Who among you is wise and knowledgeable? Let him show, with the gentleness that comes from wisdom, the actions of his good disposition. But if you have bitter envy and ambition in your hearts, do not be boastful, do not lie about the truth. That is not the wisdom which comes from above, but it is earthly, sensual, demonic; for where there is envy and ambition, there there is disorder and everything that is bad. But the wisdom which comes from above is, first of all, pure; it is also peaceful, forbearing. open to persuasion, filled with mercy and a good harvest, impartial, not hypocritical; the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
11 Where do these hostilities come from, where do these quarrels, which take place among you? Is it not from here, from the pleasures that go to war inside your bodies? You want, and do not have. You covet and murder, and cannot get; you quarrel and are at war. You do not have, because you do not ask; you do ask and do not receive, because you ask badly: for means to spend on your pleasures. Adulterous people, do you not know that love of the world is hatred of God? He who wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you th^k it is meaningless when the scripture says: He has jealous longings over the spirit which he lodged in us? But the grace he gives is stronger than that. Therefore scripture says: God is set against the proud but gives favor to the humble.
Submit, then, to God; stand up against the devil and he will ^m away from you. Come to God and he will come to you. Wash your hands clean, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you doubters. Be miserable and mourn and lament; let your laughter tum to sorrow and your joy to dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Brothers, do not speak against each other. The man who speaks against his brother or judges his brother is speaking against the law and judging the law. But if you judge the law you are not one who carries out the law, but its judge. But there is one lawgiver and judge, the one who can save you and who can destroy you. Who are you to judge your neighbor?
Come now, you who say: Today or tomorrow we shall go to a certain city and spend a year there and do business and make money. But you do not know about tomorrow or what your life will be like then. For you are a mist that appears for a little while and then disappears. You should rather have said: If the Lord wills it and we are alive we shall also do this or that. But as it is, you are boasting in your arrogance. All such boasting is bad.
If one knows how to do right and does not do it, that is a sin in him.
Come now, you rich men: Lament, bewailing the miseries that are advancing upon you. Your wealth has rotted away and your clothes are eaten by moths, your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will testify against you and feed on your flesh. You have stored away treasures for the fire in the final days. Behold, the unpaid wages of the laborers who mowed your fields cry out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of the hosts. You reveled and luxuriated upon the earth, you fed your hearts on the day of slaughter. You condemned and murdered the righteous man. Is he not against you?
Be patient then, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer looks for the precious harvest of his land when he watches patiently over it until it gets the early and the late rain. Be patient, you also, strengthen your hearts, because the coming of the Lord is near.
Do not complain, brothers, against each other, for fear you may be judged; behold, the judge stands before your doors. As your example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. Behold, we call blessed those who have endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job, and you know what the Lord did in the end, because the Lord is generous and takes pity.
Before all else, my brothers, do not swear, neither by heaven nor earth, nor any other oath. Let your yes be yes and your no, no, for fear you may be brought to judgment.
Is one of you in distress? Let him pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing praises. Is one of you sick? Let him call in the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith will save the sufferer, and the Lord will restore him; and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. So confess your sins to each other and pray for each other, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person at work has great strength. Elijah was human, with the same nature as ours; and he asked in his prayer that it should not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months; and again he prayed, and the sky gave its rain, and the land grew a flourishing harvest.
My brothers, if one among you is led astray from the truth, and someone else brings him back to it, be sure that the man who brought back the sinner from the error of his ways will save his own soul from death, and cover up a multitude of sins.
The First General Letter of Peter
11PETER, APOSTLE OF JESUS CHRIST, TO the chosen exiles in their dispersion through Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the predestination of God the Father, by the consecration of the Spirit to the service of Jesus Christ and through the sprinkling of his blood. May grace and peace be multiplied for you.
Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Through his great mercy he granted us to be born again into living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance which is imperishable and stainless and cannot fade, which has been kept in heaven for you who are held safe in the power of God through your faith in the salvation which is ready to be revealed in the final time. Rejoice over this, even if for a little while, when it had to be, you have been hurt by all kinds of trials; this was so that the quality of your faith might be found far more precious than gold— which, though perishable, is proved by fire—for praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. You have not seen him but you love him, and now, not seeing him but believing in him, rejoice, with a joy which is inexpressible and glorious, as you win what is the end of faith, the salvation of your souls. Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who prophesied about the grace that would be yours, studied and sought for answers, trying to determine the time for which the spirit of Christ within them foretold the sufferings of Christ and his glory thereafter; and it was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you in these matters which have now been announced to you by those who have brought you the gospel through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven; secrets into which angels long to look.
Accordingly, gird up the loins of your mind, in complete sobriety, and put your hopes in the grace which is brought to you in the revelation of Jesus Christ. As children of obedience, do not conform to the desires you had before in your ignorance, but, like the holy one who summoned you, be yourselves holy in all your behavior; because it is written: You shall be holy, because I am holy. And if you invoke as Father the one who judges without prejudice according to what each has done, then spend the time of your exile here in fear; knowing that it was not by perishable things, silver or gold, that you were ransomed from the vain way of life you inherited from your fathers, but by precious blood, as of a blameless unblemished lamb, Christ. He was foreknow before the establishment of the world but revealed at the end of the ages, for you, who because of him believe in God who raised him from the dead and gave glory, so that your faith and hope is in God.
Sanctifying your souls in obedience to the truth toward unfeigned brotherly affection, love each other from the heart, constantly, since you have been reborn not from a perished seed but from one that is imperishable, through the word of God which lives and endures. Thus: All flesh is like grass, and all its glory is like the flower of the grass. The grass withers and its flower falls to the ground, but the word of the Lord endures forever.
11 This is the word which was brought to you as gospel. Putting aside, therefore, all malice and all treachery and hypocrisy and
envious thoughts and calumnies, crave, like newborn babies, the guileless milk of reason, so that by it you may grow to salvation, if you have tasted and know that the Lord is good. Come to him, a living stone, rejected by men but selected for honor by God; and yourselves, like living stones, be built into a spiritual house for sacred priestly service, to offer up through Jesus Christ spiritual sacrifices which are well pleasing to God. As it says in scripture: Behold, I lay down on Zion a stone that is select and prized at the uttermost corner; and he who believes in it shall not be put to shame. It is a thing prized by those who believe; but for those who do not believe, it is: The stone which the builders rejected has come to be at the head of the corner, and a stone to stumble on and a rock of catastrophe. On which they stumble, by disbelieving in the word; to which end they were appointed. But you are a race elect, a royal priesthood, a sacred nation, a people to be preserved, so that you may proclaim the virtues of him who summoned you from darkness into his own wonderful light; who once were no people but now are the people of God, who received no mercy but now have been granted mercy.
I call upon you then, dear friends, as resident aliens and transients in this world to refrain from carnal desires, which take up arms against the soul. And keep your behavior among the heathens good, so that, whereas they now speak against you as evildoers, they may learn from your good works and glorify God on the Day of Visitation.
Be obedient to all human authority for the sake of the Lord; to a king, as one who is above you; to governors, because they are sent by him to punish the evildoers and to praise the doers of good; since this is the will of God, that by doing right you should suppress the unwisdom of thoughtless men; as free men, having your freedom not as a covering up of baseness, but as slaves of God. Give honor to all; love the brotherhood; fear God; honor the King.
Servants should be obedient with all respect to their masters, not only when they are good and kind, but also when they are unjust. For it is grace when, through consciousness of God, one endures pain when suffering unfairly; but what honor is there when you endure punishment for doing wrong? But when you do good and suffer and endure it, there is grace with God. It was to this that you were called, because Christ also suffered, for your sake, leaving you his example so that you might follow in his footsteps. He did no wrong, nor was any treachery found in his utterance; he was reviled and did not revile in answer; he suffered and spoke no threats but gave himself up to him who judges justly; he took up our sins in his own body onto the cross, so that, dying for sins, we might live for righteousness. You were healed by his wound. For you were like sheep gone astray, but now you have turned to your shepherd and the guardian of your souls.
So likewise you wives should be submissive to your husbands, so that, even if some husbands do not believe in the word, they may, even without the word, be won over by their wives' way of life as they observe how chastely you live out of respect for them. Yow beauty should not be the outward kind, in the arrangement of your hair or addition of gold ornaments or the clothes you wear, but the person hidden in the heart, in the incorruptibility of a peaceful and gentle spirit, which is greatly prized in the sight of God. It was thus that, long ago in the old days, the sainted women whose hopes were in God made themselves beautiful, by subordinating themselves to their husbands, as Sarah was submissive to Abraham. She called him lord; and you are her daughters, so long as you do good works and fear no threat. So likewise, you husbands, live with them understandingly, giving them due honor as to the weaker feminine vessel, and as heirs together to the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be stopped.
Finally, be, all of you, as one in your thoughts and feelings, full of brotherly love, compassionate, humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult but, on the contrary, give a blessing, because it was to this that you were called, to be the inheritors of a blessing. For if one desires to love life and look upon good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from uttering treachery; and let him tum aside from evil and do good, and seek out peace and pursue it. Because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are for their prayer. But the face of the Lord is set against the doers of evil.
And who will do you harm if you are zealous for good? Yet even if you suffer for righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear their terror and do not be shaken, but hallow the Lord Christ in your hearts, always ready to answer anyone who demands that you give a reason for the hope that is in you; but with gentleness and respect, with good conscience, so that those who attack your good life in Christ may be shamed in their slander. For if it is God's will that you suffer, it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. Since even Christ once died for sins, the just for the unjust, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh and brought to life in the spirit; in which he went even to the spirits in prison and preached to them. They had been disobedient once when the patience of God waited for them, in the days of Noah when the ark was being built and in it few souls, eight that is, were saved in the flood. This flood as baptism, its antitype, saves you now. This is not a riddance from the filth of the body, but a plea to God for good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who went to heaven and is at the right hand of God with angels and authorities and powers subjected to him.
Since Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same understanding, since he who suffers is relieved of his sinfulness, to live out his time in the flesh no longer by the desires of mankind but by the will of God. The time that has gone by has been enough to do the will of heathens, going the way of unchastity, desire, wine tippling, revelries, drinking parties, and disgraceful idolatry. Herein they are surprised if you do not rush to join them in the same excess of dissipation, and speak ill of you. They will have to answer for it to him who will presently judge the living and the dead. Since it was for this that the gospel was brought even to the dead, that they must be judged in the flesh like men but live in the spirit according to God.
The end of all things is at hand. Be temperate, then, and sober for your prayers. Above all, be constant in your love for each other, since love covers up a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to each other without grumbling; as you have individually been given a gift of grace, dispense it to each other like good stewards of the complex grace of God. If anyone speaks, let it be as if he were quoting the sayings of God; if he serves, as if from the strength which God assigns; so that God may be glorified among all, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
Dear friends, do not be surprised at the trial by fire which comes to you as if it were some strange thing that happened to you, but as you share in the sufferings of the Christ, rejoice so that in the revelation of his glory you may rejoice and be glad. If you are blamed in the n^e of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God comes to rest on you. None of you must suffer punishment for being a murderer or thief or malefactor, or as a troublemaker; but if he suffers for being a Christian, let him take no shame, but glorify God for this name. For it is time for the beginning of the judgment with the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will the end be for those who refuse to believe in the gospel of God? And if the righteous man is barely saved, where will the impious and sinful man be found? Thus even those who suffer by the will of God should, by doing good, entrust their souls to God, their good creator who is to be trusted.
11 To the elders among you, I, your fellow elder and witness to the sufferings of the Christ and sharer in the glory which is to be revealed, send this appeal: Be shepherds to God's flock that is with you, not under constraint but willingly, not for shameful greed but freely; not as overlords of your charges but making yourselves models for the flock; and when the chief shepherd appears, you will win the unfading wreath of glory. In t
he same way, you younger men, be obedient to your elders. And all, gird yourselves with humility, because God is set against the proud and gives favor to the humble.
Humble yourselves, therefore, to the mighty hand of God, so that in time he may exalt you. Cast all your trouble upon him, because he cares for you. Be sober, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls like a lion, roaring and looking for what he may devour. Stand up against him, firm in your faith, knowing that the s^e sufferings are befalling your brothers in the world. But the God of all grace, who called you to his everlasting glory in Christ, will, after you have suffered a little while, himself make you whole and firm and strong. To him be the power forever. Amen.
Through Silvanus, a faithful brother as I believe, I have written you thus briefly, appealing to you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast by it.
My fellows among the chosen in Babylon send you greetings, as does Mark my son. Greet each other with the kiss of love.
Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
The Second General Letter
of Peter
ISIMON PETER, SLAVE AND APOSTLE of Jesus Christ, to those who have been granted faith like ours in the righteousness of our God and savior Jesus Christ: may grace and peace be multiplied for you in the recognition of God and Jesus our Lord. His divine power has bestowed upon us everything that leads to life and piety through the knowledge of him who called us in glory and virtue. By this the greatest and most precious promises have been given to us; so that you may become sharers in the divine nature, escaping the world's corruption that comes through lust. For this very reason, bringing all your energy to bear, provide, by your faith, virtue; and by virtue understanding, by understanding continence, by continence steadfastness, by steadfastness piety, by piety brotherliness, by brotherliness love. All these qualities, being yours and in abundance, will cause you to be not useless or unproductive toward the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ; but one who does not have them is myopic and blind, forgetful of how he has been purified from his former sins. For this reason, brothers, try the more strenuously to make sure of your calling and your election. By so doing you cannot ever fail, for thus your entrance into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ will be generously provided for you.
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