1 Peter 1
New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel
1 Peter chapter 1 is given here in full, verse by verse, in the English Majority Text Version (EMTV), with the Byzantine Majority Text set beneath each verse. The text follows the Byzantine textual tradition used in the Orthodox Church.
3 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint Maximus the Confessor.
1 Peter 1
Greeting
1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the elect sojourners of the Dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,Πέτρος, ἀπόστολος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐκλεκτοῖς παρεπιδήμοις διασπορᾶς Πόντου, Γαλατίας, Καππαδοκίας, Ἀσίας καὶ Βιθυνίας,
2according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.κατὰ πρόγνωσιν Θεοῦ πατρός, ἐν ἁγιασμῷ Πνεύματος, εἰς ὑπακοὴν καὶ ῥαντισμὸν αἵματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη πληθυνθείη.
Born to a Heavenly Hope
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ κατὰ τὸ πολὺ αὐτοῦ ἔλεος ἀναγεννήσας ἡμᾶς εἰς ἐλπίδα ζῶσαν δι᾽ ἀναστάσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκ νεκρῶν,
4into an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and unfading, reserved in the heavens for you,εἰς κληρονομίαν ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἀμίαντον καὶ ἀμάραντον, τετηρημένην ἐν οὐρανοῖς εἰς ὑμᾶς,
5who by the power of God are being guarded through faith for the salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.τοὺς ἐν δυνάμει Θεοῦ φρουρουμένους διὰ πίστεως εἰς σωτηρίαν ἑτοίμην ἀποκαλυφθῆναι ἐν καιρῷ ἐσχάτῳ·
Tested for Genuine Faith
6In which you greatly rejoice, though for a little while now, if need be, you have been distressed by various trials,ἐν ᾧ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὀλίγον ἄρτι—εἰ δέον ἐστί—λυπηθέντες ἐν ποικίλοις πειρασμοῖς,
7so that the genuineness of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes, though being tested with fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.ἵνα τὸ δοκίμιον ὑμῶν τῆς πίστεως—πολὺ τιμιώτερον χρυσίου τοῦ ἀπολλυμένου διὰ πυρὸς δὲ δοκιμαζομένου—εὑρεθῇ εἰς ἔπαινον καὶ τιμὴν καὶ εἰς δόξαν ἐν ἀποκαλύψει Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,
8Whom not having seen, you love, in whom now not seeing, but believing, you rejoice with inexpressible joy and glorified,ὃν οὐκ εἰδότες ἀγαπᾶτε, εἰς ὃν ἄρτι μὴ ὁρῶντες, πιστεύοντες δὲ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε χαρᾷ ἀνεκλαλήτῳ καὶ δεδοξασμένῃ,
9obtaining for yourselves the outcome your faith—the salvation of your souls.κομιζόμενοι τὸ τέλος τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν, σωτηρίαν ψυχῶν·
10Concerning this salvation the prophets have sought out and inquired carefully, having prophesied of the grace that would come to you,περὶ ἧς σωτηρίας ἐξεζήτησαν καὶ ἐξηρεύνησαν προφῆται οἱ περὶ τῆς εἰς ὑμᾶς χάριτος προφητεύσαντες,
11searching for who or what kind of time the Spirit of Christ in them was revealing when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories which were to follow.ἐρευνῶντες εἰς τίνα ἢ ποῖον καιρὸν ἐδήλου τὸ ἐν αὐτοῖς Πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ προμαρτυρόμενον τὰ εἰς Χριστὸν παθήματα καὶ τὰς μετὰ ταῦτα δόξας·
12To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to you they were ministering these things, which things were now announced to you by those who proclaimed the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.οἷς ἀπεκαλύφθη ὅτι οὐχ ἑαυτοῖς, ὑμῖν δὲ διηκόνουν αὐτά, ἃ νῦν ἀνηγγέλη ὑμῖν διὰ τῶν εὐαγγελισαμένων ὑμᾶς ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ ἀποσταλέντι ἀπ᾽ οὐρανοῦ, εἰς ἃ ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ἄγγελοι παρακύψαι.
Be Holy
13Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, stay sober, put your hope fully in the grace brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;Διὸ ἀναζωσάμενοι τὰς ὀσφύας τῆς διανοίας ὑμῶν, νήφοντες τελείως, ἐλπίσατε ἐπὶ τὴν φερομένην ὑμῖν χάριν ἐν ἀποκαλύψει Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ,
14as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves after the former lusts, as you did in your ignorance;ὡς τέκνα ὑπακοῆς μὴ συσχηματιζόμενοι ταῖς πρότερον ἐν τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ ὑμῶν ἐπιθυμίαις,
15but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all manner of life,ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν καλέσαντα ὑμᾶς ἅγιον καὶ αὐτοὶ ἅγιοι ἐν πάσῃ ἀναστροφῇ γενήθητε,
16because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”διότι γέγραπται, Ἅγιοι γένεσθε, ὅτι ἐγὼ ἅγιός εἰμι.
17And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear;Καὶ εἰ πατέρα ἐπικαλεῖσθε τὸν ἀπροσωπολήπτως κρίνοντα κατὰ τὸ ἑκάστου ἔργον, ἐν φόβῳ τὸν τῆς παροικίας ὑμῶν χρόνον ἀναστράφητε,
18knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your futile way of life handed down from your forefathers,εἰδότες ὅτι οὐ φθαρτοῖς, ἀργυρίῳ ἢ χρυσίῳ, ἐλυτρώθητε ἐκ τῆς ματαίας ὑμῶν ἀναστροφῆς πατροπαραδότου,
19but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb blameless and spotless,ἀλλὰ τιμίῳ αἵματι ὡς ἀμνοῦ ἀμώμου καὶ ἀσπίλου Χριστοῦ,
20having been foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, He was made manifest in these last times for you,προεγνωσμένου μὲν πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου, φανερωθέντος δὲ ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάτων τῶν χρόνων δι᾽ ὑμᾶς,
21who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.τοὺς δι᾽ αὐτοῦ πιστεύοντας εἰς Θεὸν τὸν ἐγείραντα αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ δόξαν αὐτῷ δόντα, ὥστε τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν καὶ ἐλπίδα εἶναι εἰς Θεόν.
Love Each Other
22Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth through the Spirit in sincere love for the brothers, love one another fervently from a pure heart,Τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν ἡγνικότες ἐν τῇ ὑπακοῇ τῆς ἀληθείας διὰ Πνεύματος εἰς φιλαδελφίαν ἀνυπόκριτον, ἐκ καθαρᾶς καρδίας ἀλλήλους ἀγαπήσατε ἐκτενῶς,
23having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever.ἀναγεγεννημένοι οὐκ ἐκ σπορᾶς φθαρτῆς ἀλλὰ ἀφθάρτου, διὰ λόγου ζῶντος Θεοῦ καὶ μένοντος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.
24For “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away,διότι πᾶσα σὰρξ ὡς χόρτος, καὶ πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου· ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος, καὶ τὸ ἄνθος αὐτοῦ ἐξέπεσε,
25but the word of the Lord endures forever.” Now this is the word which was proclaimed to you.τὸ δὲ ῥῆμα Κυρίου μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. τοῦτο δέ ἐστι τὸ ῥῆμα τὸ εὐαγγελισθὲν εἰς ὑμᾶς.
The Fathers on 1 Peter 1
Saint Maximus the Confessor comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On 1 Peter 1:6Saint Maximus the Confessor“In which you rejoice, though now for a little while, if it is necessary, having been grieved in various trials.” How can one who is grieved in trials rejoice in that in which he is grieved? The discourse knows grief to be of two kinds, in truth: the one…
Read To Thalassius, On the Difficulties in Holy Scripture →
On 1 Peter 1:10Saint Maximus the Confessor“Concerning the salvation which the prophets, who prophesied of the grace that would come to us, sought out and searched, searching into what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating, testifying beforehand the sufferings unto Christ…
Read To Thalassius, On the Difficulties in Holy Scripture →
On 1 Peter 1:19Open 1 Peter 1 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Maximus the Confessor“As of a lamb without blemish and without spot, Christ, foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but manifested in the last times for our sake.” Foreknown by whom? The discourse of Scripture named the mystery of Christ “Christ,” and the great…
Read To Thalassius, On the Difficulties in Holy Scripture →