Salutation

11 Peter, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the saints who are living in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2 Who, through the purpose of God, have been made holy by the Spirit, disciples of Jesus, made clean by his blood: May you have grace and peace in full measure.

The Christian's Hope and Salvation

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who through his great mercy has given us a new birth and a living hope by the coming again of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 And a heritage fair, holy and for ever new, waiting in heaven for you, 5 Who, by the power of God are kept, through faith, for that salvation, which will be seen at the last day.

6 You have cause for great joy in this, though it may have been necessary for you to be troubled for a little time, being tested in all sorts of ways, 7 So that the true metal of your faith, being of much greater value than gold (which, though it comes to an end, is tested by fire), may come to light in praise and glory and honour, at the revelation of Jesus Christ: 8 To whom your love is given, though you have not seen him; and the faith which you have in him, though you do not see him now, gives you joy greater than words and full of glory: 9 For so you have the true end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

10 For the prophets who gave the news of the grace which would come to you, made search with all care for knowledge of this salvation; 11 Attempting to see what sort of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them was pointing to, when it gave witness to the pains which Christ would undergo and the glories which would come after them. 12 And it was made clear to those prophets that they were God's servants not for themselves but for you, to give you word of the things which have now come to your ears from the preachers of the good news through the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven; things which even angels have a desire to see.

A Call to Holy Living

13 So make your minds ready, and keep on the watch, hoping with all your power for the grace which is to come to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14 Like children ruled by God, do not go back to the old desires of the time when you were without knowledge: 15 But be holy in every detail of your lives, as he, whose servants you are, is holy; 16 Because it has been said in the Writings, You are to be holy, for I am holy. 17 And if you give the name of Father to him who, judging every man by his acts, has no respect for a man's position, then go in fear while you are on this earth: 18 Being conscious that you have been made free from that foolish way of life which was your heritage from your fathers, not through a payment of things like silver or gold which come to destruction, 19 But through holy blood, like that of a clean and unmarked lamb, even the blood of Christ: 20 Who was marked out by God before the making of the world, but was caused to be seen in these last times for you, 21 Who through him have faith in God who took him up again from the dead into glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God. 22 And as you have made your souls clean, being ruled by what is true, and loving one another without deceit, see that your love is warm and from the heart: 23 Because you have had a new birth, not from the seed of man, but from eternal seed, through the word of a living and unchanging God.

24 For it is said, All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the grass. The grass becomes dry and the flower dead: 25 But the word of the Lord is eternal. And this is the word of the good news which was given to you.

The Behavior of Wives and Husbands

31 Wives, be ruled by your husbands; so that even if some of them give no attention to the word, their hearts may be changed by the behaviour of their wives, 2 When they see your holy behaviour in the fear of God. 3 Do not let your ornaments be those of the body such as dressing of the hair, or putting on of jewels of gold or fair clothing; 4 But let them be those of the unseen man of the heart, the ever-shining ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great price in the eyes of God. 5 And these were the ornaments of the holy women of the past, whose hope was in God, being ruled by their husbands: 6 As Sarah was ruled by Abraham, naming him lord; whose children you are if you do well, and are not put in fear by any danger. 7 And you husbands, give thought to your way of life with your wives, giving honour to the woman who is the feebler vessel, but who has an equal part in the heritage of the grace of life; so that you may not be kept from prayer.

Suffer for Righteousness' Sake

8 Last of all, see that you are all in agreement; feeling for one another, loving one another like brothers, full of pity, without pride: 9 Not giving back evil for evil, or curse for curse, but in place of cursing, blessing; because this is the purpose of God for you that you may have a heritage of blessing. 10 For it is said, Let the man who has a love of life, desiring to see good days, keep his tongue from evil and his lips from words of deceit: 11 And let him be turned from evil and do good; searching for peace and going after it with all his heart. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the upright, and his ears are open to their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. 13 Who will do you any damage if you keep your minds fixed on what is good? 14 But you are happy if you undergo pain because of righteousness; have no part in their fear and do not be troubled; 15 But give honour to Christ in your hearts as your Lord; and be ready at any time when you are questioned about the hope which is in you, to give an answer in the fear of the Lord and without pride;

16 Being conscious that you have done no wrong; so that those who say evil things about your good way of life as Christians may be put to shame. 17 Because if it is God's purpose for you to undergo pain, it is better to do so for well-doing than for evil-doing.

18 Because Christ once went through pain for sins, the upright one taking the place of sinners, so that through him we might come back to God; being put to death in the flesh, but given life in the Spirit; 19 By whom he went to the spirits in prison, preaching to those 20 Who, in the days of Noah, went against God's orders; but God in his mercy kept back the punishment, while Noah got ready the ark, in which a small number, that is to say eight persons, got salvation through water:

21 And baptism, of which this is an image, now gives you salvation, not by washing clean the flesh, but by making you free from the sense of sin before God, through the coming again of Jesus Christ from the dead; 22 Who has gone into heaven, and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been put under his rule.