

²⁵^aBut the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is ^bthe word which was ¹proclaimed to you as good news.

As Living Stones, God’s Chosen Family

2Therefore, ^alaying aside all ¹malice and all deceit and ²hypocrisy and ³envy and all ⁴^,^bslander, ²^alike newborn babies, long for the ¹^,^bpure ²milk of the word, so that by it you may ^cgrow ³in respect to salvation, ³if you have ^atasted ¹^,^bthe kindness of the ²Lord.

⁴And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been ^arejected by men, but is ¹choice and precious in the sight of God, ⁵^ayou also, as living stones, ¹are being built up as a ^bspiritual house for a holy ^cpriesthood, to ^doffer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶For this is contained in ¹Scripture: “^aBehold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a ^bprecious corner stone,And he who believes upon ²Him will not be put to shame.”

⁷^aThis precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “^bThe stone which the builders ^crejected,This has become the chief corner stone,”

⁸and, “^aA stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” ^bThey stumble because they are disobedient to the word, ^cand to this stumbling they were also appointed.

⁹But you are ^aa chosen family, a royal ^bpriesthood, a ^choly nation, ^da people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you ^eout of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰^afor 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^aBeloved, ^bI urge you as ^csojourners and exiles to abstain from ^dfleshly lusts which wage ^ewar against the soul, ¹²^aby keeping your conduct excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing which they ^bslander you as evildoers, they may ¹because of your good works, as they observe them, ^cglorify God ^din the day of ²visitation.

Be Subject to Authority

¹³^aBe subject for the sake of the Lord to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, ¹⁴or to governors as sent ¹by him ^afor the punishment of evildoers and the ^bpraise of those who do good. ¹⁵For ¹^,^asuch is the will of God that by doing good you may ^bsilence the ignorance of foolish men. ¹⁶Act as ^afree people, and ¹do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as ^bslaves of God. ¹⁷^aHonor all people, ^blove the ¹brethren, ^cfear God, ^dhonor the ²king.

¹⁸^aServants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to those who are good and ^bconsiderate, but also to those who are ¹crooked. ¹⁹For this finds ¹favor, if for the sake of ^aconscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unrighteously. ²⁰For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure? But if ^awhen you do good and suffer for it, you endure, this finds favor with God.

Christ, Our Example

²¹For to this ^ayou have been called, ^bsince Christ also suffered for you, leaving you ^can example that you should follow in His steps, ²²who ^adid no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; ²³who being ^areviled, was not reviling in return; while suffering, He was uttering no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously. ²⁴Who Himself ¹^,^abore our sins in His body on the ^btree, so that ^chaving died to ²sin, we might live to righteousness; ^dby His ³wounds you were ^ehealed. ²⁵For you were ^acontinually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the ^bShepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Wives and Husbands

3^aIn the same way, you wives, ^bbe subject to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be ^cwon without a word by the conduct of their wives, ²as they observe your pure conduct with fear. ³^aYour adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on garments; ⁴but let it be ^athe hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible quality of a lowly and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. ⁵For in this way in former times the holy women also, ^awho hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being subject to their own husbands, ⁶just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, ^acalling him lord. You have become her children if you do good, ¹^,^bnot fearing any intimidation.

⁷^aYou husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker ^bvessel, 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.

⁸¹Now to sum up, ^aall of you be like-minded, sympathetic, ^bbrotherly, ^ctender-hearted, and ^dhumble in spirit; ⁹^anot returning evil for evil or ^breviling for reviling, but ¹giving a ^cblessing instead, for ^dyou were called for the very purpose that you might ^einherit a blessing. ¹⁰For, “^aThe one who desires life, to love and see good days,Must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.

¹¹“^aHe must turn away from evil and do good;He must seek peace and pursue it.¹²“^aFor the eyes of the ¹Lord are toward the righteous,And His ears attend to their prayer,But the face of the ²Lord is against those who do evil.”

Suffering for Righteousness

¹³^aAnd who is ¹there to ²harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? ¹⁴But even if you should ^asuffer for the sake of righteousness, ^byou ¹are blessed. ^cAnd do not fear their fear, and do not be troubled, ¹⁵but ¹sanctify ^aChrist as Lord in your hearts, always being ready ^bto make ²a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the ^chope that is in you, yet ^dwith gentleness and ^efear, ¹⁶having a ^agood conscience so that in the thing in which ^byou are slandered, those who disparage your good conduct in Christ will be put to shame. ¹⁷For ^ait is better, ^bif ¹God should will it so, that you suffer for doing good rather than for doing wrong. ¹⁸For ^aChrist also suffered for sins ^bonce for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might ^cbring you to God, having been put to death ^din the flesh, but made alive ^ein the ¹spirit; ¹⁹in ¹which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, ²⁰who once were disobedient, when the ^apatience of God ^bkept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of ^cthe ark, in which a few, that is, ^deight ^epersons, were brought safely through the ¹water. ²¹^aCorresponding to that, baptism now saves you—^bnot the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal ¹of a ^cgood conscience to God—through ^dthe resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²²^awho is at the right hand of God, ^bhaving gone into heaven, ^cafter angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.

Keep Fervent in Your Love

4Therefore, since ^aChrist has ¹suffered in the flesh, ^barm yourselves also with the same purpose—because ^che who has ²suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin— ²^aso as to no longer live ^bthe rest of the time in the flesh for the lusts of men, but for the ^cwill of God. ³For ^athe time already past is sufficient for you to have worked out the desire of the Gentiles, ¹^,^bhaving pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties, and ²abominable idolatries. ⁴In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of ^adissipation, ^bmaligning you, ⁵but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge ^athe living and the dead. ⁶For to this ^athe gospel has been ¹proclaimed even to those who are now dead, so that though they were judged in the flesh as men, they live in the spirit according to the will of God.

⁷^aThe end of all things is at hand; therefore, ^bbe of sound thinking and sober spirit for the purpose of ¹prayer. ⁸Above all, ^akeep fervent in your love for one another, because ^blove covers a multitude of sins. ⁹^aBe hospitable to one another without ^bgrumbling. ¹⁰^aAs each one has received a gift, employ it in serving one another as good ^bstewards of the manifold grace of God— ¹¹^awhoever speaks, ¹as one speaking the ^boracles of God; whoever serves, as one serving ²^,^cby the strength which God supplies; so that ^din all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, ^eto whom belongs the glory and might forever and ever. Amen.

Sharing the Suffering of Christ

¹²^aBeloved, do not be surprised at the ^bfiery trial among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you. ¹³But to the degree you are ^asharing the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the ^brevelation of His glory ^cyou may rejoice with exultation. ¹⁴If you are insulted ¹^,^afor the name of Christ, ^byou are blessed, ^cbecause the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. ¹⁵Make sure that ^anone of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a ¹^,^btroublesome meddler; ¹⁶but if anyone suffers as a ^aChristian, he is not to be put to shame, but is to ^bglorify God in this name. ¹⁷For it is time for judgment ^ato begin ¹with ^bthe house of God; and if it ^cbegins with us first, what will be the outcome for those ^dwho do not obey the ^egospel of God? ¹⁸^aAnd if it is with difficulty that the righteous is saved, ¹what will become of the ^bgodless man and the sinner? ¹⁹Therefore, those also who suffer according to ^athe will of God must entrust their souls to a faithful Creator in doing good.

Shepherd the Flock of God

5^aTherefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your ^bfellow elder and ^cwitness of the sufferings of Christ, and a ^dpartaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, ²shepherd ^athe flock of God among you, overseeing ^bnot under compulsion, but willingly, according to God; and ^cnot for dishonest gain, but with eagerness; ³nor yet as ^alording it over ¹those allotted to you, but being ^bexamples to the flock. ⁴And when the Chief ^aShepherd appears, you will receive the ^bunfading ¹^,^ccrown of glory. ⁵^aYou younger men, likewise, ^bbe subject to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with ^chumility toward one another, for ^dGod is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

⁶Therefore ^ahumble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, ⁷^acasting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. ⁸^aBe of sober spirit, ^bbe watchful. Your adversary, ^cthe devil, prowls around like a roaring ^dlion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹¹^,^aBut resist him, ^bfirm in the faith, knowing that ^cthe same experiences of suffering are being accomplished among your ²brethren who are in the world. ¹⁰And after you have suffered ^afor a little while, the ^bGod of all grace, who ^ccalled you to His ^deternal glory in Christ, will Himself ^erestore, ^fstrengthen, confirm, and ground you. ¹¹^aTo Him be might forever and ever. Amen.

¹²Through ^aSilvanus, our faithful brother as I regard him, ^bI have written to you briefly, exhorting and bearing witness that this is ^cthe true grace of God. ^dStand firm in it! ¹³She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, sends you greetings, and so does my son, ^aMark. ¹⁴^aGreet one another with a kiss of love. ^bPeace be to you all who are in Christ.