| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the elect who are exiles of the Dispersion throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, chosen | 1This 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. |
| 2according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by His blood: Grace and peace be yours in abundance. | 2God 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. The Hope of Eternal Life |
| 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, | 3All 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, |
| 4and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, | 4and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. |
| 5who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. | 5And 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. |
| 6In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in various trials | 6So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. |
| 7so that the proven character of your faith—more precious than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. | 7These 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. |
| 8Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy, | 8You 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. |
| 9now that you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. | 9The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. |
| 10Concerning this salvation, the prophets who foretold the grace to come to you searched and investigated carefully, | 10This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. |
| 11trying to determine the time and setting to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. | 11They 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. |
| 12It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, when they foretold the things now announced by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things. | 12They 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. A Call to Holy Living |
| 13Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. | 13So 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. |
| 14As obedient children, do not conform to the passions of your former ignorance. | 14So 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. |
| 15But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do, | 15But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. |
| 16for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” | 16For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.” |
| 17Since you call on a Father who judges each one’s work impartially, conduct yourselves in reverent fear during your stay as foreigners. | 17And 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.” |
| 18For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, | 18For 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. |
| 19but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot. | 19It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. |
| 20He was known before the foundation of the world, but was revealed in the last times for your sake. | 20God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. |
| 21Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him; and so your faith and hope are in God. | 21Through 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. |
| 22Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart. | 22You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. |
| 23For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. | 23For 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. |
| 24For, “All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, | 24As the Scriptures say, “People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. |
| 25but the word of the Lord stands forever.” And this is the word that was proclaimed to you. | 25But the word of the Lord remains forever.” And that word is the Good News that was preached to you. |
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