1Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, 2Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: 7That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: 8Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. 10Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 12Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. 13Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 14As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: 15But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 17And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear: 18Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 22Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 24For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away: 25But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.
Pozdravi od Petra
1Ovo je pismo od Petra, apostola Isusa Krista.
Pišem Božjim odabranicima koji žive kao tuđinci rasijani po Pontu, Galaciji, Kapadociji, Aziji i Bitiniji. 2Bog Otac odavno vas je odabrao, a Duh vas je posvetio. Zato ste poslušni Isusu Kristu i očišćeni ste njegovom krvlju.
Želim vam izobilje Božje milosti i mira.
Nada vječnog života
3Blagoslovljen neka je Bog, Otac našega Gospodina Isusa Krista, jer nam je u svojemu beskrajnome milosrđu dao da se nanovo rodimo. Sada živimo u nadi vječnoga života zato što je Isus Krist ustao od mrtvih. 4Jer Bog za svoju djecu u nebu čuva vječnu, neokaljanu i neuvelu baštinu. 5Bog će vas, zato što u njega vjerujete, svojom snagom sačuvati za spasenje koje će vam biti objavljeno u posljednje vrijeme. 6Zato se radujte čak i ako bude potrebno da vas ovdje nakratko i ražaloste različite kušnje. 7One samo kušaju vašu vjeru, dragocjeniju od propadljivog zlata—a i ono se u vatri kuša—da se njezina prokušanost pokaže na hvalu, slavu i čast na dan kad se objavi Isus Krist. 8Volite ga iako ga nikada niste vidjeli. Vjerujete u njega iako ga još ne možete vidjeti i puni ste neizrecive i proslavljene radosti 9jer postižete cilj svoje vjere: spasenje duše.
10To su spasenje proučavali i pronicali proroci pretkazujući milost koja vam je namijenjena. 11Ispitivali su na koje to vrijeme upućuje Kristov Duh u njima pretkazujući Kristovo trpljenje i proslavljenje. 12Objavljeno im je da nije riječ o njihovu, nego o vašemu vremenu. A danas vam propovjednici s pomoću Duha Svetoga, poslanoga s neba, naviještaju tu Radosnu vijest kojoj se i anđeli žele izbliza diviti.
Poziv na svetost
13Zato budite razboriti i trijezni. Potpuno se pouzdajte u milost koju će vam donijeti objavljenje Isusa Krista. 14Budite Bogu poslušni jer ste njegova djeca. Ne popuštajte starim grešnim požudama kao onda dok ste još bili u neznanju, 15nego budite u svemu sveti kao što je svet Bog koji vas je pozvao. 16On sam kaže u Svetome pismu: “Budite sveti jer sam ja svet!”
17Ocem nazivate Boga koji nepristrano sudi svakomu prema djelima. Proživite zato u strahu Gospodnjem taj život što ga živite na ovoj zemlji, u tuđini. 18Jer znate da je Bog platio otkupninu da vas spasi od ispraznoga života što ste ga naslijedili od svojih predaka. A nije ju platio propadljivim srebrom ili zlatom, 19nego dragocjenom krvlju Krista, nedužnoga Božjeg janjeta bez mane. 20Bog ga je, doduše, za to predodredio davno prije postanka svijeta, ali se očitovao tek u ova posljednja vremena, radi vas. 21Kroz Krista ste povjerovali u Boga koji ga je uskrisio od mrtvih i proslavio ga. Zato svoju vjeru i nadu možete položiti u Boga.
22Sada se možete iskreno međusobno voljeti kao braća i sestre jer su vam duše očišćene od grijeha i jer ste poslušni istini Radosne vijesti. Volite dakle žarko jedni druge 23jer ste nanovo rođeni—ne iz smrtnoga, već iz besmrtnog sjemena, kroz Riječ živoga Boga koja zauvijek traje. 24Jer
“svaki je čovjek poput trave
i njegova je ljepota poput poljskog cvijeta.
Trava će usahnuti i cvijet će uvenuti,
25ali Božja riječ ostat će zauvijek.”1:24-25 Izaija 40:6, 8.
A ta je Riječ Radosna vijest koju vam propovijedamo.
