CHAPTER 1
The trial of our faith precedes salvation—Christ foreordained to be the Redeemer.
1 PETER, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the astrangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
2 aElect• according to the bforeknowledge of God the Father, through csanctification of the Spirit, unto dobedience and esprinkling• of the fblood• of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant amercy hath bbegotten us again unto a clively• dhope by the resurrection of eJesus• Christ from the dead,
4 To an ainheritance• incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5 Who are kept by the apower• of God through bfaith• unto salvation cready• to be revealed in the last time.
6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a aseason, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold btemptations•:
7 That the atrial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the bappearing• of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet abelieving•, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the aend• of your bfaith•, even the csalvation• of your souls.
10 Of which asalvation the bprophets• have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it atestified• beforehand the bsufferings• of Christ, and the cglory• that should follow.
12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have apreached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the bangels desire to look into.
13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be asober, and hope bto• the end for the cgrace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former alusts in your bignorance•:
15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye aholy• in all manner of bconversation•;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am aholy•.
17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s awork, pass the time of your sojourning here in bfear:
18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not aredeemed• with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your bvain• conversation received by ctradition from your fathers;
19 But with the precious ablood of Christ, as of a blamb without cblemish• and without spot:
20 aWho• verily was bforeordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him aglory•; that your bfaith• and chope might be in God.
22 Seeing ye have apurified your bsouls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned clove• of the brethren, see that ye dlove one another with a pure heart fervently:
23 Being aborn again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and babideth for ever.
24 For all aflesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the aword• of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
CHAPTER 2
Converts are newborn babes in Christ—He is the chief cornerstone—Saints hold a royal priesthood and are a peculiar people—We are in subjection to the laws of man.
1 WHEREFORE laying aside all amalice, and all bguile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil cspeakings,
2 As anewborn babes, desire the bsincere• cmilk• of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
3 If so be ye have atasted• that the Lord is gracious.
4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but achosen• of God, and precious,
5 Ye also, as alively• stones, are built up a bspiritual chouse•, an holy priesthood, to offer up dspiritual esacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.
6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief acorner bstone•, elect, precious: and he that cbelieveth• on him shall not be dconfounded•.
7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be adisobedient, the stone which the builders bdisallowed•, the same is made the head of the corner,
8 And a astone• of bstumbling•, and a crock of doffence, even to them which estumble• at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were fappointed•.
9 But ye are a achosen generation, a broyal cpriesthood, an dholy• enation, a fpeculiar• people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of gdarkness into his marvellous hlight:
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
11 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as astrangers and bpilgrims•, cabstain from fleshly dlusts, which ewar against the soul;
12 Having your conversation ahonest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good bworks•, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 aSubmit yourselves to every bordinance of man for the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as csupreme•;
14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.
15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to asilence the bignorance of foolish men:
16 As free, and not using your aliberty for a cloke of bmaliciousness, but as the cservants of God.
17 aHonour all men. Love the bbrotherhood. cFear• God. Honour the dking.
18 aServants•, be subject to your bmasters• with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the cfroward•.
19 For this is athankworthy•, if a man for conscience toward God endure bgrief, suffering wrongfully.
20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it apatiently•? but if, when ye do well, and bsuffer for it, ye take it cpatiently•, this is dacceptable• with God.
21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also asuffered for us, leaving us an bexample, that ye should follow his steps:
22 Who did no asin•, neither was bguile found in his mouth:
23 Who, when he was areviled•, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but bcommitted himself to him that judgeth righteously:
24 Who his own self abare our bsins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose cstripes• ye were healed.
25 For ye were as asheep going astray; but are now returned unto the bShepherd and cBishop of your souls.
CHAPTER 3
Husbands and wives should honor each other—Saints should live by gospel standards—Christ preached unto the spirits in prison.
1 LIKEWISE, ye awives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any bobey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the cconversation• of the wives;
2 While they behold your achaste bconversation• coupled with fear.
3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward aadorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the aornament of a bmeek• and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
5 For after this manner in the old time the holy awomen also, who btrusted in God, adorned themselves, being cin• subjection unto their own husbands:
6 Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose adaughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any bamazement•.
7 Likewise, ye ahusbands, dwell with them according to bknowledge•, giving chonour unto the dwife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being eheirs together of the grace of life; that your fprayers be not hindered.
8 Finally, be ye all of aone mind, having bcompassion one of another, love as cbrethren, be dpitiful•, be ecourteous:
9 Not arendering bevil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a cblessing.
10 For he that will love life, and see good days, let him arefrain his btongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no cguile:
11 Let him aeschew• evil, and do good; let him seek bpeace, and censue• it.
12 For the aeyes• of the Lord are over the brighteous, and his ears are open unto their cprayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do devil.
13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be afollowers of that which is good?
14 But and if ye asuffer• for brighteousness’ sake, chappy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;
15 But asanctify• the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give ban• answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the chope that is in you with dmeekness and efear•:
16 Having a good aconscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good bconversation• in Christ.
17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye asuffer for well doing, than for evil doing.
18 For Christ also hath once asuffered for sins, the just for the bunjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to cdeath in the flesh, but quickened by the dSpirit:
19 By which also he went and apreached unto the bspirits in cprison•;
20 aWhich• sometime were bdisobedient, when once the clongsuffering of God waited in the days of dNoah•, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were esaved• by fwater.
21 The like figure whereunto even abaptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ:
22 Who is gone into aheaven•, and is on the right hand of God; bangels and cauthorities• and powers being made subject unto him.
CHAPTER 4
Why gospel is preached unto the dead—Saints should speak as the oracles of God—The righteous will be tried and tested in all things.
1 FORASMUCH then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same amind•: bfor• he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from csin;
2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the alusts of men, but to the will of God.
3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, aexcess of wine, brevellings, banquetings, and cabominable didolatries:
4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to ajudge the bquick• and the dead.
6 aFor• for this cause was the bgospel cpreached also to them that are ddead, that they might be ejudged• according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and awatch unto prayer.
8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: afor• bcharity shall cover the multitude of sins.
9 Use ahospitality one to another without bgrudging.
10 As every man hath received the gift, even so aminister the same one to another, as good bstewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 If any man aspeak•, let him speak as the boracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
12 Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery atrial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:
13 But arejoice•, inasmuch as ye are bpartakers of Christ’s csufferings; that, when his glory shall be drevealed•, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.
14 If ye be areproached for the name of Christ, bhappy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.
16 Yet if any man suffer as a aChristian•, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.
17 For the time is come that ajudgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that bobey• not the gospel of God?
18 And if the arighteous scarcely be saved, where shall the bungodly and the sinner appear?
19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the awill of God commit the bkeeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.
CHAPTER 5
The elders are to feed the flock of God—Humility and godly graces lead to perfection.
1 THE aelders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a bpartaker• of the glory that shall be revealed:
2 aFeed• the bflock of God which is among you, taking the coversight• thereof, not by constraint, but dwillingly; not for efilthy flucre, but of a ready mind;
3 Neither as being alords• over God’s heritage, but being bensamples to the flock.
4 And when the chief aShepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a bcrown• of cglory• that fadeth not away.
5 Likewise, ye younger, asubmit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with bhumility: for God cresisteth• the dproud, and giveth grace to the ehumble.
6 aHumble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:
7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
8 Be asober, be bvigilant; because your adversary the cdevil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist astedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are baccomplished• in your brethren that are in the world.
10 But the God of all agrace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you bperfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
11 To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
12 By aSilvanus•, a faithful brother unto you, as I suppose, I have written briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.
13 The church that is at aBabylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.
14 Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.