ペテロの手紙第一 2
1 されば凡ての惡意、すべての詭計・僞善・嫉妬および凡ての謗を棄てて、
Now that you have done with all malice, all deceitfulness, insincerity, jealous feelings, and all backbiting,
2 いま生れし嬰兒のごとく靈の眞の乳を慕へ、之により育ちて救に至らん爲なり。
like newly born infants, crave pure spiritual milk, so that you may be enabled by it to grow until you attain salvation –
3 なんぢら既に主の仁慈あることを味ひ知りたらんには、然すべきなり。
since ‘you have found by experience that the Lord is kind.’
4 主は人に棄てられ給へど、神に選ばれたる貴き活ける石なり。
Come to him, then, as to a living stone, rejected, indeed, by men, but in God’s eyes choice and precious;
5 なんぢら彼にきたり、活ける石のごとく建てられて靈の家となれ。これ潔き祭司となり、イエス・キリストに由りて神に喜ばるる靈の犧牲を献げん爲なり。
and, as living stones, form yourselves into a spiritual house, to be a consecrated priesthood, for the offering of spiritual sacrifices that will be acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 聖書に『視よ、選ばれたる貴き隅の首石を我シオンに置く。之に依頼む者は辱しめられじ』とあるなり。
For there is a passage of scripture that runs – ‘See, I am placing in Zion a choice and precious cornerstone; and those who believe in him will have no cause for shame.’
7 されば信ずる汝らには尊きなれど、信ぜぬ者には『造家者らの棄てたる石は、隅の首石となれる』にて、
It is to you, then, who believe in him that he is precious, but to those who do not believe he is ‘a stone which, though rejected by the builders, has now itself become the corner-stone,’
8 『つまづく石、礙ぐる岩』となるなり。彼らは服はぬに因りて御言に躓く。これは斯く定められたるなり。
and ‘a stumbling-block, and a rock which will prove a hindrance.’ They stumble because they do not accept the message. This was the fate destined for them.
9 されど汝らは選ばれたる族、王なる祭司・潔き國人・神に屬ける民なり、これ汝らを暗黒より召して、己の妙なる光に入れ給ひし者の譽を顯させん爲なり。
But you are ‘a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, God’s own people,’ entrusted with the proclamation of the goodness of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
10 なんぢら前には民にあらざりしが、今は神の民なり。前には憐憫を蒙らざりしが、今は憐憫を蒙れり。
Once you were ‘not a people,’ but now you are ‘God’s people’; once you ‘had not found mercy,’ but now you ‘have found mercy.’
11 愛する者よ、われ汝らに勸む。汝らは旅人また宿れる者なれば、靈魂に逆ひて戰ふ肉の慾を避け、
Dear friends, I beg you, as pilgrims and strangers on earth, to refrain from indulging the cravings of your earthly nature, for they make war on the soul.
12 異邦人の中にありて行状を美しく爲よ、これ汝らを謗りて惡をおこなふ者と云へる人々の、汝らの善き行爲を見て、反つて眷顧の日に神を崇めん爲なり。
Let your daily life among the Gentiles be so upright, that, whenever they malign you as evildoers, they may learn, as they watch, from the uprightness of your conduct, to praise God ‘at the time when he will visit them.’
13 なんぢら主のために凡て人の立てたる制度に服へ。或は上に在る王、
Submit to all human institutions for the Lord’s sake, alike to the emperor as the supreme authority,
14 或は惡をおこなふ者を罰し、善をおこなふ者を賞せんために王より遣されたる司に服へ。
and to governors as sent by him to punish evildoers and to commend those who do right.
15 善を行ひて愚なる人の無知の言を止むるは、神の御意なればなり。
For God’s will is this – that you should silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing what is right.
16 なんぢら自由なる者のごとくすとも、その自由をもて惡の覆となさず、神の僕のごとくせよ。
Act as free people, yet not using your freedom as those do who make it a cloak for wickedness, but as Servants of God.
17 なんぢら凡ての人を敬ひ、兄弟を愛し、神を畏れ、王を尊べ。
Show honor to everyone, love the Lord’s followers, ‘revere God, honor the emperor.’
18 僕たる者よ、大なる畏をもて主人に服へ、啻に善きもの、寛容なる者にのみならず、情なき者にも服へ、
Those of you who are domestic servants should always be submissive and respectful to their masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are arbitrary.
19 人もし受くべからざる苦難を受け、神を認むるに因りて憂に堪ふる事をせば、これ譽むべきなり。
For this wins God’s approval when, because conscious of God’s presence, a person who is suffering unjustly bears their troubles patiently.
20 もし罪を犯して撻たるるとき、之を忍ぶとも何の功かある。されど若し善を行ひてなほ苦しめらるる時これを忍ばば、これ神の譽めたまふ所なり。
What credit can you claim when, after doing wrong, you take your punishment for it patiently? But, on the other hand, if, after doing right, you take your sufferings patiently, that does win the approval of God.
21 汝らは之がために召されたり、キリストも汝らの爲に苦難をうけ、汝らを其の足跡に隨はしめんとて模範を遺し給へるなり。
For it was to this that you were called! For Christ, too, suffered – on your behalf – and left you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
22 彼は罪を犯さず、その口に虚僞なく、
He ‘never sinned, nor was anything deceitful ever heard from his lips.’
23 また罵られて罵らず、苦しめられて脅かさず、正しく審きたまふ者に己を委ね、
He was abused, but he did not answer with abuse; he suffered, but he did not threaten; he entrusted himself to him whose judgments are just.
24 木の上に懸りて、みづから我らの罪を己が身に負ひ給へり。これ我らが罪に就きて死に、義に就きて生きん爲なり。汝らは彼の傷によりて癒されたり。
And he ‘himself carried our sins’ in his own body to the cross, so that we might die to our sins, and live for righteousness. ‘His bruising was your healing.’
25 なんぢら前には羊のごとく迷ひたりしが、今は汝らの靈魂の牧者たる監督に歸りたり。
Once you were straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
