New King James Version

New Living Translation

Greeting to the Elect Pilgrims

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,
To the [a]pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

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Greetings from Peter

This 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.a

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elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

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God 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.

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A Heavenly Inheritance

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

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The Hope of Eternal Life

All 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,

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to an inheritance [b]incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

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and we have a priceless inheritance — an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay.

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who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

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And 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.

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In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been [c]grieved by various trials,

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So be truly glad.b There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.

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that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

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These 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.

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whom having not [d]seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,

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You 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.

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receiving the end of your faith — the salvation of your souls.

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The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

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Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you,

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This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you.

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searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.

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They 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.

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To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to [e]us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven — things which angels desire to look into.

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They 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.

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Living Before God Our Father

Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

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A Call to Holy Living

So 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.

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as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;

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So 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.

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but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,

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But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.

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because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”

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For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”c

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And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your [f]stay here in fear;

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And 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.”

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knowing that you were not redeemed with [g]corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

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For 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.

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but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

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It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

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He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was [h]manifest in these last times for you

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God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.

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who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

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Through 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.

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The Enduring Word

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth [i]through the Spirit in [j]sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,

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You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters.d Love each other deeply with all your heart.e

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having been born again, not of [k]corruptible seed but [l]incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides [m]forever,

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For 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.

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because
“All flesh is as grass,
And all [n]the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,

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As the Scriptures say,
“People are like grass;
their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.

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But the [o]word of the Lord endures forever.”
Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

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But the word of the Lord remains forever.”f
And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.

Parallel

New King James Version

New Living Translation

1 Peter 1

1 Peter 1