1 Peter 1

1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those who are chosen, living as foreigners scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

2chosen in keeping with the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the Spirit’s work of sanctifying you, for obedience and for sprinkling with the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be yours in ever greater measure.

3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his abundant mercy he has brought us to birth again, into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4and into an inheritance that will not decay, will not be stained, and will not wither, an inheritance held in heaven for you,

5who by God’s power are being kept safe through faith for a salvation that stands ready to be revealed at the final time.

6You are overjoyed at this, even though for a little while now, if it has to be so, you have been saddened by many different trials,

7so that your faith, proven genuine by testing and worth more than gold, which perishes even though fire tests it, may be found to bring praise, glory, and honor at the revealing of Jesus Christ.

8You have never seen him, yet you love him. You do not see him now, yet you believe in him, and you rejoice with a joy beyond words and full of glory,

9because you are receiving the outcome your faith leads to: the salvation of your souls.

10The prophets who prophesied about the grace intended for you searched and probed diligently into this salvation,

11seeking to learn what person or what kind of time the Spirit of Christ within them was making clear when he testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the glories to come after them.

12It was revealed to them that the service they rendered in these matters was not for themselves but for you. These are the things now announced to you through those who proclaimed the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things angels long to stoop down and look into.

13Therefore, with your minds ready for action and your heads clear, fix your hope completely on the grace that is being brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed.

14Like obedient children, do not let your lives be shaped by the desires you had before, in your ignorance.

15Instead, just as the one who called you is holy, you too must become holy in every aspect of your conduct,

16for it is written, “You are to be holy, because I am holy.”

17If you call on as Father the one who judges each person’s work without favoritism, then conduct yourselves with reverence during the time you live as foreigners.

18You know that you were ransomed from the futile way of life you inherited from your ancestors, and it was not with perishable things like silver or gold,

19but with precious blood like that of a lamb with no defect or stain: the blood of Christ.

20He was known in advance, before the world was founded, but has been revealed at the end of the times for your sake.

21Through him you trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory; so your faith and hope rest in God.

22You have purified your souls through your obedience to the truth, which leads to a genuine love for your brothers and sisters. So love one another intensely, from a pure heart.

23You have been born anew, not from a seed that decays but from one that cannot decay, through the word of God, which lives and remains.

24For, “All people are like grass, and all their glory is like the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,

25but the word of the Lord endures forever.” And this is the word that was proclaimed to you as good news.