ARKCODEX
1 Peter
Ch. 1–2
1From Peter, apostle of Jesus Christ— To God's chosen people who live as refugees scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.
2You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood. May grace and peace be yours in full measure.
A Living Hope
3Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope,
4and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away.
5They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God's power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time.
6Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer.
7Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed.
8You love him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him, although you do not now see him. So you rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express,
9because you are receiving the salvation of your souls, which is the purpose of your faith in him.
10It was concerning this salvation that the prophets made careful search and investigation, and they prophesied about this gift which God would give you.
11They tried to find out when the time would be and how it would come. This was the time to which Christ's Spirit in them was pointing, in predicting the sufferings that Christ would have to endure and the glory that would follow.
12God revealed to these prophets that their work was not for their own benefit, but for yours, as they spoke about those things which you have now heard from the messengers who announced the Good News by the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things which even the angels would like to understand.
A Call to Holy Living
13So then, have your minds ready for action. Keep alert and set your hope completely on the blessing which will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed.
14Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant.
15Instead, be holy in all that you do, just as God who called you is holy.
16The scripture says, “Be holy because I am holy.”
17You call him Father, when you pray to God, who judges all people by the same standard, according to what each one has done; so then, spend the rest of your lives here on earth in reverence for him.
18For you know what was paid to set you free from the worthless manner of life handed down by your ancestors. It was not something that can be destroyed, such as silver or gold;
19it was the costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect or flaw.
20He had been chosen by God before the creation of the world and was revealed in these last days for your sake.
21Through him you believe in God, who raised him from death and gave him glory; and so your faith and hope are fixed on God.
22Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart.
23For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal.
24As the scripture says, “All human beings are like grass, and all their glory is like wild flowers. The grass withers, and the flowers fall,
25but the word of the Lord remains forever.” This word is the Good News that was proclaimed to you.
1 Peter 2
The Living Stone and the Holy Nation
1Rid yourselves, then, of all evil; no more lying or hypocrisy or jealousy or insulting language.
2Be like newborn babies, always thirsty for the pure spiritual milk, so that by drinking it you may grow up and be saved.
3As the scripture says, “You have found out for yourselves how kind the Lord is.”
4Come to the Lord, the living stone rejected by people as worthless but chosen by God as valuable.
5Come as living stones, and let yourselves be used in building the spiritual temple, where you will serve as holy priests to offer spiritual and acceptable sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ.
6For the scripture says, “I chose a valuable stone, which I am placing as the cornerstone in Zion; and whoever believes in him will never be disappointed.”
7This stone is of great value for you that believe; but for those who do not believe: “The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all.”
8And another scripture says, “This is the stone that will make people stumble, the rock that will make them fall.” They stumbled because they did not believe in the word; such was God's will for them.
9But you are the chosen race, the King's priests, the holy nation, God's own people, chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God, who called you out of darkness into his own marvelous light.
10At one time you were not God's people, but now you are his people; at one time you did not know God's mercy, but now you have received his mercy.
Slaves of God
11I appeal to you, my friends, as strangers and refugees in this world! Do not give in to bodily passions, which are always at war against the soul.
12Your conduct among the heathen should be so good that when they accuse you of being evildoers, they will have to recognize your good deeds and so praise God on the Day of his coming.
13For the sake of the Lord submit yourselves to every human authority: to the Emperor, who is the supreme authority,
14and to the governors, who have been appointed by him to punish the evildoers and to praise those who do good.
15For God wants you to silence the ignorant talk of foolish people by the good things you do.
16Live as free people; do not, however, use your freedom to cover up any evil, but live as God's slaves.
17Respect everyone, love other believers, honor God, and respect the Emperor.
The Example of Christ's Suffering
18You servants must submit yourselves to your masters and show them complete respect, not only to those who are kind and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.
19God will bless you for this, if you endure the pain of undeserved suffering because you are conscious of his will.
20For what credit is there if you endure the beatings you deserve for having done wrong? But if you endure suffering even when you have done right, God will bless you for it.
21It was to this that God called you, for Christ himself suffered for you and left you an example, so that you would follow in his steps.
22He committed no sin, and no one ever heard a lie come from his lips.
23When he was insulted, he did not answer back with an insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but placed his hopes in God, the righteous Judge.
24Christ himself carried our sins in his body to the cross, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness. It is by his wounds that you have been healed.
25You were like sheep that had lost their way, but now you have been brought back to follow the Shepherd and Keeper of your souls.
Colossians
Ch. 3–4
1You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right side of God.
2Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth.
3For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
4Your real life is Christ and when he appears, then you too will appear with him and share his glory!
The Old Life and the New
5You must put to death, then, the earthly desires at work in you, such as sexual immorality, indecency, lust, evil passions, and greed (for greed is a form of idolatry).
6Because of such things God's anger will come upon those who do not obey him.
7At one time you yourselves used to live according to such desires, when your life was dominated by them.
8But now you must get rid of all these things: anger, passion, and hateful feelings. No insults or obscene talk must ever come from your lips.
9Do not lie to one another, for you have put off the old self with its habits
10and have put on the new self. This is the new being which God, its Creator, is constantly renewing in his own image, in order to bring you to a full knowledge of himself.
11As a result, there is no longer any distinction between Gentiles and Jews, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarians, savages, slaves, and free, but Christ is all, Christ is in all.
12You are the people of God; he loved you and chose you for his own. So then, you must clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.
13Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you.
14And to all these qualities add love, which binds all things together in perfect unity.
15The peace that Christ gives is to guide you in the decisions you make; for it is to this peace that God has called you together in the one body. And be thankful.
16Christ's message in all its richness must live in your hearts. Teach and instruct one another with all wisdom. Sing psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing to God with thanksgiving in your hearts.
17Everything you do or say, then, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks through him to God the Father.
Personal Relations in the New Life
18Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, for that is what you should do as Christians.
19Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them.
20Children, it is your Christian duty to obey your parents always, for that is what pleases God.
21Parents, do not irritate your children, or they will become discouraged.
22Slaves, obey your human masters in all things, not only when they are watching you because you want to gain their approval; but do it with a sincere heart because of your reverence for the Lord.
23Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people.
24Remember that the Lord will give you as a reward what he has kept for his people. For Christ is the real Master you serve.
25And all wrongdoers will be repaid for the wrong things they do, because God judges everyone by the same standard.
Colossians 4
1Masters, be fair and just in the way you treat your slaves. Remember that you too have a Master in heaven.
Instructions
2Be persistent in prayer, and keep alert as you pray, giving thanks to God.
3At the same time pray also for us, so that God will give us a good opportunity to preach his message about the secret of Christ. For that is why I am now in prison.
4Pray, then, that I may speak, as I should, in such a way as to make it clear.
5Be wise in the way you act toward those who are not believers, making good use of every opportunity you have.
6Your speech should always be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone.
Final Greetings
7Our dear friend Tychicus, who is a faithful worker and fellow servant in the Lord's work, will give you all the news about me.
8That is why I am sending him to you, in order to cheer you up by telling you how all of us are getting along.
9With him goes Onesimus, that dear and faithful friend, who belongs to your group. They will tell you everything that is happening here.
10Aristarchus, who is in prison with me, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have already received instructions to welcome Mark if he comes your way.)
11Joshua, also called Justus, sends greetings too. These three are the only Jewish believers who work with me for the Kingdom of God, and they have been a great help to me.
12Greetings from Epaphras, another member of your group and a servant of Christ Jesus. He always prays fervently for you, asking God to make you stand firm, as mature and fully convinced Christians, in complete obedience to God's will.
13I can personally testify to his hard work for you and for the people in Laodicea and Hierapolis.
14Luke, our dear doctor, and Demas send you their greetings.
15Give our best wishes to the believers in Laodicea and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.
16After you read this letter, make sure that it is read also in the church at Laodicea. At the same time, you are to read the letter that the believers in Laodicea will send you.
17And tell Archippus, “Be sure to finish the task you were given in the Lord's service.”
18With my own hand I write this: Greetings from Paul Do not forget my chains! May God's grace be with you.
Proverbs
Ch. 30
10Never criticize servants to their master. You will be cursed and suffer for it.
11There are people who curse their fathers and do not show their appreciation for their mothers.
12There are people who think they are pure when they are as filthy as they can be.
13There are people who think they are so good—oh, how good they think they are!
14There are people who take cruel advantage of the poor and needy; that is the way they make their living.