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1 Peter Contemporary English Version (CEV)
chapter 1
1From Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.
To God's people who are scattered like foreigners in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.
2God the Father decided to choose you as his people, and his Spirit has made you holy. You have obeyed
Jesus Christ and are sprinkled with his blood. I pray that God will be kind to you and will keep on giving you
peace!
A Real Reason for Hope
3Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has
given us new life and a hope that lives on. 4God has something stored up for you in heaven, where it will
never decay or be ruined or disappear.
5You have faith in God, whose power will protect you until the last day. Then he will save you, just as he has
always planned to do. 6On that day you will be glad, even if you have to go through many hard trials for a
while. 7Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is
worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and
glory when Jesus Christ returns. 8You have never seen Jesus, and you don't see him now. But still you love
him and have faith in him, and no words can tell how glad and happy 9you are to be saved. That's why you
have faith.
10Some prophets told how kind God would be to you, and they searched hard to find out more about the way
you would be saved. 11The Spirit of Christ was in them and was telling them how Christ would suffer and
would then be given great honor. So they searched to find out exactly who Christ would be and when this
would happen. 12But they were told that they were serving you and not themselves. They preached to you
by the power of the Holy Spirit, who was sent from heaven. And their message was only for you, even though
angels would like to know more about it.
Chosen To Live a Holy Life
13Be alert and think straight. Put all your hope in how kind God will be to you when Jesus Christ appears.
14Behave like obedient children. Don't let your lives be controlled by your desires, as they used to be.
15Always live as God's holy people should, because God is the one who chose you, and he is holy. 16That's
why the Scriptures say, "I am the holy God, and you must be holy too."
17You say that God is your Father, but God doesn't have favorites! He judges all people by what they do. So
you must honor God while you live as strangers here on earth. 18You were rescued from the useless way of
life that you learned from your ancestors. But you know that you were not rescued by such things as silver or
gold that don't last forever. 19You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent
lamb. 20Christ was chosen even before the world was created, but because of you, he did not come until
these last days. 21And when he did come, it was to lead you to have faith in God, who raised him from death
and honored him in a glorious way. That's why you have put your faith and hope in God. 22You obeyed the
truth, and your souls were made pure. Now you sincerely love each other. But you must keep on loving with
all your heart. 23Do this because God has given you new birth by his message that lives on forever. 24The
Scriptures say, "Humans wither like grass,
and their glory fades
like wild flowers.
Grass dries up,
and flowers fall
to the ground.
25But what the Lord has said
will stand forever."
Our good news to you is what the Lord has said.
chapter 2
A Living Stone and a Holy Nation
1Stop being hateful! Quit trying to fool people, and start being sincere. Don't be jealous or say cruel things
about others. 2Be like newborn babies who are thirsty for the pure spiritual milk that will help you grow and be
saved. 3You have already found out how good the Lord really is.
4Come to Jesus Christ. He is the living stone that people have rejected, but which God has chosen and highly
honored. 5And now you are living stones that are being used to build a spiritual house. You are also a group
of holy priests, and with the help of Jesus Christ you will offer sacrifices that please God. 6It is just as God
says in the Scriptures,
"Look! I am placing in Zion
a choice and precious
cornerstone.
No one who has faith
in that one
will be disappointed."
7You are followers of the Lord, and that stone is precious to you. But it isn't precious to those who refuse to
follow him. They are the builders who tossed aside the stone that turned out to be the most important one of
all. 8They disobeyed the message and stumbled and fell over that stone, because they were doomed.
9But you are God's chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has
brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things that he has
done. The Scriptures say,
10"Once you were nobody.
Now you are God's people.
At one time no one
had pity on you.
Now God has treated you
with kindness.
Live as God's Servants Should
11Dear friends, you are foreigners and strangers on this earth. So I beg you not to surrender to those desires
that fight against you. 12Always let others see you behaving properly, even though they may still accuse you
of doing wrong. Then on the day of judgment, they will honor God by telling the good things they saw you do.
13The Lord wants you to obey all human authorities, especially the Emperor, who rules over everyone. 14You
must also obey governors, because they are sent by the Emperor to punish criminals and to praise good
citizens. 15God wants you to silence stupid and ignorant people by doing right. 16You are free, but still you
are God's servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong. 17Respect everyone
and show special love for God's people. Honor God and respect the Emperor.
The Example of Christ's Suffering
18Servants, you must obey your masters and always show respect to them. Do this, not only to those who
are kind and thoughtful, but also to those who are cruel. 19God will bless you, even if others treat you
unfairly for being loyal to him. 20You don't gain anything by being punished for some wrong you have done.
But God will bless you, if you have to suffer for doing something good. 21After all, God chose you to suffer as
you follow in the footsteps of Christ, who set an example by suffering for you.
22Christ did not sin
or ever tell a lie.
23Although he was abused,
he never tried to get even.
And when he suffered,
he made no threats.
Instead, he had faith in God,
who judges fairly.
24Christ carried the burden
of our sins.
He was nailed to the cross,
so that we would stop sinning
and start living right.
By his cuts and bruises
you are healed.
25You had wandered away
like sheep.
Now you have returned
to the one
who is your shepherd
and protector.
chapter 3
Wives and Husbands
1If you are a wife, you must put your husband first. Even if he opposes our message, you will win him over by
what you do. No one else will have to say anything to him, 2because he will see how you honor God and live
a pure life. 3Don't depend on things like fancy hairdos or gold jewelry or expensive clothes to make you look
beautiful. 4Be beautiful in your heart by being gentle and quiet. This kind of beauty will last, and God
considers it very special.
5Long ago those women who worshiped God and put their hope in him made themselves beautiful by putting
their husbands first. 6For example, Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her true
children, if you do right and don't let anything frighten you.
7If you are a husband, you should be thoughtful of your wife. Treat her with honor, because she isn't as
strong as you are, and she shares with you in the gift of life. Then nothing will stand in the way of your
prayers.
Suffering for Doing Right
8Finally, all of you should agree and have concern and love for each other. You should also be kind and
humble. 9Don't be hateful and insult people just because they are hateful and insult you. Instead, treat
everyone with kindness. You are God's chosen ones, and he will bless you. The Scriptures say,
10"Do you really love life?
Do you want to be happy?
Then stop saying cruel things
and quit telling lies.
11Give up your evil ways
and do right,
as you find and follow
the road that leads
to peace.
12The Lord watches over
everyone who obeys him,
and he listens
to their prayers.
But he opposes everyone
who does evil."
13Can anyone really harm you for being eager to do good deeds? 14Even if you have to suffer for doing good
things, God will bless you. So stop being afraid and don't worry about what people might do. 15Honor Christ
and let him be the Lord of your life.
Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope. 16Give a kind and respectful
answer and keep your conscience clear. This way you will make people ashamed for saying bad things about
your good conduct as a follower of Christ. 17You are better off to obey God and suffer for doing right than to
suffer for doing wrong.
18Christ died once for our sins.
An innocent person died
for those who are guilty.
Christ did this
to bring you to God,
when his body
was put to death
and his spirit
was made alive.
19Christ then preached to the spirits that were being kept in prison. 20They had disobeyed God while Noah
was building the boat, but God had been patient with them. Eight people went into that boat and were
brought safely through the flood.
21Those flood waters were like baptism that now saves you. But baptism is more than just washing your
body. It means turning to God with a clear conscience, because Jesus Christ was raised from death. 22Christ
is now in heaven, where he sits at the right side of God. All angels, authorities, and powers are under his
control.
chapter 4
Being Faithful to God
1Christ suffered here on earth. Now you must be ready to suffer as he did, because suffering shows that you
have stopped sinning. 2It means you have turned from your own desires and want to obey God for the rest of
your life. 3You have already lived long enough like people who don't know God. You were immoral and followed
your evil desires. You went around drinking and partying and carrying on. In fact, you even worshiped
disgusting idols. 4Now your former friends wonder why you have stopped running around with them, and they
curse you for it. 5But they will have to answer to God, who judges the living and the dead. 6The good news
has even been preached to the dead, so that after they have been judged for what they have done in this
life, their spirits will live with God. 7Everything will soon come to an end. So be serious and be sensible enough
to pray.
8Most important of all, you must sincerely love each other, because love wipes away many sins.
9Welcome people into your home and don't grumble about it.
10Each of you has been blessed with one of God's many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others.
So use your gift well. 11If you have the gift of speaking, preach God's message. If you have the gift of
helping others, do it with the strength that God supplies. Everything should be done in a way that will bring
honor to God because of Jesus Christ, who is glorious and powerful forever. Amen.
Suffering for Being a Christian
12Dear friends, don't be surprised or shocked that you are going through testing that is like walking through
fire. 13Be glad for the chance to suffer as Christ suffered. It will prepare you for even greater happiness when
he makes his glorious return.
14Count it a blessing when you suffer for being a Christian. This shows that God's glorious Spirit is with you.
15But you deserve to suffer if you are a murderer, a thief, a crook, or a busybody. 16Don't be ashamed to
suffer for being a Christian. Praise God that you belong to him. 17God has already begun judging his own
people. And if his judgment begins with us, imagine how terrible it will be for those who refuse to obey his
message. The Scriptures say,
18"If good people barely escape,
what will happen to sinners
and to others
who don't respect God?"
19If you suffer for obeying God, you must have complete faith in your faithful Creator and keep on doing
right.
chapter 5
Helping Christian Leaders
1Church leaders, I am writing to encourage you. I too am a leader, as well as a witness to Christ's suffering,
and I will share in his glory when it is shown to us. 2Just as shepherds watch over their sheep, you must
watch over everyone God has placed in your care. Do it willingly in order to please God, and not simply
because you think you must. Let it be something you want to do, instead of something you do merely to
make money. 3Don't be bossy to those people who are in your care, but set an example for them. 4Then
when Christ the Chief Shepherd returns, you will be given a crown that will never lose its glory.
5All of you young people should obey your elders. In fact, everyone should be humble toward everyone else.
The Scriptures say,
"God opposes proud people,
but he helps everyone
who is humble."
6Be humble in the presence of God's mighty power, and he will honor you when the time comes. 7God cares
for you, so turn all your worries over to him.
8Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find
someone to attack. 9But you must resist the devil and stay strong in your faith. You know that all over the
world the Lord's followers are suffering just as you are. 10But God shows undeserved kindness to everyone.
That's why he appointed Christ Jesus to choose you to share in his eternal glory. You will suffer for a while,
but God will make you complete, steady, strong, and firm. 11God will be in control forever! Amen.
Final Greetings
12Silvanus helped me write this short letter, and I consider him a faithful follower of the Lord. I wanted to
encourage you and tell you how kind God really is, so that you will keep on having faith in him.
13Greetings from the Lord's followers in Babylon. They are God's chosen ones. Mark, who is like a son to me,
sends his greetings too.
14Give each other a warm greeting. I pray that God will give peace to everyone who belongs to Christ.