MKJV - I Peter

Chapter 1

1:1  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the elect sojourners of the Dispersion of Pontus, of Galatia, of Cappadocia, of Asia, and of Bithynia,

1:2  according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

1:3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has regenerated us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1:4  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and unfading, reserved in Heaven for you

1:5  by the power of God, having been kept through faith to a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time;

1:6  in which you greatly rejoice, yet a little while, if need be, grieving in manifold temptations;

1:7  so that the trial of your faith (being much more precious than that of gold that perishes, but being proven through fire) might be found to praise and honor and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

1:8  whom having not seen, you love; in whom not yet seeing, but believing in Him you exult with unspeakable joy, and having been glorified,

1:9  obtaining the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1:10  About which salvation the prophets sought out and searched out, prophesying concerning the grace for you;

1:11  searching for what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ made clear within them, testifying beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow.

1:12  To them it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us, they ministered the things which are now reported to you by those who have preached the gospel to you in the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

1:13  Therefore girding up the loins of your mind, being sober, perfectly hope for the grace being brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

1:14  as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance,

1:15  but according to the Holy One who has called you, you also become holy in all conduct,

1:16  because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

1:17  And if you call on the Father, who without respect of persons judges according to the work of each one, pass the time of your earthly residence in fear,

1:18  knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers,

1:19  but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot;

1:20  indeed having been foreknown before the foundation of the world, but revealed in the last times for you,

1:21  those believing in God through Him, He who raised Him up from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God.

1:22  Purifying your souls in the obedience of the truth through the Spirit to unfeigned love of the brothers, love one another fervently out of a pure heart,

1:23  having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the living word of God, and abiding forever.

1:24  For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of men as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls out,

1:25  but the Word of the Lord endures forever. And this is the Word preached as gospel to you.

Chapter 2

2:1  Therefore laying aside all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envyings, and all evil speakings,

2:2  desire the sincere milk of the word, as newborn babes, so that you may grow by it;

2:3  if truly you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.

2:4  For having been drawn to Him, a living Stone, indeed rejected by men, but elect, precious with God;

2:5  you also as living stones are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

2:6  Therefore also it is contained in the Scripture: "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner Stone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him shall never be ashamed."

2:7  Therefore to you who believe is the honor. But to those who are disobedient, He is the Stone which the builders rejected; this One came to be the Head of the corner,

2:8  and a Stone-of-stumbling and a Rock-of-offense to those disobeying, who stumble at the word, to which they also were appointed.

2:9  But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession, so that you might speak of the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

2:10  you who then were not a people, but now the people of God, those not pitied then, but now pitied.

2:11  Dearly beloved, I exhort you as temporary residents and pilgrims to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,

2:12  having your conduct honest among the nations, in that which they speak against you as evildoers, they may glorify God in a day of His visitation, seeing your good works.

2:13  Then be in obedience to every ordinance of men, because of the Lord, whether to a king as supreme,

2:14  or to governors as sent by Him for vengeance on evildoers, but for praise on well-doers.

2:15  For such is the will of God, doing good to silence the ignorance of foolish men;

2:16  as free, and not having freedom as a cover of evil, but as servants of God.

2:17  Honor all. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

2:18  Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to those good and forbearing, but also to the perverse ones.

2:19  For this is a grace, if for conscience toward God anyone endures grief, suffering wrongfully.

2:20  For what glory is it if you patiently endure while sinning and being buffeted? But if you suffer while doing good, and patiently endure, this is a grace from God.

2:21  For you were not called to this? For Christ also suffered on our behalf, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps,

2:22  He who did no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth,

2:23  who when He was reviled did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten, but gave Himself up to Him who judges righteously.

2:24  He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that dying to sins, we might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.

2:25  For you were as sheep going astray, but now you are turned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Chapter 3

3:1  Likewise, wives, be in subjection to your own husbands, so that if any do not obey the word, they may also be won without the word by the conduct of the wives,

3:2  having witnessed your chaste behavior in the fear of God.

3:3  Of whom let not be the adorning of garments, or outward braiding of hair and wearing of gold, or of putting on clothing,

3:4  but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, the meek and quiet spirit, which is of great price in the sight of God.

3:5  For so once indeed the holy women hoping in God adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands;

3:6  as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord; whose children you became, doing good and fearing no terror.

3:7  Likewise, husbands, live together according to knowledge, giving honor to the wife as to the weaker vessel, the female, as truly being co-heirs together of the grace of life, not cutting off your prayers.

3:8  And finally, all be of one mind, having compassion on one another, loving the brothers, tenderhearted, friendly.

3:9  Never give back evil for evil, or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, giving blessing, knowing that you are called to this so that you might inherit blessing.

3:10  For he that wants to love life and to see good days, let him restrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking guile.

3:11  Let him turn aside from evil and do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it.

3:12  For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears open to their prayers. But the Lord's face is against those who do evil.

3:13  And who is the one who will harm you if you become imitators of the good?

3:14  But if you also suffer for righteousness' sake, you are blessed. And do not fear their fear, nor be troubled,

3:15  but sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready always to give an answer to everyone who asks you a reason of the hope in you, with meekness and fear;

3:16  having a good conscience, that while they speak against you as evildoers they may be shamed, those falsely accusing your good behavior in Christ.

3:17  For it is better, if the will of God wills it, to suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing.

3:18  For Christ also once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, indeed being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit;

3:19  in which also He went and preached to the spirits in prison,

3:20  to disobeying ones, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared (in which a few, that is, eight souls were saved through water);

3:21  which figure now also saves us, baptism; not a putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ;

3:22  who is at the right hand of God, having gone into Heaven, where the angels and authorities and powers are being subjected to Him.

Chapter 4

4:1  Therefore, Christ having suffered for us in the flesh, also you arm yourselves with the same thought, that he suffering in the flesh has been made to rest from sin,

4:2  in order no longer to live in the lusts of men, but in the will of God the remaining time in the flesh.

4:3  For the time of life which is past is enough for us to have worked out the will of the nations, having gone on in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, parties, carousings, and abominable idolatries.

4:4  In these things they are surprised, that you are not running with them into the same excess of riot, blaspheming.

4:5  But they shall give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

4:6  For to this end the gospel was preached also to the dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the Spirit.

4:7  But the end of all things has drawn near. Therefore be of sound mind, and be sensible to prayers.

4:8  And above all things have fervent love to yourselves, for love will cover a multitude of sins.

4:9  Be hospitable to one another, without grudging;

4:10  each one as he received a gift, ministering it to yourselves as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

4:11  If anyone speaks, let it be as the words of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as of the ability which God gives, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory, and the might forever and ever. Amen.

4:12  Beloved, do not be astonished at the fiery trial which is to try you, as though a strange thing happened to you,

4:13  but rejoice according as you are partakers of Christ's suffering, so that when His glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy.

4:14  If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of God and of glory rests on you. Truly according to them, He is blasphemed, but according to you He is glorified.

4:15  But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evildoer, or a meddler in the affairs of others.

4:16  But if one suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God because of this.

4:17  For the time has come for the judgment to begin from the house of God. And if it first begins from us, what will be the end of those disobeying the gospel of God?

4:18  And if the righteous one is scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

4:19  Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls in well-doing, as to a faithful Creator.

Chapter 5

5:1  I exhort the elders who are among you, I being also an elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.

5:2  Feed the flock of God among you, taking the oversight, not by compulsion, but willingly; nor for base gain, but readily;

5:3  nor as lording it over those allotted to you by God, but becoming examples to the flock.

5:4  And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a never-fading crown of glory.

5:5  Likewise, younger ones, be subject to older ones, and all being subject to one another. Put on humility. For God resists proud ones, but He gives grace to the humble.

5:6  Therefore be humbled under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you in due time,

5:7  casting all your anxiety onto Him, for He cares for you.

5:8  Be sensible and vigilant, because your adversary the Devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking someone he may devour;

5:9  whom firmly resist in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions in the world are being completed in your brotherhood.

5:10  But the God of all grace, He calling us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little, He will perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.

5:11  To Him be the glory and the might forever and ever. Amen.

5:12  I wrote to you through a few words, by Silvanus, a faithful brother to you, as I suppose, exhorting and testifying this to be the true grace of God in which you stand.

5:13  The fellow-elected in Babylon greet you; also Mark my son.

5:14  Greet one another with a kiss of holy love. Peace be to you, all those in Christ Jesus. Amen.