The First Letter From

Peter
by
Josh James
© 2011, Josh James. All Rights Reserved.
From Peter (an apostle of Jesus the Messiah),
To the pilgrims who are scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia,
Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen based on Father God’s foreknowledge by
sanctification from the Spirit, so they might be obedient to Jesus the Messiah
and be sprinkled with his blood: may grace and peace be multiplied to you!
Blessed be the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah!
Consistent with his abundant mercy, he has caused us to be reborn
into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah from
the dead. He has caused us to be reborn into an immortal, undefiled,
and unfading inheritance that has been kept in heaven for us (we are
guarded by God’s power through faith, for the salvation that is ready
to be revealed at the end of time). You rejoice because of this, even
though you must now be grieved (for a little while) with various kinds
of trials. This is so that the testing of your faith (It is much more
valuable than gold, which ruins even when it has been tested by fire!)
might be found genuine, resulting in praise, glory, and honor when
Jesus the Messiah is revealed. You love him, even though you have
not seen him. You believe in him now, even though you do not see
him. Furthermore, you rejoice with a joy that is inexpressible and
filled with glory, and you are obtaining the goal of your faith:
salvation of your souls!
The prophets searched and tried to find out about this salvation
when they prophesied about the grace that would come to you. They
tried to find out what person or what time the Spirit of the Messiah
(who was in them) was talking about, when he testified beforehand of
the sufferings to come for the Messiah and the glory to come after
this. It was revealed to them that they performed these duties for
you—not themselves. Now, these things have been proclaimed to
you by those who have preached the Good Message to you by the
Holy Spirit who was sent from heaven. Angels even want to catch a
glimpse of these things!
Therefore, by preparing your mind to run the race and taking
control of yourselves, put your hope completely in the grace that is
being brought to you when Jesus the Messiah is revealed. Act like
obedient children—do not become shaped by your desires, as you did
earlier when you were unaware. On the contrary, just like the one
who called you is holy, you also need to be holy in all of your
conduct, because it is written: “You will be holy, because I am holy.”
Since you call on the Father (who judges without favoritism
consistent with each person’s actions), pass the time of your stay here
with fear. You know that you were not ransomed from the worthless
conduct you inherited from your ancestors with silver or gold. On
the contrary, you were ransomed with the precious blood of the
Messiah—as if from a guiltless and spotless Lamb—who was chosen
even before the creation of the world and revealed in this recent time
for your sakes. You see, through him you believe in God, who raised
him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope
might be in God.
Now that you have purified your lives by obedience to the truth
for genuine brotherly love, love one another enthusiastically with a
pure heart. You have been born again, but not from a decaying seed.
On the contrary, you have been born again from an immortal seed—
by the word of God, who lives and remains! You see:
All flesh is like a field,
And all of its glory is like a flower of the field;
The field has dried up, and the flower has fallen,
But the Master’s word remains forever!
This “word” is what was preached to you! Therefore, put away
all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all slander. Like
newborn infants, you need to long for the pure spiritual milk, so that
with it you may grow into salvation. After all, you have tasted that
the Master is good! Come to him like living stones that indeed have
been rejected by men, but are chosen and precious to God. You are
being built up like living stones into a spiritual house, that you might
be a holy priesthood and offer up spiritual sacrifices through Jesus the
Messiah that are very pleasing to God. So, the Scripture contains:
Look! In Zion I am setting a stone—
A cornerstone that is chosen and precious—
And whoever puts faith in him will not be ashamed!
Therefore, the honor belongs to you who faithful! However,
concerning those who are unfaithful, it says:
The stone that the builders have rejected—
That very one has become the cornerstone.
Also:
It is a stone for tripping and a rock causing offense.
Those who trip by being disobedient to the word are designated
for this purpose. On the other hand, you are a chosen family, a royal
priesthood, a holy country, and a nation created to become God’s
possession, so that you might proclaim the praises of the One who
has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light!
You who were not a nation at one time:
Now you are God’s nation;
You who were not shown mercy:
Now you have received mercy.
Dear loved ones, I beg you as though you were strangers and
pilgrims: stay away from the desires of the body that wage war
against the soul. Behave yourselves well among the nations, so that
even when they slander you as evildoers, after they see your good
actions they might glorify God on the day he intervenes.
Be submissive to every human institution for the Master’s sake—
whether it is to the emperor as the one who has power, or to
governors as those who are sent by him to execute justice on
evildoers and to praise those who do what is good. You see, this is
God’s will—that you might silence the ignorance of foolish people by
doing what is good. Do what is good like it is your free will; do not
use your free will as a cover for your evil actions—behave like God’s
servants! Honor everyone—love the brotherhood, fear God, and
honor the emperor!
Household servants: be submissive to your masters with complete
reverence—not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to
those who are crooked. You see, this means grace: that because of
one’s consciousness of God, someone endures when they unfairly
suffer grief. What glory is there if you sin and endure rough
treatment? On the other hand, if you are doing what is good and you
endure suffering, this amounts to grace with God. You see, you were
called for this reason, because the Messiah also suffered for your
sakes, thus leaving you an example for you to follow in his footprints.
He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.
When he was insulted, he did not insult in return.
When he suffered, he did not threaten.
Rather, he committed his cause to the one who judges fairly.
He himself carried our sins in his body onto the cross,
So that once we were free from sin, we might live for righteousness.
And you are healed by his wounds. You were like wandering sheep,
But now you have returned to the flock and the shepherd of your souls!
Also, wives need to be submissive to their own husbands, so that
if any are disobedient to the word, they might be won over without a
word by the conduct of their wives when they see your reverently
holy conduct. Wives’ adorning must not be focused on outward
things (braided hair, wearing gold, and dressing up), but rather on the
hidden person of the heart (with considerate and quiet spiritual
adorning that does not wear off). This is worth a lot in God’s sight.
You see, at one time, the holy women who put their hope in God
adorned themselves by being submissive to their husbands. For
example, Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him “sir.” You have
become her children by doing what is good and by not being
frightened by what is terrifying.
Likewise, husbands need to dwell understandingly with their
wives as delicate vessels, and show honor, as they are fellow heirs of
the gift of life, so that your prayers might not be hindered.
Now, the goal is for everyone to have unity, sympathy, brotherly
love, compassion, and humility. Do not repay evil with evil or insult
with insult. On the contrary, repay with blessing. You see, you were
called for this reason, so that you might inherit a blessing.
Whoever wants to love life and see good days
Must keep his tongue from speaking evil and his lips from speaking deceit.
He must turn from evil and do what is good.
He must seek peace and pursue it,
Because the eyes of the Master are watching over the righteous,
And his ears are open to their requests,
But the Master’s face is against those who do what is evil.
Furthermore, who will do harm to you if you are enthusiastic for
what is good? Even if you should suffer because of righteousness,
you would be blessed! Do not be afraid of their intimidation or be
troubled by it. On the contrary, set apart the Messiah as Master in
your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who
asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you. However, you must
do this with courtesy and respect, holding on to a good conscience;
then they might be put to shame by the slanders that have been
spoken against you by those who threaten the good conduct that you
do in the Messiah. You see, it is better to suffer because of doing
what is good (if that happens to be God’s will) than to suffer because
of doing what is evil, because one time the Messiah also suffered for
our sins—the righteous for the unrighteous—so that he might lead
you to God as people who have died to the body but are raised to live
for the Spirit. By the Spirit, he also went and preached to the spirits
that were imprisoned (those who were disobedient at the time when
God’s patience waited in the days that Noah was preparing the ark.
Only a few were saved on it by water (that is, eight lives).
Correspondingly, baptism now saves you—not by removing filth
from the body, but by a request for a good conscience that is made to
God through the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. He has gone to
the right hand of God—to heaven—and angels, authorities, and
might have become subjected to him.
Therefore, since the Messiah also suffered in the body, you also
should equip yourselves with the same mindset. You see, whoever
suffers in the body has stopped sinning, so that he might no longer
live his life by the desires of men, but rather by the will of God.
Enough time has been spent accomplishing the intentions of the
Gentiles, who go around taking part in inappropriate behavior,
desires, drinking, partying, boozing, and disgusting idolatry. In this
respect, those who slander you are amazed that you do not rush with
them into the same flood of recklessness as they do. They will give
an account to the one who is ready to judge the living and the dead.
For this reason, it was preached to the dead also, so that although
they are judged in the body like men are, they might also live in the
Spirit like God does!
The end of everything is near, so be sensible and self-controlled in
prayer. More than anything, hold on to an enthusiastic love for one
another, because love covers a large number of sins. Be hospitable
toward one another without complaining. Just as everyone has
received a gift, everyone should use it to serve one another like good
managers of God’s different kinds of grace. If anyone speaks, he
should speak like they are God’s messages. If anyone serves, he
should serve like God has supplied him the strength, so that in every
way God might be glorified through Jesus the Messiah. To him be
the glory and power forever and ever, amen!
Dear loved ones, do not be surprised by the fiery trial that is
coming among you to test you (as though something strange is
happening to you. However, rejoice to the extent that you take part
in the Messiah’s sufferings, so that when his glory appears you might
also rejoice with excitement! If you are mistreated because of the
name of the Messiah, you are blessed, because the glorious Spirit of
God rests on you. You see, none of you should suffer as a murderer,
a thief, an evildoer, or as someone who gets in another person's
business. However, if any of you suffers as a Christian, he should not
be ashamed of it; on the contrary, he should glorify God in that
Name. You see, the time has come for judgment to begin, starting
with God's household. If it starts with us, what will the outcome be
for those who disobey God's Message? "If the righteous is barely
saved, where will the ungodly and sinner appear? Therefore, those
who suffer on account of God's will should also commit their lives to
the faithful Creator by doing what is good.
So as a fellow elder, a witness of the Messiah’s sufferings, and a
partner in the glory that is about to appear, I encourage the elders
who are among you: shepherd God’s flock that is among you. Take
care of them—not out of compulsion, but voluntarily, like God does.
Do not take care of them out of greed; rather, do so out of eagerness.
Do not be an authoritarian over those allotted to you; rather, be
examples to the flock. Then, when the Chief Shepherd appears, you
will receive the unfading crown of glory!
Likewise, young men, be submissive to your elders. All of you
should clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because:
God resists the arrogant, but he gives grace to the humble.
Therefore, humble yourselves under God’s mighty hand, so that
he might lift you up when it is time! Cast your concerns on him,
because he cares about you.
Control yourselves and watch out, because your adversary—the
Devil—is walking around, roaring like a lion seeking whom he might
devour. Resist him by being firm in faith, because you know that the
same sufferings are being experienced by your brotherhood in the
world. However, after you have suffered for a little while, the God of
all grace (who called you into his eternal glory that is in Jesus the
Messiah) will restore you, support you, strengthen you, and establish
you. To him belongs the power forever, amen!
It is through Silas (the faithful brother, as I consider him) that I
have written you about a few things, so that I might encourage you
and affirm that this grace of God (in which you stand) is true. Your
fellow chosen congregation that is in “Babylon” and my son Mark
greet you. Greet one another with a loving kiss. Peace to all of you
who are in the Messiah!
From the translator:

Thank you so much for reading this translation

of the book of First Peter. I hope it has been of help to
your study of God’s word. Be sure to look for other
translated New Testament books as they are finished
and published on this website.

Josh James