from Biblica1I, Peter, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Jesus Christ. I am sending this letter to you, God’s chosen people. You are people who have had to wander in the world. You are scattered all over the areas of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia.2You have been chosen in keeping with what God the Father had planned. That happened through the Spirit’s work to make you pure and holy. God chose you so that you might obey Jesus Christ. God wanted you to be in a covenant relationship with him. He established this relationship by the blood of Christ. May more and more grace and peace be given to you.
Peter praises God for a living hope
3Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us a new birth and a living hope. This hope is living because Jesus Christ rose from the dead.4He has given us new birth so that we might share in what belongs to him. This is a gift that can never be destroyed. It can never spoil or even fade away. It is kept in heaven for you.5Through faith you are kept safe by God’s power. Your salvation is going to be completed. It is ready to be shown to you in the last days.6Because you know all this, you have great joy. You have joy even though you may have had to suffer for a little while. You may have had to suffer sadness in all kinds of trouble.7Your troubles have come in order to prove that your faith is real. Your faith is worth more than gold. That’s because gold can pass away even when fire has made it pure. Your faith is meant to bring praise, honour and glory to God. This will happen when Jesus Christ returns.8Even though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not see him now, you believe in him. You are filled with a glorious joy that can’t be put into words.9You are receiving the salvation of your souls. This salvation is the final result of your faith.10The prophets searched very hard and with great care to find out about this salvation. They spoke about the grace that was going to come to you.11They wanted to find out when and how this salvation would come. The Spirit of Christ in them was telling them about the sufferings of the Messiah. These were his sufferings that were going to come. The Spirit of Christ was also telling them about the glory that would follow.12It was made known to the prophets that they were not serving themselves. Instead, they were serving you when they spoke about the things that you have now heard. Those who have preached the good news to you have told you these things. They have done it with the help of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
Be holy
13So be watchful, and control yourselves completely. In this way, put your hope in the grace that lies ahead. This grace will be brought to you when Jesus Christ returns.14You should obey your Father. You shouldn’t give in to evil desires. They controlled your life when you didn’t know any better.15The God who chose you is holy. So you should be holy in all that you do.16It is written, ‘Be holy, because I am holy.’ (Le 11:44; Le 11:45; Le 19:2)17You call on a Father who judges each person’s work without favouring one over another. So live as outsiders during your time here. Live with the highest respect for God.18You were set free from an empty way of life. This way of life was handed down to you by your own people of long ago. You know that you were not bought with things that can pass away, like silver or gold.19Instead, you were bought with the priceless blood of Christ. He is a perfect lamb. He doesn’t have any flaws at all.20He was chosen before God created the world. But he came into the world for your sake in these last days.21Because of what Christ has done, you believe in God. It was God who raised him from the dead. And it was God who gave him glory. So your faith and hope are in God.22You have made yourselves pure by obeying the truth. So you have an honest and true love for each other. So love one another deeply, from your hearts.23You have been born again by means of the living word of God. His word lasts for ever. You were not born again from a seed that will die. You were born from a seed that can’t die.24It is written, ‘All people are like grass. All their glory is like the flowers in the field. The grass dries up. The flowers fall to the ground.25But the word of the Lord lasts for ever.’ And this is the word that was preached to you. (Isa 40:6)
1 Peter 1
Nuova Riveduta 2006
from Società Biblica di Ginevra
Indirizzo e saluti
1Pietro, apostolo di Gesù Cristo, agli eletti che vivono come forestieri dispersi nel Ponto, nella Galazia, nella Cappadocia, nell’Asia e nella Bitinia[1],2eletti secondo la prescienza di Dio Padre, mediante la santificazione dello Spirito, a ubbidire e a essere cosparsi del sangue di Gesù Cristo: grazia e pace vi siano moltiplicate.
Sicura speranza della salvezza
3Benedetto sia il Dio e Padre del nostro Signore Gesù Cristo, che nella sua grande misericordia ci ha fatti rinascere a una speranza viva mediante la risurrezione di Gesù Cristo dai morti,4per un’eredità incorruttibile, senza macchia e inalterabile. Essa è conservata in cielo per voi,5che siete custoditi dalla potenza di Dio mediante la fede, per la salvezza che sta per essere rivelata negli ultimi tempi.6Perciò voi esultate anche se ora, per breve tempo, è necessario che siate afflitti da svariate prove,7affinché la vostra fede, che viene messa alla prova, che è ben più preziosa dell’oro che perisce, e tuttavia è provato con il fuoco, sia motivo di lode, di gloria e di onore al momento della manifestazione di Gesù Cristo.8Benché non lo abbiate visto, voi lo amate; credendo in lui, benché ora non lo vediate, voi esultate di gioia ineffabile e gloriosa,9ottenendo il fine della {vostra} fede: la salvezza delle anime.10Intorno a questa salvezza indagarono e fecero ricerche i profeti, che profetizzarono sulla grazia a voi destinata.11Essi cercavano di sapere l’epoca e le circostanze cui faceva riferimento lo Spirito di Cristo che era in loro, quando anticipatamente testimoniava delle sofferenze di Cristo e delle glorie che dovevano seguirle.12E fu loro rivelato che non per se stessi, ma per voi, amministravano quelle cose che ora vi sono state annunciate da coloro che vi hanno predicato il vangelo, mediante lo Spirito Santo inviato dal cielo: cose nelle quali gli angeli bramano penetrare con i loro sguardi.
Esortazione a santità di vita
13Perciò, dopo aver predisposto la vostra mente all’azione, state sobri, e abbiate piena speranza nella grazia che vi sarà recata al momento della rivelazione di Gesù Cristo.14Come figli ubbidienti, non conformatevi alle passioni del tempo passato, quando eravate nell’ignoranza;15ma come colui che vi ha chiamati è santo, anche voi siate santi in tutta la vostra condotta,16poiché sta scritto: «Siate santi, perché io sono santo»[2].17E se invocate come Padre colui che giudica senza favoritismi, secondo l’opera di ciascuno, comportatevi con timore durante il tempo del vostro soggiorno terreno,18sapendo che non con cose corruttibili, con argento o con oro, siete stati riscattati dal vostro vano modo di vivere tramandatovi dai padri,19ma con il prezioso sangue di Cristo, come quello di un agnello senza difetto né macchia.20Già designato prima della fondazione del mondo, egli è stato manifestato negli ultimi tempi per voi;21per mezzo di lui credete in Dio che lo ha risuscitato dai morti e gli ha dato gloria affinché la vostra fede e la vostra speranza siano in Dio.22Avendo purificato le anime vostre con l’ubbidienza alla verità per giungere a un sincero amore fraterno, amatevi intensamente a vicenda di {puro} cuore,23perché siete stati rigenerati non da seme corruttibile, ma incorruttibile, cioè mediante la parola vivente e permanente di Dio.24Infatti, «ogni carne è come l’erba, e ogni sua gloria come il fiore dell’erba. L’erba diventa secca e il fiore cade,25ma la parola del Signore rimane in eterno»[3]. E questa è la parola della Buona Notizia che vi è stata annunciata.