1 Peter 1

¹Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To [the] elect who are exiles of [the] Dispersion [throughout] Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, [chosen]

²according to [the] foreknowledge of God [the] Father [and] sanctified by [the] Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by [His] blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

³Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy [He] has given us new birth into a living hope through [the] resurrection of Jesus Christ from [the] dead,

⁴[and] into an inheritance [that is] imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,

⁵who through faith [are] shielded by God’s power for [the] salvation [that is] ready to be revealed in [the] last time.

⁶In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials

⁷so that the proven character of your faith — more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire — may result in praise, glory, and honor at [the] revelation of Jesus Christ.

⁸[Though] you have not seen [Him], you love [Him]; [and though] you do not see [Him] now, you believe in [Him] and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy,

⁹[now that] you are receiving the goal of your faith, [the] salvation of [your] souls.

¹⁰Concerning this salvation, [the] prophets who foretold the grace to come to you searched and investigated carefully,

¹¹trying to determine the time and setting to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.

¹²It was revealed to [them] that they were not serving themselves, but you, [when they foretold] the things now announced by those who preached the gospel to you by [the] Holy Spirit sent from heaven. [Even] angels long to look into [these things].

¹³Therefore prepare your minds {for action}. Be sober-minded. Set [your] hope fully on the grace to be given you at [the] revelation of Jesus Christ.

¹⁴As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance.

¹⁵But just as He who called you [is] holy, so be holy in all you do,

¹⁶for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

¹⁷Since you call on [a] Father who judges each one’s work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay as foreigners.

¹⁸[For] you know that it was not with perishable things [such as] silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,

¹⁹but with [the] precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish [or] spot.

²⁰He was known before [the] foundation of [the] world, but was revealed in the last times for your sake.

²¹Through Him [you] believe in God, who raised Him from [the] dead and glorified Him; and so your faith and hope are in God.

²²[Since] you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.

²³For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through [the] living and enduring word of God.

²⁴For, “All flesh [is] like grass, and all its glory like [the] flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall,

²⁵but the word of [the] Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was proclaimed to you.