The Book of 1st Peter
Chapter 1
1Peter an Apostle of Iesus Christ, to the strangers scattred thorowout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
2Elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit vnto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ: Grace vnto you and peace be multiplied.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten vs againe vnto a liuely hope, by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead,
4To an inheritance incorruptible, and vndefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserued in heauen for you,
5Who are kept by the power of God through faith vnto saluation, ready to be reuealed in the last time.
6Wherin ye greatly reioyce, though now for a season (if neede bee) yee are in heauinesse through manifolde temptations:
7That the triall of your faith, being much more precious then of golde that perisheth, though it bee tryed with fire, might be found vnto praise, and honor, and glory, at the appearing of Iesus Christ:
8Whom hauing not seene, yee loue, in whom though now ye see him not, yet beleeuing, ye reioyce with ioy vnspeakeable, and full of glory,
9Receiuing the ende of your faith, euen the saluation of your soules:
10Of which saluation the Prophets haue inquired, and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come vnto you,
11Searching what, or what maner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signifie, when it testified beforehand the suffrings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
12Unto whome it was reuealed, that not vnto themselues, but vnto vs, they did minister the things which are now reported vnto you, by them that haue preached the Gospel vnto you, with the holy Ghost sent downe from heauen, which things the Angels desire to looke into.
13Wherefore gird vp the loynes of your minde, bee sober, and hope to the end, for the grace that is to bee brought vnto you at the reuelation of Iesus Christ:
14As obedient children, not fashioning your selues according to the former lusts, in your ignorance:
15But as hee which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all maner of conuersation;
16Because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.
17And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons iudgeth according to euery mans worke, passe the time of your soiourning here in feare:
18For as much as ye know that yee were not redeemed with corruptible things, as siluer and golde, from your vaine conuersation receiued by tradition from your fathers;
19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lambe without blemish and without spot,
20Who verily was foreordeined before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you.
21Who by him do beleeue in God that raised him vp from the dead, and gaue him glorie, that your faith and hope might be in God.
22Seeing yee haue purified your soules in obeying the truth through the Spirit, vnto vnfained loue of the brethren: see that ye loue one another with a pure heart feruently,
23Being borne againe, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God which liueth and abideth for euer.
24For all flesh is as grasse, and all the glory of man as the flowre of grasse: the grasse withereth, and the flowre thereof falleth away.
25But the word of the Lord endureth for euer: & this is the word which by the Gospel is preached vnto you.
Chapter 2
1Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and enuies, and euill speakings,
2As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the word, that ye may grow thereby,
3If so bee yee haue tasted that the Lord is gracious.
4To whom comming as vnto a liuing Stone, disallowed in deed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
5Ye also as liuely stones, are built vp a spirituall house, an holy Priesthood to offer vp spirituall sacrifice, acceptable to God by Iesus Christ.
6Wherefore it is conteined in the Scripture, Beholde, I lay in Sion a chiefe corner stone, elect, precious, and he that beleeueth on him, shall not be confounded.
7Unto you therfore which beleeue hee is precious; but vnto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
8And a Stone of stumbling, and a Rocke of offence, euen to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed.
9But yee are a chosen generation, a royall Priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people, that yee should shewe forth the praises of him, who hath called you out of darknes into his marueilous light:
10Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obteined mercie, but now haue obteined mercy.
11Dearely beloued, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrimes, abstaine from fleshly lusts, which warre against the soule,
12Hauing your conuersation honest among the Gentiles, that whereas they speake against you as euill doers, they may by your good works which they shall behold, glorifie God in the day of visitation.
13Submit your selues to euery ordinance of man for the Lordes sake, whether it be to the King, as supreme,
14Or vnto gouernours, as vnto them that are sent by him, for the punishment of euil doers, and for the praise of them that doe well.
15For so is the will of God, that with well doing yee may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.
16As free, and not vsing your libertie for a cloake of maliciousnesse, but as the seruants of God.
17Honour all men. Loue the brotherhood. Feare God. Honour the King.
18Seruants, be subiect to your masters with al feare, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
19For this is thanke-worthie, if a man for conscience toward God endure griefe, suffering wrongfully.
20For what glory is it, if when yee be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently: but if when yee doe well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God.
21For euen hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for vs, leauing vs an example, that yee should follow his steps.
22Who did no sinne, neither was guile found in his mouth.
23Who when hee was reuiled, reuiled not againe; when hee suffered, hee threatned not, but committed himselfe to him that iudgeth righteously.
24Who his owne selfe bare our sinnes in his owne body on the tree, that wee being dead to sinnes, should liue vnto righteousnesse, by whose stripes ye were healed.
25For yee were as sheepe going astray, but are now returned vnto the shepheard and Bishop of your soules.
Chapter 3
1Likewise, ye wiues, be in subiection to your owne husbands, that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be wonne by the conuersation of the wiues:
2While they beholde your chaste conuersation coupled with feare:
3Whose adorning, let it not bee that outward adorning, of plaiting the haire, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparell.
4But let it bee the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, euen the ornament of a meeke and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.
5For after this manner in the olde time, the holy women also who trusted in God adorned themselues, beeing in subiection vnto their owne husbands.
6Euen as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, whose daughters ye are as long as ye doe well, and are not afraid with any amazement.
7Likewise ye husbands, dwel with them according to knowledge, giuing honour vnto the wife as vnto the weaker vessel, and as being heires together of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered.
8Finally be ye all of one minde, hauing compassion one of another, loue as brethren, be pitifull, be courteous,
9Not rendring euill for euill, or railing for railing: but contrarywise blessing, knowing that yee are thereunto called, that ye should inherite a blessing.
10For hee that will loue life, and see good dayes, let him refraine his tongue from euil, and his lips that they speake no guile:
11Let him eschew euil and do good, let him seeke peace and ensue it.
12For the eyes of the Lord are ouer the righteous, and his eares are open vnto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that doe euill.
13And who is hee that will harme you, if ye bee followers of that which is good?
14But and if ye suffer for righteousnes sake, happy are ye, and be not afraid of their terrour, neither be troubled:
15But sanctifie the Lord God in your hearts, & be ready alwayes to giue an answere to euery man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekenesse and feare:
16Hauing a good conscience, that whereas they speake euill of you, as of euill doers, they may bee ashamed that falsly accuse your good conuersation in Christ.
17For it is better, if the will of God be so, that yee suffer for well doing, then for euill doing.
18For Christ also hath once suffered for sinnes, the iust for the vniust, that he might bring vs to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.
19By which also he went and preached vnto the spirits in prison,
20Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the dayes of Noah, while the Arke was a preparing: wherein few, that is, eight soules were saued by water.
21The like figure whereunto, euen Baptisme, doth also now saue vs, (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answere of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Iesus Christ.
22Who is gone into heauen, and is on the right hand of God, Angels, and authorities, and powers being made subiect vnto him.
Chapter 4
1For asmuch then as Christ hath suffered for vs in the flesh, arme your selues likewise with the same minde: for hee that hath suffered in the flesh, hath ceassed from sinne:
2That he no longer should liue the rest of his time in the flesh, to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
3For the time past of our life may suffice vs to haue wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciuiousnes, lusts, excesse of wine, reuellings, banquetings, and abhominable idolatries.
4Wherein they thinke it strange, that you runne not with them to the same excesse of riot, speaking euil of you:
5Who shal giue accompt to him that is ready to iudge the quicke & the dead.
6For, for this cause was the Gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might bee iudged according to men in the flesh, but liue according to God in the spirit.
7But the ende of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober and watch vnto prayer.
8And aboue all things haue feruent charitie among your selues: for charity shall couer the multitude of sinnes.
9Use hospitalitie one to another without grudging.
10As euery man hath receiued the gift, euen so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11If any man speake, let him speake as the oracles of God: if any man minister, let him doe it as of the ability which God giueth, that God in all things may bee glorified through Iesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for euer and euer. Amen.
12Beloued, thinke it not strange concerning the fiery triall, which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened vnto you.
13But reioyce in as much as yee are partakers of Christes sufferings; that when his glory shalbe reueiled, ye may be glad also with exceeding ioy.
14If ye be reproched for the Name of Christ, happie are ye, for the spirit of glory, and of God resteth vpon you: on their part hee is euill spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.
15But let none of you suffer as a murtherer, or as a theefe, or as an euill doer, or as a busibody in other mens matters.
16Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorifie God on this behalfe.
17For the time is come that iudgement must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at vs, what shall the ende bee of them that obey not the Gospel of God?
18And if the righteous scarcely be saued, where shall the vngodly and the sinner appeare?
19Wherfore, let them that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their soules to him in well doing, as vnto a faithfull Creator.
Chapter 5
1The Elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an Elder, and a witnesse of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be reuealed.
2Feede the flocke of God which is among you, taking the ouersight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly: not for filthy lucre, but of a ready minde:
3Neither as being lords ouer Gods heritage: but being ensamples to the flocke.
4And when the chiefe shepheard shall appeare, ye shall receiue a crowne of glory that fadeth not away.
5Likewise ye yonger, submit your selues vnto the elder: yea, all of you bee subiect one to another, and bee clothed with humilitie: for God resisteth the proud, and giueth grace to the humble.
6Humble yourselues therefore vnder the mighty hand of God, that hee may exalt you in due time,
7Casting all your care vpon him, for he careth for you.
8Be sober, be vigilant: because your aduersary the deuill, as a roaring Lion walketh about, seeking whom he may deuoure.
9Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
10But the God of all grace who hath called vs into his eternall glory by Christ Iesus, after that ye haue suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
11To him bee glory and dominion for euer and euer. Amen.
12By Syluanus a faithfull brother vnto you, (as I suppose) I haue written briefly, exhorting, & testifying, that this is the true grace of God wherein ye stand.
13The Church that is at Babylon elected, together with you, saluteth you, and so doth Marcus my sonne.
14Greete yee one another with a kisse of charity: Peace bee with you all that are in Christ Iesus. Amen.