1 Peter 1:1 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.
2 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.
3 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,
4 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.
5 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.
6 So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.
7 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.
8 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.
9 The reward for trusting Him will be the salvation of your souls.
10 This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you.
11 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.
12 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.
13 So think clearly and exercise self-control. Look forward to the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world.
14 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.
15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.
16 For the Scriptures say, "You must be holy because I am holy."
17 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 as "foreigners in the land."
18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver.
19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.
20 God chose Him as your ransom long before the world began, but He has now revealed Him to you in these last days.
21 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.
22 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. Love each other deeply with all your heart.
23 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.
24 As the Scriptures say, "People are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades.
25 But the word of the Lord remains forever." And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.
1P. 2:1 So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech.
2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment,
3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord's kindness.
4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God's temple. He was rejected by people, but He was chosen by God for great honor.
5 And you are living stones that God is building into His spiritual temple. What's more, you are His holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.
6 As the Scriptures say, "I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced."
7 Yes, you who trust Him recognize the honor God has given Him. But for those who reject Him, "The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone."
8 And, "He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they do not obey God's word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.
9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into His wonderful light.
10 "Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God's people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God's mercy."
11 Dear friends, I warn you as "temporary residents and foreigners" to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.
12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when He judges the world.
13 For the Lord's sake, respect all human authority-whether the king as head of state,
14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.
15 It is God's will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you.
16 For you are free, yet you are God's slaves, so don't use your freedom as an excuse to do evil.
17 Respect everyone, and love your Christian brothers and sisters. Fear God, and respect the king.
18 You who are slaves must accept the authority of your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you-not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.
19 For God is pleased with you when you do what you know is right and patiently endure unfair treatment.
20 Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you.
21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps.
22 He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone.
23 He did not retaliate when He was insulted, nor threaten revenge when He suffered. He left His case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly.
24 He personally carried our sins in His body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed.
25 Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.
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Psalms 58:1 For the choir director: A psalm of David, to be sung to the tune "Do Not Destroy!" Justice-do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge the people fairly?
2 No! You plot injustice in your hearts. You spread violence throughout the land.
3 These wicked people are born sinners; even from birth they have lied and gone their own way.
4 They spit venom like deadly snakes; they are like cobras that refuse to listen,
5 ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers, no matter how skillfully they play.
6 Break off their fangs, O God! Smash the jaws of these lions, O LORD!
7 May they disappear like water into thirsty ground. Make their weapons useless in their hands.
8 May they be like snails that dissolve into slime, like a stillborn child who will never see the sun.
9 God will sweep them away, both young and old, faster than a pot heats over burning thorns.
10 The godly will rejoice when they see injustice avenged. They will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Then at last everyone will say, "There truly is a reward for those who live for God; surely there is a God who judges justly here on earth."
Ps. 59:1 For the choir director: A psalm of David, regarding the time Saul sent soldiers to watch David's house in order to kill him. To be sung to the tune "Do Not Destroy!" Rescue me from my enemies, O God. Protect me from those who have come to destroy me.
2 Rescue me from these criminals; save me from these murderers.
3 They have set an ambush for me. Fierce enemies are out there waiting, LORD, though I have not sinned or offended them.
4 I have done nothing wrong, yet they prepare to attack me. Wake up! See what is happening and help me!
5 O LORD God of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, wake up and punish those hostile nations. Show no mercy to wicked traitors. Interlude
6 They come out at night, snarling like vicious dogs as they prowl the streets.
7 Listen to the filth that comes from their mouths; their words cut like swords. "After all, who can hear us?" they sneer.
8 But LORD, You laugh at them. You scoff at all the hostile nations.
9 You are my strength; I wait for You to rescue me, for You, O God, are my fortress.
10 In His unfailing love, my God will stand with me. He will let me look down in triumph on all my enemies.
11 Don't kill them, for my people soon forget such lessons; stagger them with Your power, and bring them to
12 Because of the sinful things they say, because of the evil that is on their lips, let them be captured by their pride, their curses, and their lies.
13 Destroy them in Your anger! Wipe them out completely! Then the whole world will know that God reigns in Israel. Interlude
14 My enemies come out at night, snarling like vicious dogs as they prowl the streets.
15 They scavenge for food but go to sleep unsatisfied.
16 But as for me, I will sing about Your power. Each morning I will sing with joy about Your unfailing love. For You have been my refuge, a place of safety when I am in distress.
17 O my Strength, to You I sing praises, for You, O God, are my refuge, the God who shows me unfailing love.
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