1 Peter 1 (BHT-ATN)

“To: Those Who Are Living as Resident Foreigners in the Diaspora”

1 From: Peter, an apostle of Jesus the Messiah.

To: Those who are living as resident foreigners in the Diaspora,+ in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,2 chosen according to the plan that God the Father arranged and knew about beforehand,+ and set apart to God through the Spirit,+ to obey Jesus the Messiah and to be sprinkled with his blood.

May grace, and peace, be ᵖyours+ in ever greater measure.

“Blessed Be the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus the Messiah”

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, by whom we have been conceived anew+—because of his mercy so great—into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus the Messiah from the dead,

4 for an inheritance undecaying and undefiled and unfading, stored safely in the heavens for you, 5 who are being guarded through faith by the very power of God for a salvation set to be revealed at the end of the age,

6 on account of which you rejoice, even though now for a little while you may have had to suffer+ grief and heartache amidst trials of various kinds, 7 so that the authenticity of your faith—far more precious than perishable gold, though even in the case of gold it is through fire that its purity is determined—may be discovered, resulting in praise and glory and honor when Jesus the Messiah is revealed,

8 the Messiah whom, even though you haven’t seen him, you love,

in whom, even though you do not now see him, you are placing your faith, and so rejoice with a joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 receiving in return the goal of your faith, namely, your salvation.+

“Concerning This Salvation”

10 Concerning this salvation the prophets, who prophesied about this gracious gift of deliverance prepared for you,+ sought+ wisdom+ and searched carefully for understanding,+ 11 trying to make out the kind of person+ or the appointed time+ concerning which the Spirit of the Messiah within them was giving more and more clarity, as he told them ahead of time about the things that the Messiah was destined to suffer+ and the glorious things that would follow these sufferings.+ 12 They were shown by divine revelation that it was not for their own benefit, but for yours,+ that they were stewarding these things, which at the present time have been announced to you by those who proclaimed the gospel to you by the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—matters into which angels long to have a glimpse.

13 That is why, bracing your minds for a difficult race,+ and exercising self-control,+ you are to set your hope on the coming gift fully and completely, that gracious salvation+ which will, when Jesus the Messiah is revealed, be brought to you.+ 14 As obedient children, you must not allow your conduct to be molded+ by the sinful desires to which you were enslaved when you were still ignorant.+ 15 Instead, just as the one who summoned+ you is set apart in goodness as holy,+ you, likewise, must yourselves be holy in all aspects of your conduct. 16 For it is written, “ᵖYou must be holy, because I myself am holy.”+ 17 And if you address as Father the one who judges all people by the same standard, according to what each person has done, then live your lives, for the duration of your exile, in the fear of the Lord,+ 18 remembering that it was not with mere perishable things like silver or gold that you were released by payment from the slavery of the futile+ way of life passed down to you by your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of the Messiah, like that of a lamb without blemish or defect.+ 20 Although he+ was chosen+ before the foundation of the world, he appeared in these latter times to deliver you, 21 who through him are placing your faith in God, who raised him from the dead and clothed and exalted him in glory,+ as a result of which your faith and hope are set on God.

22 Your inner selves:+ Since you have purified them by obeying the truth so as to have a sincere brotherly love, it is with a pure heart that you must love one another, earnestly and without cease, 23 since you have been conceived anew,+ not by mere mortal means, but by the power of something that never dies+—by the word of God, which produces life and endures. 24 For,

“All mankind+ is like grass,

and all its splendor like a wildflower in a grassy field.+

The grass dries up and the flower falls,

25 but the word of the Lord endures forever into the ages.”+

25 Now, this “word” is the gospel that was proclaimed to you.+

+1:1Cf CJB.+1:2Lit according to the foreknowledge of God the Father. ME (see translation and notes at Ac 2:23 [the meaning is essentially the same here]; BSL, 1 Pt 1:2, sv πρόγνωσις; UBSHS [1 Pt], 9). Rendering the genitive here as a subjective genitive, as at Ac 2:23.+1:2Lit in/through sanctification of the Spirit. ME (see translation and note at 2 Th 2:13). Cf HCSB.+1:2Unless otherwise marked (through superscript—ˢyou), all second person pronouns are in the second person plural.+1:3In the NT, γεννάω ( gennaō) (here the same word is used, though with a prefix signaling “again” or “anew”) can variously refer to conception (see, eg, Mt 1:20; Jn 8:41; Ga 4:23), the time in the womb (see, eg, Lk 23:29), actual birth (see, eg, Mt 2:4; Lk 1:57), or the entire process viewed as whole (see, eg, Lk 1:13), depending on the context. Also, when the father’s role is in view, the focus is on the act of procreation (see, eg, BSL, Jn 3:5, sv—“to be or become conceived due to male agency”), ie, “to beget” (cf, eg, various translations of Mt 1). In this context, conception is primarily in view, since that into which one is “generated” is a “hope,” which, though living and growing and active, is by definition something still not yet realized (cf Rm 8:24-25). In other words, “conception” happens when one receives the deposit/down-payment/first-fruits of the Spirit (cf Rm 8:23; 2 Co 1:22; Eph 1:14); “gestation” (ie, sanctification) happens between that time and the Second Coming; and “birth” happens at the Second Coming, when Jesus’ people are raised from the dead (cf Rm 8:18-23). “Beget” is an outdated word in English, yet the alternatives for an active in English in this context are also a bit awkward (“who became our father again/anew”), if not potentially crass (“procreated us again/anew”). “Conceived” has thus been used in the passive with God as the agent in translation.+1:6Or even though for a little while you may have to suffer.+1:9Or the salvation of [your] souls. In the NT, ψυχή ( psuchē, “soul”) is often used to refer to the person as a whole, not just the inward self (see, eg, L-N, 9.20). Cf CJB.+1:10Lit the for you grace. ME. Cf CJB, NLT, TEV. χάρις ( charis) here is referring to a gracious gift, freely given because of God’s kindness (see L-N, 57.103, 88.66). In this context, the gift being referred to is the σωτηρία ( sōtēria, “salvation/deliverance”) mentioned at the beginning of the verse.+1:10Or searched carefully. In the LXX, ἐκζητέω ( ekzēteō) is sometimes used in the sense of “inquiring” (cf, eg, Ex 18:15). Cf Dn 8:15, 12:7-8.+1:10There are no direct objects explicitly stated in the Greek text here, which means that they must been inferred from the context. As the next verse makes clear, understanding/wisdom is what the prophets were seeking (cf, eg, Pr 2:1-6, where ζητέω [ zēteō], a cognate of ἐκζητέω [ ekzēteō—the first verb used in this verse], and ἐξερευνάω [ exereunaō—the second verb used in this verse], are both used in the LXX). Cf Dn 8:15, 12:7-8.+1:10Cf Pr 2:1-6; Dn 8:15, 12:7-8.+1:11Or what circumstances. Lit what/which/what kind of man, or what/which/what kind of things. Cf Is 53; Lk 24:25-26, 44-49; Jn 12.+1:11Lit what/which appointed time, or what kind of appointed time.+1:11Lit the sufferings [destined/appointed] for the Messiah. ME. Cf NET, NRSV, TEV.+1:11Lit the glories after these [sufferings]. Cf Dn 9; Mt 13:17; Jn 8:56; Heb 11:13+1:12Cf Dn 12.+1:13Or for a difficult fight, or for a difficult task/effort. Lit having girded up the loins of your mind. ME(I/OTB/H) (see L-N, 27.55; NET Bible Notes, Jb 38:3; UBSHS [Re], 32). Cf LEB, NET, NIV, NLT at Jb 38:3. Cf 2 Ti 4:7; Heb 12:1-4.+1:13Or being sober-minded.+1:13Lit set your hope on the grace. ME (see translation and note at v 10 above). Cf NLT.+1:13Cf Rm 8:18-25.+1:14Lit not allowing yourselves to be confirmed to. ME (see BDAG, 979, sv συσχηματίζω; UBSHS [1 Pt], 35). Cf ISV, TEV.+1:14Lit the evil desires/cravings formerly in your ignorance. ME (see BDAG, 372, ἐπιθυμία 2; UBSHS [1 Pt], 35). Cf CJB, TEV. Some verb is implied here, most likely something like “rule” (as BDAG suggests) or “enslave” (cf Rm 6:12 [note the use of ὑπακούω ( hupakouō) there; cf ὑπακοῆς ( hupokoēs) at the beginning of this verse]; Tit 3:3). Cf Ac 3:17, 13:27, 17:30; Rm 10:3; Eph 4:18. While Paul and Peter certainly have different styles and nuances to their teaching, this is sometimes overstressed (cf, eg, 2 Co 11:2, 15:3; Ga 1:18, 2:7-10; 2 Th 2:15, 3:6; 2 Pt 3:15-16).+1:15Or called, or invited.+1:15Lit is holy. ME(OTB)/IT (see Timothy Miller, “Paul’s Priestly Mission and Salvation from the Coming Wrath: A Missiological Probe of Romans 15:16 and the Question of Divine Anger through the Worldview of Leviticus” [PhD diss., Columbia International University, 2024]).+1:16Lv 11:44+1:17Lit conduct yourselves in fear. ME(OTB)/IT (see, eg, Lv 25:17; Dt 6:2, 10:12; Pr 1:7, etc). Cf ISV.+1:18Or fruitless, or powerless, or worthless.+1:19Lit with precious blood like that of a lamb without blemish or defect, of the Messiah. Cf CJB, ESV, HCSB, ISV, LEB, NKJV, NRSV, RSV.+1:20Lit who.+1:20Lit was known beforehand. ME(OTB) (see notes at Ga 4:9, Rm 8:29; UBSHS [Rm], 167). Cf HCSB, NCV, NIV, NLT, TEV.+1:21Lit gave glory to him. ME (see translation and notes at Jn 7:39). Here, “give him glory” has the same meaning as δοξάζω ( doxazō) (the verb used at Jn 7:39; cf the NIV here in 1 Pt 1:21).+1:22Or your lives, or yourselves. Lit your souls. In the NT, ψυχή ( psuchē, “soul”) can be used to refer to the person as a whole (see, eg, L-N, 9.20; cf v 9 above), to the inner self (see, eg, L-N, 26.4), or to one’s life (see, eg, L-N, 23.88). Since “with a pure heart” is mentioned in the main clause, “inner selves” has been used in translation here.+1:23See note at 1 Pt 1:3 above. The same applies here.+1:23Lit not by mortal seed/seed that dies, but by [seed] that is immortal/never dies. ME (see translation and notes at Jn 1:13, 3:6; 1 Jn 3:9).+1:24Lit all flesh. Translating according to “Flesh” M (see FBT Chart).+1:24Lit a blossom/flower of grass. ME (see BDAG, 80, sv ἄνθος; BSL, Jm 1:10, sv χόρτος; UBSHS [Jm], 25). Cf HCSB, ISV, NIV, and NRSV at Jm 1:10.+1:25Is 40:6-8+1:25Lit This is the word that was gospeled to you. ME. Cf ISV, NLT, TEV.