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1 Peter 1:3-2:10
New American Bible (Revised Edition)

II. The Gift and Call of God in Baptism

Blessing. 3 [a]Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who in his great mercy gave us a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,(A) 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you(B) 5 who by the power of God are safeguarded through faith, to a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the final time. 6 [b]In this you rejoice, although now for a little while you may have to suffer through various trials,(C) 7 so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold that is perishable even though tested by fire, may prove to be for praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.(D) 8 Although you have not seen him you love him; even though you do not see him now yet believe in him, you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy,(E) 9 as you attain the goal of [your] faith, the salvation of your souls.

10 [c]Concerning this salvation, prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and investigated it, 11 investigating the time and circumstances that the Spirit of Christ within them indicated when it testified in advance to the sufferings destined for Christ and the glories to follow them.(F) 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you with regard to the things that have now been announced to you by those who preached the good news to you [through] the holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels longed to look.

Obedience. 13 [d]Therefore, gird up the loins of your mind,[e] live soberly, and set your hopes completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 Like obedient children, do not act in compliance with the desires of your former ignorance[f] 15 but, as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in every aspect of your conduct,(G) 16 for it is written, “Be holy because I [am] holy.”(H)

Reverence. 17 Now if you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning,(I) 18 realizing that you were ransomed from your futile conduct, handed on by your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold(J) 19 but with the precious blood of Christ(K) as of a spotless unblemished lamb.[g] 20 He was known before the foundation of the world but revealed in the final time for you, 21 who through him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Mutual Love.[h] 22 Since you have purified yourselves by obedience to the truth for sincere mutual love, love one another intensely from a [pure] heart.(L) 23 You have been born anew,(M) not from perishable but from imperishable seed, through the living and abiding word of God,[i] 24 for:

“All flesh is like grass,
    and all its glory like the flower of the field;
the grass withers,
    and the flower wilts;(N)
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

This is the word that has been proclaimed to you.

Chapter 2

God’s House and People. 1 [j]Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander;(O) 2 like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into salvation, 3 (P)for you have tasted that the Lord is good.[k] 4 Come to him, a living stone,[l] rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God,(Q) 5 and, like living stones, let yourselves be built[m] into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.(R) 6 For it says in scripture:

“Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion,
    a cornerstone, chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame.”(S)

7 Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith:

“The stone which the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone,”(T)

8 and

“A stone that will make people stumble,
    and a rock that will make them fall.”

They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny.(U)

9 [n]But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.(V)

10 Once you were “no people”
    but now you are God’s people;
you “had not received mercy”
    but now you have received mercy.(W)

Footnotes

  1. 1:3–5 A prayer of praise and thanksgiving to God who bestows the gift of new life and hope in baptism (new birth, 1 Pt 1:3) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The new birth is a sign of an imperishable inheritance (1 Pt 1:4), of salvation that is still in the future (to be revealed in the final time, 1 Pt 1:5).
  2. 1:6–9 As the glory of Christ’s resurrection was preceded by his sufferings and death, the new life of faith that it bestows is to be subjected to many trials (1 Pt 1:6) while achieving its goal: the glory of the fullness of salvation (1 Pt 1:9) at the coming of Christ (1 Pt 1:7).
  3. 1:10–12 The Spirit of Christ (1 Pt 1:11) is here shown to have been present in the prophets, moving them to search, investigate, and prophesy about the grace of salvation that was to come (1 Pt 1:10), and in the apostles impelling them to preach the fulfillment of salvation in the message of Christ’s sufferings and glory (1 Pt 1:12).
  4. 1:13–25 These verses are concerned with the call of God’s people to holiness and to mutual love by reason of their redemption through the blood of Christ (1 Pt 1:18–21).
  5. 1:13 Gird up the loins of your mind: a figure reminiscent of the rite of Passover when the Israelites were in flight from their oppressors (Ex 12:11), and also suggesting the vigilance of the Christian people in expectation of the parousia of Christ (Lk 12:35).
  6. 1:14–16 The ignorance here referred to (1 Pt 1:14) was their former lack of knowledge of God, leading inevitably to godless conduct. Holiness (1 Pt 1:15–16), on the contrary, is the result of their call to the knowledge and love of God.
  7. 1:19 Christians have received the redemption prophesied by Isaiah (Is 52:3), through the blood (Jewish symbol of life) of the spotless lamb (Is 53:7, 10; Jn 1:29; Rom 3:24–25; cf. 1 Cor 6:20).
  8. 1:22–25 The new birth of Christians (1 Pt 1:23) derives from Christ, the imperishable seed or sowing that produces a new and lasting existence in those who accept the gospel (1 Pt 1:24–25), with the consequent duty of loving one another (1 Pt 1:22).
  9. 1:23 The living and abiding word of God: or, “the word of the living and abiding God.”
  10. 2:1–3 Growth toward salvation is seen here as two steps: first, stripping away all that is contrary to the new life in Christ; second, the nourishment (pure spiritual milk) that the newly baptized have received.
  11. 2:3 Tasted that the Lord is good: cf. Ps 34:9.
  12. 2:4–8 Christ is the cornerstone (cf. Is 28:16) that is the foundation of the spiritual edifice of the Christian community (1 Pt 2:5). To unbelievers, Christ is an obstacle and a stumbling block on which they are destined to fall (1 Pt 2:8); cf. Rom 11:11.
  13. 2:5 Let yourselves be built: the form of the Greek word could also be indicative passive, “you are being built” (cf. 1 Pt 2:9).
  14. 2:9–10 The prerogatives of ancient Israel mentioned here are now more fully and fittingly applied to the Christian people: “a chosen race” (cf. Is 43:20–21) indicates their divine election (Eph 1:4–6); “a royal priesthood” (cf. Ex 19:6) to serve and worship God in Christ, thus continuing the priestly functions of his life, passion, and resurrection; “a holy nation” (Ex 19:6) reserved for God, a people he claims for his own (cf. Mal 3:17) in virtue of their baptism into his death and resurrection. This transcends all natural and national divisions and unites the people into one community to glorify the one who led them from the darkness of paganism to the light of faith in Christ. From being “no people” deprived of all mercy, they have become the very people of God, the chosen recipients of his mercy (cf. Hos 1:9; 2:25).
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New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)

Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.