1 Peter New Living Translation (NLT)

chapter 1

     Greetings from Peter

     1This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.

     I am writing to God's chosen people who are living as foreigners in the lands of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,

     the province of Asia, and Bithynia. 2God the Father chose you long ago, and the Spirit has made you holy. As

     a result, you have obeyed Jesus Christ and are cleansed by his blood.

     May you have more and more of God's special favor and wonderful peace.

     The Hope of Eternal Life

     3All honor to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for it is by his boundless mercy that God has given

     us the privilege of being born again. Now we live with a wonderful expectation because Jesus Christ rose

     again from the dead. 4For God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for

     you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. 5And God, in his mighty power, will protect

     you until you receive this salvation, because you are trusting him. It will be revealed on the last day for all to

     see. 6So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many

     trials for a while.

     7These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests

     and purifies gold--and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong

     after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ

     is revealed to the whole world.

     8You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him, you trust him; and even

     now you are happy with a glorious, inexpressible joy. 9Your reward for trusting him will be the salvation of

     your souls.

     10This salvation was something the prophets wanted to know more about. They prophesied about this

     gracious salvation prepared for you, even though they had many questions as to what it all could mean.

     11They wondered what the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance

     about Christ's suffering and his great glory afterward. They wondered when and to whom all this would

     happen.

     12They were told that these things would not happen during their lifetime, but many years later, during yours.

     And now this Good News has been announced by those who preached to you in the power of the Holy Spirit

     sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.

     A Call to Holy Living

     13So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the special blessings that will come to you at the

     return of Jesus Christ. 14Obey God because you are his children. Don't slip back into your old ways of doing

     evil; you didn't know any better then. 15But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God--who

     chose you to be his children--is holy. 16For he himself has said, "You must be holy because I am holy."

     17And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites when he judges. He will judge

     or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as

     foreigners here on earth. 18For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you

     inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver. 19He paid for you with the

     precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20God chose him for this purpose long before

     the world began, but now in these final days, he was sent to the earth for all to see. And he did this for you.

     21Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And because God raised Christ from the dead and gave him

     great glory, your faith and hope can be placed confidently in God. 22Now you can have sincere love for each

     other as brothers and sisters because you were cleansed from your sins when you accepted the truth of the

     Good News. So see to it that you really do love each other intensely with all your hearts.

     23For you have been born again. Your new life did not come from your earthly parents because the life they

     gave you will end in death. But this new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of

     God. 24As the prophet says,

         "People are like grass that dies away;

             their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of wildflowers.

         The grass withers,

             and the flowers fall away.

     25

         But the word of the Lord will last forever."

     And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.

chapter 2

     1 So get rid of all malicious behavior and deceit. Don't just pretend to be good! Be done with hypocrisy and

     jealousy and backstabbing. 2You must crave pure spiritual milk so that you can grow into the fullness of your

     salvation. Cry out for this nourishment as a baby cries for milk, 3now that you have had a taste of the Lord's

     kindness.

     Living Stones for Gods House

     4Come to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God's temple. He was rejected by the people, but he is

     precious to God who chose him.

     5And now God is building you, as living stones, into his spiritual temple. What's more, you are God's holy

     priests, who offer the spiritual sacrifices that please him because of Jesus Christ. 6As the Scriptures express

     it,

         "I am placing a stone in Jerusalem,

             a chosen cornerstone,

         and anyone who believes in him

             will never be disappointed."

     7Yes, he is very precious to you who believe. But for those who reject him,

         "The stone that was rejected by the builders

             has now become the cornerstone."

     8And the Scriptures also say,

         "He is the stone that makes people stumble,

             the rock that will make them fall."

     They stumble because they do not listen to God's word or obey it, and so they meet the fate that has been

     planned for them.

     9But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are a kingdom of priests, God's holy nation, his

     very own possession. This is so you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the

     darkness into his wonderful light.

     10

         "Once you were not a people;

             now you are the people of God.

         Once you received none of God's mercy;

             now you have received his mercy."

         11Dear brothers and sisters, you are foreigners and aliens here. So I warn you to keep away from evil

     desires because they fight against your very souls. 12Be careful how you live among your unbelieving

     neighbors. Even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will

     believe and give honor to God when he comes to judge the world.

     Respecting People in Authority

     13For the Lord's sake, accept all authority--the king as head of state, 14and the officials he has appointed.

     For the king has sent them to punish all who do wrong and to honor those who do right.

     15It is God's will that your good lives should silence those who make foolish accusations against you. 16You

     are not slaves; you are free. But your freedom is not an excuse to do evil. You are free to live as God's

     slaves. 17Show respect for everyone. Love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God. Show respect for

     the king.

     Slaves

     18You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters. Do whatever they tell you--not only if they

     are kind and reasonable, but even if they are harsh. 19For God is pleased with you when, for the sake of your

     conscience, you patiently endure unfair treatment. 20Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are

     beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing right and are patient beneath the blows, God is pleased

     with you.

     21This suffering is all part of what God has called you to. Christ, who suffered for you, is your example. Follow

     in his steps. 22He never sinned, and he never deceived anyone. 23He did not retaliate when he was insulted.

     When he suffered, he did not threaten to get even. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges

     fairly. 24He personally carried away our sins in his own body on the cross so we can be dead to sin and live

     for what is right. You have been healed by his wounds! 25Once you were wandering like lost sheep. But now

     you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.

chapter 3

     Wives

     1In the same way, you wives must accept the authority of your husbands, even those who refuse to accept

     the Good News. Your godly lives will speak to them better than any words. They will be won over 2by

     watching your pure, godly behavior.

     3Don't be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or

     beautiful clothes. 4You should be known for the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a

     gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God. 5That is the way the holy women of old made themselves

     beautiful. They trusted God and accepted the authority of their husbands. 6For instance, Sarah obeyed her

     husband, Abraham, when she called him her master. You are her daughters when you do what is right without

     fear of what your husbands might do.

     Husbands

     7In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat her with understanding as you live

     together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God's gift of new life. If you don't

     treat her as you should, your prayers will not be heard.

     All Christians

     8Finally, all of you should be of one mind, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender

     hearts and humble minds. 9Don't repay evil for evil. Don't retaliate when people say unkind things about you.

     Instead, pay them back with a blessing. That is what God wants you to do, and he will bless you for it. 10For

     the Scriptures say,

         "If you want a happy life and good days,

             keep your tongue from speaking evil,

             and keep your lips from telling lies.

     11

         Turn away from evil and do good.

             Work hard at living in peace with others.

     12

         The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right,

             and his ears are open to their prayers.

         But the Lord turns his face

             against those who do evil."

     Suffering for Doing Good

     13Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? 14But even if you suffer for doing what is

     right, God will reward you for it. So don't be afraid and don't worry. 15Instead, you must worship Christ as

     Lord of your life. And if you are asked about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. 16But you

     must do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak evil against

     you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.

     17Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong!

     18Christ also suffered when he died for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners

     that he might bring us safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.

     19So he went and preached to the spirits in prison-- 20those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited

     patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood.

     21And this is a picture of baptism, which now saves you by the power of Jesus Christ's resurrection. Baptism

     is not a removal of dirt from your body; it is an appeal to God from a clean conscience.

     22Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and

     authorities and powers are bowing before him.

chapter 4

     Living for God

     1So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be

     ready to suffer, too. For if you are willing to suffer for Christ, you have decided to stop sinning. 2And you

     won't spend the rest of your life chasing after evil desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. 3You

     have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy--their immorality and lust, their

     feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.

     4Of course, your former friends are very surprised when you no longer join them in the wicked things they do,

     and they say evil things about you. 5But just remember that they will have to face God, who will judge

     everyone, both the living and the dead. 6That is why the Good News was preached even to those who have

     died--so that although their bodies were punished with death, they could still live in the spirit as God does.

     7The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. 8Most important

     of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins. 9Cheerfully share your

     home with those who need a meal or a place to stay.

     10God has given gifts to each of you from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Manage them well so that God's

     generosity can flow through you. 11Are you called to be a speaker? Then speak as though God himself were

     speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies.

     Then God will be given glory in everything through Jesus Christ. All glory and power belong to him forever and

     ever. Amen.

     Suffering for Being a Christian

     12Dear friends, don't be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were

     happening to you. 13Instead, be very glad--because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his

     suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the

     world.

     14Be happy if you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God will come upon you.

     15If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people's

     affairs. 16But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his

     wonderful name! 17For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin first among God's own children. And

     if even we Christians must be judged, what terrible fate awaits those who have never believed God's Good

     News? 18And

         "If the righteous are barely saved,

             what chance will the godless and sinners have?"

     19So if you are suffering according to God's will, keep on doing what is right, and trust yourself to the God

     who made you, for he will never fail you.

chapter 5

     Advice for Elders and Young Men

     1And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings

     of Christ. And I, too, will share his glory and his honor when he returns. As a fellow elder, this is my appeal to

     you: 2Care for the flock of God entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly--not for what you will

     get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. 3Don't lord it over the people assigned to your care,

     but lead them by your good example. 4And when the head Shepherd comes, your reward will be a

     never-ending share in his glory and honor.

     5You younger men, accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for

         "God sets himself against the proud,

             but he shows favor to the humble."

     6So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. 7Give all your

     worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you.

     8Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion,

     looking for some victim to devour. 9Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that

     your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are.

     10In his kindness God called you to his eternal glory by means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little

     while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation. 11All power is

     his forever and ever. Amen.

     Peters Final Greetings

     12I have written this short letter to you with the help of Silas, whom I consider a faithful brother. My purpose

     in writing is to encourage you and assure you that the grace of God is with you no matter what happens.

     13Your sister church here in Rome sends you greetings, and so does my son Mark. 14Greet each other in

     Christian love.

     Peace be to all of you who are in Christ.