| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, | 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 provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. |
| 2according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you. | 2God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. May God give you more and more grace and peace. The Hope of Eternal Life |
| 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, | 3All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, |
| 4to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, | 4and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. |
| 5who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. | 5And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. |
| 6In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, | 6So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. |
| 7so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. | 7These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world. |
| 8Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, | 8You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. |
| 9obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. | 9The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. |
| 10Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, | 10This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. |
| 11inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. | 11They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward. |
| 12It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. | 12They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached 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 |
| 13Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. | 13So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. |
| 14As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, | 14So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. |
| 15but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, | 15But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. |
| 16since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” | 16For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” |
| 17And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, | 17And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” |
| 18knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, | 18For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. |
| 19but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. | 19It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. |
| 20He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you | 20God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. |
| 21who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. | 21Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. |
| 22Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, | 22You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. |
| 23since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; | 23For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. |
| 24for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, | 24As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. |
| 25but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you. | 25But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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