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1ST
PETER
CHAPTER
1
1
Peter an Apostle of Iesus Christ, to the strangers scattred thorowout
Pontus
,
Galatia
, Cappadocia, Asia, and
Bithynia
,
2 Elect, 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.
3 Blessed 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,
4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and vndefiled, and that fadeth not away,
reserued in heauen for you,
5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith vnto saluation, ready to be
reuealed in the last time.
6 Wherin ye greatly reioyce, though now for a season (if neede bee) yee are in
heauinesse through manifolde temptations:
7 That 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:
8 Whom hauing not seene, yee loue, in whom though now ye see him not, yet
beleeuing, ye reioyce with ioy vnspeakeable, and full of glory,
9 Receiuing the ende of your faith, euen the saluation of your soules:
10 Of which saluation the Prophets haue inquired, and searched diligently, who
prophesied of the grace that should come vnto you,
11 Searching 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.
12 Unto 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.
13 Wherefore 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:
14 As obedient children, not fashioning your selues according to the former
lusts, in your ignorance:
15 But as hee which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all maner of
conuersation;
16 Because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.
17 And 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:
18 For 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;
19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lambe without blemish and
without spot,
20 Who verily was foreordeined before the foundation of the world, but was
manifest in these last times for you.
21 Who 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.
22 Seeing 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,
23 Being borne againe, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the
word of God which liueth and abideth for euer.
24 For 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.
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for euer: & this is the word which by
the Gospel is preached vnto you.
CHAPTER
2
1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and enuies,
and euill speakings,
2 As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the word, that ye may grow
thereby,
3 If so bee yee haue tasted that the Lord is gracious.
4 To whom comming as vnto a liuing Stone, disallowed in deed of men, but chosen
of God, and precious,
5 Ye also as liuely stones, are built vp a spirituall house, an holy Priesthood
to offer vp spirituall sacrifice, acceptable to God by Iesus Christ.
6 Wherefore 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.
7 Unto 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,
8 And a Stone of stumbling, and a Rocke of offence, euen to them which stumble
at the word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed.
9 But 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:
10 Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which
had not obteined mercie, but now haue obteined mercy.
11 Dearely beloued, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrimes, abstaine from
fleshly lusts, which warre against the soule,
12 Hauing 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.
13 Submit your selues to euery ordinance of man for the Lordes sake, whether it
be to the King, as supreme,
14 Or 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.
15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing yee may put to silence the
ignorance of foolish men.
16 As free, and not vsing your libertie for a cloake of maliciousnesse, but as
the seruants of God.
17 Honour all men. Loue the brotherhood. Feare God. Honour the King.
18 Seruants, be subiect to your masters with al feare, not only to the good and
gentle, but also to the froward.
19 For this is thanke-worthie, if a man for conscience toward God endure griefe,
suffering wrongfully.
20 For 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.
21 For euen hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for vs,
leauing vs an example, that yee should follow his steps.
22 Who did no sinne, neither was guile found in his mouth.
23 Who when hee was reuiled, reuiled not againe; when hee suffered, hee
threatned not, but committed himselfe to him that iudgeth righteously.
24 Who 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.
25 For yee were as sheepe going astray, but are now returned vnto the shepheard
and Bishop of your soules.
CHAPTER
3
1 Likewise, 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:
2 While they beholde your chaste conuersation coupled with feare:
3 Whose adorning, let it not bee that outward adorning, of plaiting the haire,
and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparell.
4 But 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.
5 For after this manner in the olde time, the holy women also who trusted in God
adorned themselues, beeing in subiection vnto their owne husbands.
6 Euen as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him Lord, whose daughters ye are as long
as ye doe well, and are not afraid with any amazement.
7 Likewise 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.
8 Finally be ye all of one minde, hauing compassion one of another, loue as
brethren, be pitifull, be courteous,
9 Not rendring euill for euill, or railing for railing: but contrarywise
blessing, knowing that yee are thereunto called, that ye should inherite a
blessing.
10 For hee that will loue life, and see good dayes, let him refraine his tongue
from euil, and his lips that they speake no guile:
11 Let him eschew euil and do good, let him seeke peace and ensue it.
12 For 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.
13 And who is hee that will harme you, if ye bee followers of that which is
good?
14 But and if ye suffer for righteousnes sake, happy are ye, and be not afraid
of their terrour, neither be troubled:
15 But 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:
16 Hauing 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.
17 For it is better, if the will of God be so, that yee suffer for well doing,
then for euill doing.
18 For 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.
19 By which also he went and preached vnto the spirits in prison,
20 Which 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.
21 The 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.
22 Who is gone into heauen, and is on the right hand of God, Angels, and
authorities, and powers being made subiect vnto him.
CHAPTER
4
1 For 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:
2 That he no longer should liue the rest of his time in the flesh, to the lusts
of men, but to the will of God.
3 For 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.
4 Wherein they thinke it strange, that you runne not with them to the same
excesse of riot, speaking euil of you:
5 Who shal giue accompt to him that is ready to iudge the quicke & the dead.
6 For, 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.
7 But the ende of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober and watch vnto
prayer.
8 And aboue all things haue feruent charitie among your selues: for charity
shall couer the multitude of sinnes.
9 Use hospitalitie one to another without grudging.
10 As euery man hath receiued the gift, euen so minister the same one to
another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
11 If 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.
12 Beloued, thinke it not strange concerning the fiery triall, which is to try
you, as though some strange thing happened vnto you.
13 But 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.
14 If 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.
15 But 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.
16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him
glorifie God on this behalfe.
17 For 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?
18 And if the righteous scarcely be saued, where shall the vngodly and the
sinner appeare?
19 Wherfore, 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
1 The 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.
2 Feede 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:
3 Neither as being lords ouer Gods heritage: but being ensamples to the flocke.
4 And when the chiefe shepheard shall appeare, ye shall receiue a crowne of
glory that fadeth not away.
5 Likewise 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.
6 Humble yourselues therefore vnder the mighty hand of God, that hee may exalt
you in due time,
7 Casting all your care vpon him, for he careth for you.
8 Be sober, be vigilant: because your aduersary the deuill, as a roaring Lion
walketh about, seeking whom he may deuoure.
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are
accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.
10 But 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.
11 To him bee glory and dominion for euer and euer. Amen.
12 By 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.
13 The Church that is at
Babylon
elected, together with you, saluteth you, and so doth Marcus my sonne.
14 Greete yee one another with a kisse of charity: Peace bee with you all that
are in Christ Iesus. Amen.
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