Acts viii. 4.

Eph. i. 4.

2 Cor. i. 3.

Heb. ix. 15.

Heb. xii. 7.

James i. 3.

I John iv. 20.

Dan. ix. 3.

2 Pet. i. 21.

Heb. xi. 39.

THE FIRST GENERAL EPISTLE

OF

PETER

PETER, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those
sojourners of the Dispersion in Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who
are elect according to the foreknowledge of GOD
the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, unto
obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus
Christ; grace and peace be multiplied unto you.

BLESSED be the GoD and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the GOD who, according to His
abundant mercy, by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead begot us again unto a living
hope, unto an inheritance incorruptible and un-
defiled and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,
who are guarded by the power of GOD, through
faith, unto a salvation ready to be revealed in
the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice,
though now, for a season (if need be), ye are in
heaviness through manifold trials; that your
tested faith, being much more precious than
gold, which perisheth though it is tested with
fire, may be found unto glory and praise and
honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ; whom
having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now
ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy
unspeakable and full of glory; receiving the end
of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

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Concerning which salvation the prophets who 10 prophesied of the grace which would come to you, diligently inquired and searched; searching II what time, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ which was in them signified, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glories which would follow. And to them it was 12 revealed, that not to themselves but to you they

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ministered the things which are now reported
to you by those who preached the gospel to you Acts ii. 4.
with the Holy Spirit sent forth from heaven-

things into which angels desire to look.

WHEREFORE gird up the loins of your mind, Luke xii. 35. be sober, and hope to the end for the grace

which is to be brought to you at the revelation

14 of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not fashion- Rom. xii. 2. ing yourselves according to the former lusts of

15 your ignorance; but as he who called you is

holy, so become ye holy in all your behaviour; Lev. xi. 44. 16 because it is written, "Ye shall be holy; for I

am holy."

17 And if ye call on the Father, who without re- Phil. ii. 12. spect of persons judgeth according to each man's work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear; 18 knowing that ye were redeemed not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain course of life received by tradition from 19 your fathers; but with the precious blood of John i. 29. Christ, as of a lamb without spot and without

20 blemish; who verily was foreordained before the

foundation of the world, but was manifested at

21 the end of the times, for the sake of you who Matt. xxviii. 18. through him are believers in GOD who raised him '

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from the dead, and gave him glory; that your

faith and hope might be in GOD.

Seeing that ye have purified your souls in 1 John iii. 14. obeying the truth, unto unfeigned love of the

brethren, love each other from the heart fer

23 vently; having been born again, not from cor- John i. 13. ruptible seed, but from incorruptible, through

24 the living and abiding word of GOD, For,

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"All flesh is as grass,

And all the glory of it is as the flower of
grass.

The grass withered,

And the flower fell away;

But the word of the LORD abideth for ever."

And this is the word which by the gospel is 2 Pet. i. 19. preached unto you.

WHEREFORE putting away all wickedness and

all guile, and hypocrisies and envies, and all evil Matt. xviii. 3. 2 speakings, desire, as new-born babes, the pure milk of the mind, that ye may grow thereby

Psa. xxxiv. 8.
Psa. cxviii. 22.

Isa. xxviii. 16.

Isa. xxviii. 16.

Psa. cxviii. 22.
Matt. xxi. 42.

Isa. viii. 14.

Ex. xix. 6.

Hos. ii. 23.

Psa. cxix. 19.

Matt. v. 16.

Titus ii. 8.

Gal. v. 13.

unto salvation; if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but in God's sight chosen, precious, ye also as living stones are being built up a spiritual house, for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to GOD through Jesus Christ. Wherefore, it is contained in the scripture,

“Behold, I lay in Sion an esect stone, a chief corner stone, precious;

And he who believeth on him shall not be put to shame.”

To you therefore who believe, belongs the honour, but to those who believe not,

and

"The stone which the builders rejected,

The same is made the head of the corner"

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"A stone of stumbling and a rock of offence." For they, being disobedient, stumble at the word; whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own people; that ye may show forth the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light; ye who in 10 time past were not a people, but are now the people of GOD; who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

DEARLY beloved, I beseech you, as strangers II and sojourners, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; observing honour- 12 able behaviour among the Gentiles; that in what matter they speak against you as evildoers, they, because of your good works which they behold, may glorify GOD in the day of visitation.

Submit yourselves to every appointment of 13 man for the Lord's sake; whether it be to the king, as set over us; or to governors, as to those 14 who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of those who do well. For so is the will of GOD, that with well doing 15 ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men; as free, and not using your liberty for a 16 cloak of vice, but as servants of GOD. Honour 17

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Love the brotherhood.

Fear GOD. Pro. xxiv. 21.
John xiii. 35.

all men. Honour the king. 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also 19 to the froward. For this is acceptable, if a man for conscience towards GOD endure grief, suffer20 ing wrongfully. For what merit is there, if when for your faults ye are buffeted ye take it patiently? but if when ye do well and suffer for it Matt. v. 10. ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with GOD. 21 For even hereunto ye were called; because

Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example; that ye should follow the steps of Isa. liii. 9. 22 him who did no sin, neither was deceit found in 23 his mouth; who, when he was reviled, reviled

not in return; when he suffered, threatened not, Luke xxiii. 46. but committed himself to Him who judgeth

24 righteously. And he himself bore our sins in Isa. liii. 12. his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to

sins, should live to righteousness; and by his Isa. liii. 5. 25 stripes ye were healed. For ye were going Psa. cxix. 176. astray as sheep; but have now returned to the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

I Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your Eph. v. 22.
husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they
may without the word be won by the conduct of

2 the wives, as they behold your pure and reverent

3 conduct. Let not your adorning be the out- 1 Tim. ii. 9. ward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wear

4 ing gold or putting on apparel; but rather let it

be the character hidden in the heart, in the im- Psa. xxv. 9.
perishable apparel of the meek and quiet spirit

5 which in the sight of God is of great price. For
thus, in old time, the holy women also who
trusted in GOD adorned themselves, being in

6 subjection to their own husbands; even as Gen. xviii. 12.
Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord; whose
children ye became by doing good and not being

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afraid with any terror.

Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with your wives Pro. xvii. 13. according to knowledge, giving honour to the

woman as to the weaker vessel, as to those who

are joint-heirs of the grace of life; that your
prayers be not hindered.

FINALLY, be ye all of one mind, be compas- 1 John iii. 18.

Matt. v. 44.

Psa. xxxiv. 13.

Pro. xvi. 7.
Isa. viii. 12.

Psa. cxix. 46.

1 Pet. ii. 21.

Gen. vi 3.

Eph. v. 26.

sionate, love as brethren, be tender-hearted, be lowly-minded; not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, but contrariwise, giving a blessing; because ye were hereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

For,

"He who would enjoy life,

And see good days,

Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking guile;

But let him turn aside from evil,

And do good;

Let him seek peace

And follow after it.

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ΙΟ

II

For the eyes of the LORD are over the 12 righteous,

And His ears are open unto their prayer;

But the face of the LORD is against those

who do evil."

And who is he who will harm you if ye be 13 zealous for that which is good? But even if ye 14 suffer for righteousness' sake, blessed are ye. And be not afraid with fear of them, neither be troubled; but sanctify in your hearts the Christ 15 as Lord; being always ready to give an answer to every one who asks you a reason for the hope which is in you; yet with meekness and fear; having a good conscience; that in what matter 16 ye are spoken against, they who falsely accuse your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed.

For, if the will of God be so, it is better that 17 ye suffer for doing good, than for doing evil. For Christ also once died for sins, the righteous 18 on behalf of the unrighteous, that he might bring you to GOD, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also 19 he went and preached to spirits in prison, who 20 one time had been disobedient-when the longsuffering of GOD was waiting in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared, wherein few (that is, eight souls) were saved-through water; which also, after a true type, now saveth 21 you, even baptism (not the putting away of the defilement of the flesh, but the seeking after GOD with a good conscience); through the