The First Epistle General of Peter
American Standard Version, 1901 ed.
Chapter 1
1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the elect who are
sojourners of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, and Bithynia, 2according to the foreknowledge of God
the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace
be multiplied. 3Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again
unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead, 4unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled,
and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5who
by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation
ready to be revealed in the last time. 6Wherein ye greatly
rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, ye have been
put to grief in manifold trials, 7that the proof of your
faith, [being] more precious than gold that perisheth though it
is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor
at the revelation of Jesus Christ: 8whom not having seen ye
love; on whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye
rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9
receiving the end of your faith, [even] the salvation of [your]
souls. 10Concerning which salvation the prophets sought and
searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that [should
come] unto you: 11searching what [time] or what manner of
time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto, when
it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the
glories that should follow them. 12To whom it was revealed,
that not unto themselves, but unto you, did they minister these
things, which now have been announced unto you through them that
preached the gospel unto you by the Holy Spirit sent forth from
heaven; which things angel desire to look into. 13Wherefore
girding up the loins of your mind, be sober and set your hope
perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the
revelation of Jesus Christ; 14as children of obedience, not
fashioning yourselves according to your former lusts in [the
time of] your ignorance: 15but like as he who called you is
holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living; 16
because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy. 17
And if ye call on him as Father, who without respect of persons
judgeth according to each man's work, pass the time of your
sojourning in fear: 18knowing that ye were redeemed, not
with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain
manner of life handed down from your fathers; 19but with
precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, [even the blood] of
Christ: 20who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of
the world, but was manifested at the end of times for your sake,
21who through him are believers in God, that raised him
from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope
might be in God. 22Seeing ye have purified your souls in
your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren,
love one another from the heart fervently: 23having been
begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible,
through the word of God, which liveth and abideth. 24For,
All flesh is as grass, And all the glory thereof as the flower
of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower falleth: 25
But the word of the Lord abideth for ever. And this is the word
of good tidings which was preached unto you.
Chapter 2
1Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile,
and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2as
newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without
guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation; 3if ye have
tasted that the Lord is gracious: 4unto whom coming, a
living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect,
precious, 5ye also, as living stones, are built up a
spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6
Because it is contained in scripture,
Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious:
And he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame.
7For you therefore that believe is the preciousness: but
for such as disbelieve,
The stone which the builders rejected,
The same was made the head of the corner;
8and,
A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence;
for they stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto
also they were appointed. 9But ye are a elect race, a royal
priesthood, a holy nation, a people for [God's] own possession,
that ye may show forth the excellencies of him who called you
out of darkness into his marvellous light: 10who in time
past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not
obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. 11Beloved, I
beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly
lust, which war against the soul; 12having your behavior
seemly among the Gentiles; that, wherein they speak against you
as evil-doers, they may by your good works, which they behold,
glorify God in the day of visitation. 13Be subject to every
ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether to the king, as
supreme; 14or unto governors, as sent by him for vengeance
on evil-doers and for praise to them that do well. 15For so
is the will of God, that by well-doing ye should put to silence
the ignorance of foolish men: 16as free, and not using your
freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God.
17Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the
king. 18Servants, [be] in subjection to your masters with
all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the
froward. 19For this is acceptable, if for conscience toward
God a man endureth griefs, suffering wrongfully. 20For what
glory is it, if, when ye sin, and are buffeted [for it], ye
shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer
[for it], ye shall take it patiently, this is acceptable with
God. 21For hereunto were ye called: because Christ also
suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow
his steps: 22who did no sin, neither was guile found in his
mouth: 23who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when
he suffered threatened not; but committed [himself] to him that
judgeth righteously: 24who his own self bare our sins in
his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might
live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed. 25
For ye were going astray like sheep; but are now returned unto
the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Chapter 3
1In like manner, ye wives, [be] in subjection to your
won husbands; that, even if any obey not the word, they may
without the word be gained by the behavior of their wives; 2
beholding your chaste behavior [coupled] with fear. 3Whose
[adorning] let it not be the outward adorning of braiding the
hair, and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on apparel;
4but [let it be] the hidden man of the heart, in the
incorruptible [apparel] of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in
the sight of God of great price. 5For after this manner
aforetime the holy women also, who hoped in God, adorned
themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands: 6as
Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose children ye now
are, if ye do well, and are not put in fear by any terror. 7
Ye husbands, in like manner, dwell with [your wives] according
to knowledge, giving honor unto the woman, as unto the weaker
vessel, as being also joint-heirs of the grace of life; to the
end that your prayers be not hindered. 8Finally, [be] ye
all likeminded, compassionate, loving as brethren,
tenderhearted, humbleminded: 9not rendering evil for evil,
or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing; for
hereunto were ye called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
10For,
He that would love life,
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips that they speak no guile:
11And let him turn away from evil, and do good;
Let him seek peace, and pursue it.
12For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,
And his ears unto their supplication:
But the face of the Lord is upon them that do evil.
13And who is he that will harm you, if ye be zealous of
that which is good? 14But even if ye should suffer for
righteousness' sake, blessed [are ye:] and fear not their fear,
neither be troubled; 15but sanctify in your hearts Christ
as Lord: [being] ready always to give answer to every man that
asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet with
meekness and fear: 16having a good conscience; that,
wherein ye are spoken against, they may be put to shame who
revile your good manner of life in Christ. 17For it is
better, if the will of God should so will, that ye suffer for
well-doing than for evil-doing. 18Because Christ also
suffered for sins once, the righteous for the unrighteous, that
he might bring us to God; being put to death in the flesh, but
made alive in the spirit; 19in which also he went and
preached unto the spirits in prison, 20that aforetime were
disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of
Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight
souls, were saved through water: 21which also after a true
likeness doth now save you, [even] baptism, not the putting away
of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation of a good
conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ;
22who is one the right hand of God, having gone into
heaven; angels and authorities and powers being made subject
unto him.
Chapter 4
1Forasmuch then as Christ suffered in the flesh, arm ye
yourselves also with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in
the flesh hath ceased from sin; 2that ye no longer should
live the rest of your time in flesh to the lusts of men, but to
the will of God. 3For the time past may suffice to have
wrought the desire of the Gentiles, and to have walked in
lasciviousness, lusts, winebibbings, revellings, carousings, and
abominable idolatries: 4wherein they think strange that ye
run not with [them] into the same excess of riot, speaking evil
of [of]: 5who shall give account to him that is ready to
judge the living and the dead. 6For unto this end was the
gospel preached even to the dead, that they might be judged
indeed according to men in the flesh, but live according to God
in the spirit. 7But the end of all things is at hand: be ye
therefore of sound mind, and be sober unto prayer: 8above
all things being fervent in your love among yourselves; for love
covereth a multitude of sins: 9using hospitality one to
another without murmuring: 10according as each hath
received a gift, ministering it among yourselves, as good
stewards of the manifold grace of God; 11if any man
speaketh, [speaking] as it were oracles of God; is any man
ministereth, [ministering] as of the strength which God
supplieth: that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus
Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever.
Amen. 12Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery
trial among you, which cometh upon you to prove you, as though a
strange thing happened unto you: 13but insomuch as ye are
partakers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice; that at the
revelation of his glory also ye may rejoice with exceeding joy.
14If ye are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed [are
ye]; because the [Spirit] of glory and the Spirit of God resteth
upon you. 15For let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a
thief, or an evil-doer, or as a meddler in other men's matters:
16but if [a man suffer] as a Christian, let him not be
ashamed; but let him glorify God in this name. 17For the
time [is come] for judgment to begin at the house of God: and if
[it begin] first at us, what [shall be] the end of them that
obey not the gospel of God? 18And if the righteous is
scarcely saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear?
19Wherefore let them also that suffer according to the will
of God commit their souls in well-doing unto a faithful Creator.
Chapter 5
1The elders among you I exhort, who am a fellow-elder,
and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, who am also a
partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: 2Tend the
flock of God which is among you, exercising the oversight, not
of constraint, but willingly, according to [the will of] God;
nor yet for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3neither as
lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making
yourselves ensamples to the flock. 4And when the chief
Shepherd shall be manifested, ye shall receive the crown of
glory that fadeth not away. 5Likewise, ye younger, be
subject unto the elder. Yea, all of you gird yourselves with
humility, to serve one another: for God resisteth the proud, but
giveth grace to the humble. 6Humble yourselves therefore
under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time;
7casting all your anxiety upon him, because he careth for
you. 8Be sober, be watchful: your adversary the devil, as a
roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour, 9
whom withstand stedfast in your faith, knowing that the same
sufferings are accomplished in your brethren who are in the
world. 10And the God of all grace, who called you unto his
eternal glory in Christ, after that ye have suffered a little
while, shall himself perfect, establish, strengthen you. 11
To him [be] the dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 12By
Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I account [him], I have
written unto you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is
the true grace of God. Stand ye fast therein. 13She that is
in Babylon, elect together with [you], saluteth you; and [so
doth] Mark my son. 14Salute one another with a kiss of
love. Peace be unto you all that are in Christ.
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