Dec 24 - 1 Peter 1-5
1 Peter
1Peter, Apostle of Jesus Christ, to the newly-arrived elect of the dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia2in accord with the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, with the obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied for you3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy has regenerated us into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead4unto an incorruptible and undefiled and unfading inheritance, which is reserved for you in heaven5By the power of God, you are guarded through faith for a salvation which is ready to be revealed in the end time6In this, you should exult, if now, for a brief time, it is necessary to be made sorrowful by various trials7so that the testing of your faith, which is much more precious than gold tested by fire, may be found in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ8For though you have not seen him, you love him. In him also, though you do not see him, you now believe. And in believing, you shall exult with an inexpressible and glorious joy9returning with the goal of your faith, the salvation of souls10About this salvation, the prophets inquired and diligently searched, those who prophesied about the future grace in you11inquiring as to what type of condition was signified to them by the Spirit of Christ, when foretelling those sufferings that are in Christ, as well as the subsequent glories12To them, it was revealed that they were ministering, not for themselves, but for you those things which have now been announced to you through those who have preached the Gospel to you, through the Holy Spirit, who was sent down from heaven to the One upon whom the Angels desire to gaze13For this reason, gird the waist of your mind, be sober, and hope perfectly in the grace that is offered to you in the revelation of Jesus Christ14Be like sons of obedience, not conforming to the desires of your former ignorance15but in accord with him who has called you: the Holy One. And in every behavior, you yourself must be holy16for it is written: "You shall be holy, for I am Holy.17And if you invoke as Father him who, without showing favoritism to persons, judges according to each one’s work, then act in fear during the time of your sojourning here18For you know that it was not with corruptible gold or silver that you were redeemed away from your useless behavior in the traditions of your fathers19but it was with the precious blood of Christ, an immaculate and undefiled lamb20foreknown, certainly, before the foundation of the world, and made manifest in these latter times for your sake21Through him, you have been faithful to God, who raised him up from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope would be in God22So chastise your souls with the obedience of charity, in fraternal love, and love one another from a simple heart, attentively23For you have been born again, not from corruptible seed, but from what is incorruptible, from the Word of God, living and remaining for all eternity24For all flesh is like the grass and all its glory is like the flower of the grass. The grass withers and its flower falls away25But the Word of the Lord endures for eternity. And this is the Word that has been evangelized to you
1Therefore, set aside all malice and all deceitfulness, as well as falseness and envy and every detraction2Like newborn infants, desire the milk of reasonableness without guile, so that by this you may increase unto salvation3if it is true that you have tasted that the Lord is sweet4And approaching him as if he were a living stone, rejected by men, certainly, but elect and honored by God5be also yourselves like living stones, built upon him, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, so as to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ6Because of this, Scripture asserts: "Behold, I am setting in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious. And whoever will have believed in him will not be confounded.7Therefore, to you who believe, he is honor. But to those who do not believe, the stone which the builders have rejected, the same has been made into the head of the corner8and a stone of offense, and a rock of scandal, to those who are offended by the Word; neither do they believe, though they also have been built upon him9But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, an acquired people, so that you may announce the virtues of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light10Though in past times you were not a people, yet now you are the people of God. Though you had not obtained mercy, yet now you have obtained mercy11Most beloved, I beg you, as new arrivals and sojourners, to abstain from carnal desires, which battle against the soul12Keep your behavior among the Gentiles to what is good, so that, when they slander you as if you were evildoers, they may, by the good works that are seen in you, glorify God on the day of visitation13Therefore, be subject to every human creature because of God, whether it is to the king as preeminent14or to leaders as having been sent from him for vindication over evildoers, it is truly for the praise of what is good15For such is the will of God, that by doing good you may bring about the silence of imprudent and ignorant men16in an open manner, and not as if cloaking malice with liberty, but like servants of God17Honor everyone. Love brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king18Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and meek, but also to the unruly19For this is grace: when, because of God, a man willingly endures sorrows, suffering injustice20For what glory is there, if you sin and then suffer a beating? But if you do well and suffer patiently, this is grace with God21For you have been called to this because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in his footsteps22He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth23And when evil was spoken against him, he did not speak evil. When he suffered, he did not threaten. Then he handed himself over to him who judged him unjustly24He himself bore our sins in his body upon the tree, so that we, having died to sin, would live for justice. By his wounds, you have been healed25For you were like wandering sheep. But now you have been turned back toward the Pastor and the Bishop of your souls
1Similarly also, wives should be subject to their husbands, so that, even if some do not believe the Word, they may benefit without the Word, through the behavior of these wives2as they consider with fear your chaste behavior3For you, there should be no unnecessary adornment of the hair, or surrounding with gold, or the wearing of ornate clothing4Instead, you should be a hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptibility of a quiet and a meek spirit, rich in the sight of God5For in this way, in past times also, holy women adorned themselves, hoping in God, being subject to their own husbands6For so Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. You are her daughters, well-behaved and unafraid of any disturbance7Similarly, you husbands should live with them in accord with knowledge, bestowing honor on the female as the weaker vessel and as co-heirs of the life of grace, so that your prayers may not be hindered8And finally, may you all be of one mind: compassionate, loving brotherhood, merciful, meek, humble9not repaying evil with evil, nor slander with slander, but, to the contrary, repaying with blessings. For to this you have been called, so that you may possess the inheritance of a blessing10For whoever wants to love life and to see good days should restrain his tongue from evil, and his lips, so that they utter no deceit11Let him turn away from evil, and do good. Let him seek peace, and pursue it12For the eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and his ears are with their prayers, but the countenance of the Lord is upon those who do evil13And who is it who can harm you, if you are zealous in what is good14And yet, even when you suffer something for the sake of justice, you are blessed. So then, do not be afraid with their fear, and do not be disturbed15But sanctify Christ the Lord in your hearts, being always ready to give an explanation to all who ask you the reason for that hope which is in you16But do so with meekness and fear, having a good conscience, so that, in whatever matter they may slander you, they shall be confounded, since they falsely accuse your good behavior in Christ17For it is better to suffer for doing good, if it is the will of God, than for doing evil18For Christ also died once for our sins, the Just One on behalf of the unjust, so that he might offer us to God, having died, certainly, in the flesh, but having been enlivened by the Spirit19And in the Spirit, he preached to those who were in prison, going to those soul20who had been unbelieving in past times, while they waited for the patience of God, as in the days of Noah, when the ark was being built. In that ark, a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water21And now you also are saved, in a similar manner, by baptism, not by the testimony of sordid flesh, but by the examination of a good conscience in God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ22He is at the right hand of God, devouring death, so that we may be made heirs to eternal life. And since he has journeyed to heaven, the Angels and powers and virtues are subject to him
1Since Christ has suffered in the flesh, you also should be armed with the same intention. For he who suffers in the flesh desists from sin2so that now he may live, for the remainder of his time in the flesh, not by the desires of men, but by the will of God3For the time that has passed is sufficient to have fulfilled the will of the Gentiles, those who have walked in luxuries, lusts, intoxication, feasting, drinking, and the illicit worship of idols4About this, they wonder why you do not rush with them into the same confusion of indulgences, blaspheming5But they must render an account to him who is prepared to judge the living and the dead6For because of this, the Gospel was also preached to the dead, so that they might be judged, certainly, just like men in the flesh, yet also, so that they might live according to God, in the Spirit7But the end of everything draws near. And so, be prudent, and be vigilant in your prayers8But, before all things, have a constant mutual charity among yourselves. For love covers a multitude of sins9Show hospitality to one another without complaining10Just as each of you has received grace, minister in the same way to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God11When anyone speaks, it should be like words of God. When anyone ministers, it should be from the virtue that God provides, so that in all things God may be honored through Jesus Christ. To him is glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen12Most beloved, do not choose to sojourn in the passion which is a temptation to you, as if something new might happen to you13But instead, commune in the Passion of Christ, and be glad that, when his glory will be revealed, you too may rejoice with exultation14If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you will be blessed, because that which is of the honor, glory, and power of God, and that which is of his Spirit, rests upon you15But let none of you suffer for being a murderer, or a thief, or a slanderer, or one who covets what belongs to another16But if one of you suffers for being a Christian, he should not be ashamed. Instead, he should glorify God in that name17For it is time that judgment begin at the house of God. And if it is first from us, what shall be the end of those who do not believe the Gospel of God18And if the just man will scarcely be saved, where will the impious and the sinner appear19Therefore, too, let those who suffer according to the will of God commend their souls by good deeds to the faithful Creator
1Therefore, I beg the elders who are among you, as one who is also an elder and a witness of the Passion of Christ, who also shares in that glory which is to be revealed in the future2pasture the flock of God that is among you, providing for it, not as a requirement, but willingly, in accord with God, and not for the sake of tainted profit, but freely3not so as to dominate by means of the clerical state, but so as to be formed into a flock from the heart4And when the Leader of pastors will have appeared, you shall secure an unfading crown of glory5Similarly, young persons, be subject to the elders. And infuse all humility among one another, for God resists the arrogant, but to the humble he gives grace6And so, be humbled under the powerful hand of God, so that he may exalt you in the time of visitation7Cast all your cares upon him, for he takes care of you8Be sober and vigilant. For your adversary, the devil, is like a roaring lion, traveling around and seeking those whom he might devour9Resist him by being strong in faith, being aware that the same passions afflict those who are your brothers in the world10But the God of all grace, who has called us to his eternal glory in Christ Jesus, will himself perfect, confirm, and establish us, after a brief time of suffering11To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen12I have written briefly, through Sylvanus, whom I consider to be a faithful brother to you, begging and testifying that this is the true grace of God, in which you have been established13The Church which is in Babylon, elect together with you, greets you, as does my son, Mark14Greet one another with a holy kiss. Grace be to all of you who are in Christ Jesus. Amen