1 Peter 4

1

2

3

4

5

¹Remember that Jesus Christ got trouble while he lived on earth. Well, you will get trouble too, so get ready for it and don’t get upset about it. If you get trouble it will make you strong, and you will not worry about that trouble if it comes. After you get that trouble you will not want to do bad things any more,

²but you will always want to do the things that God wants. If you think you might want to do something bad you will just turn away from it.

³In the past you did lots of wrong things. You lived like people that didn’t know God. You just did whatever bad things you wanted to do. You slept with people that you were not married to, and you did with them what a husband and wife do together. You got drunk. You went to wild parties. You showed respect for statues that men made. That was really bad. But no more now. That’s enough of doing those bad things.

⁴Some of your friends keep doing bad things and don’t care if they mess themselves up. But you say, “No,” and you don’t go with them. So they are surprised and they rubbish you and make fun of you.

⁵But they will have to face God. He is ready to be their judge. They will have to try to answer him about the bad things they do.

⁶He will judge everyone, people that are still living and people that are dead. That is why Jesus told the good news to people that already died. At the time when they were alive they did wrong, so God said they had to die, but now their spirits can become alive again and live God’s way.

⁷The last day will come soon, so you have to think clearly and be careful about everything you do. Then you can talk to God properly.

⁸And this is most important, you’ve got to keep loving each other very much. People might do wrong to you, but if you love them you will be good to them and you will not pay them back.

⁹If there are people that need food or a place to stay, then share your home with them and don’t grumble about it.

¹⁰God has given each one of you a different way to do good for each other. He has given you the power to do it, so you have to do it properly.

¹¹If you can tell stories to people, then tell them God’s story, and tell it clearly. If you can help other people, then let God make you strong so you can help them properly. Do everything properly so that people will see it and they will say that God is really great. They know that you follow Jesus, so they will thank God for sending Jesus to us. Jesus has really great power now and he will stay like that for ever. That’s true.

¹²My dear Christian friends. You are following Jesus, and from that you are getting trouble. So don’t be surprised about it. God lets you get this trouble.

¹³You are getting trouble just like Jesus got trouble, so be happy. Don’t be sad. Jesus will come and show everyone that he is Number One, and you will be very happy then, because you are his relatives.

¹⁴Maybe people are making fun of you because you follow Jesus, but don’t worry, God is happy with you and God’s spirit is with you. His spirit is great and has a lot of power.

¹⁵But don’t do wrong so that people give you trouble to punish you. If a person kills another person he gets trouble, or if a person steals things he gets trouble, or if he is bossy to others he gets trouble. You can’t do wrong like that.

¹⁶But if people make trouble for you because you follow Jesus, don’t feel ashamed. No. Just thank God that you belong to Jesus.

¹⁷It is time now for God to start judging everybody, and he will start with his own family. He will say to some of us, “You have done well,” or maybe he will say to some, “You have not done well.” He will talk this way to his own family. Then after that he will judge those that didn’t want to listen to his good story. He will be really rough on those people.

¹⁸God’s book has this, People that live right will get troubles, but God will save them. But what about those that do bad and never listen to God? They will not have a chance. He will be very tough on them.

¹⁹So if God lets trouble come to you Christians, don’t leave him. Keep on doing whatever is right and keep trusting him. He made you, and he promised you good things. He does everything that he promises to do, so you can trust your life to him. And keep on doing whatever is right.