I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder, and a witness of the sufferings of AL-MASIH1, and who will also share in the glory that will be revealed. 2Shepherd the flock of God2 which is among you, exercising the oversight, not under compulsion, but voluntarily, not for dishonest gain, but willingly; 3neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves examples to the flock. 4When the chief Shepherd is revealed, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away.
5Likewise, you younger ones, be subject to the elder. Yes, all of you clothe yourselves with humility, to subject yourselves to one another; for
6Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time; 7casting all your worries on him, because he cares for you.
8Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary Iblis5, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9Withstand him steadfast in your faith, knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings. 10But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by AL-MASIH ‘ISA6, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11To him be the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.
12Through Silvanus7, our faithful brother, as I consider him, I have written to you briefly, exhorting, and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you stand. 13She who is in Babylon, chosen together with you, greets you; and so does Mark8, my son. 14Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace be to all who are in AL-MASIH ‘ISA. Amen.
- 5:1 AL-MASIH – an Arabic title equivalent to the Messiah (Hebrew) or Christ (Greek), all of which mean the Anointed One, that is, God’s Chosen One. In ancient times, divinely-appointed kings, priests and prophets were anointed with oil to signify their appointment to office. All of them point ahead to God’s ultimate Anointed One, the Messiah, AL-MASIH. Al-Kitab unanimously points to ‘ISA Ibn Maryam as the only person worthy to bear the title AL-MASIH. He is the one whom God sent into this world to save people from sin, and to usher in God’s Kingdom at his Second Coming. ↩︎
- 5:2 God, English translation of theos. It is the Greek equivalent of elohim and eloah (Hebrew) which are related to allah (Arabic) and alaha (Syriac), all of which translate as “God,” and refer to the one true God. ↩︎
- 5:5 GOD, the use of all capital letters means that the original Hebrew text quoted here uses God’s Name, YAHWEH, which God-fearing Jews to this day do not say out of respect. YAHWEH is the Name God revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.” ↩︎
- 5:5 Quoting the Taurat in Proverbs 3:34 which says: “Surely YAHWEH opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” ↩︎
- 5:8 Iblis, derived from the Greek diabolos, which also gives rise to the English word, devil. ↩︎
- 5:10 ‘ISA – The names ‘ISA (Arabic), ISHO (Syriac) and JESUS (Greek, IESOUS) are all derived from the Hebrew name YEHOSHUA, which means “YAHWEH saves.” (YAHWEH is God’s personal name revealed to Prophet Musa in the Taurat, Exodus 3:15 – God said moreover to Musa, “You shall tell Bani-Israel this, ‘YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Ibrahim, the God of Ishaq, and the God of Yaqub, has sent me to you.’ This is my Name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered to all generations.”) ↩︎
- 5:12 Silvanus, that is, Silas who was often the Apostle Paul’s traveling companion in his missionary work. ↩︎
- 5:13 Mark, or John Mark, who traveled with the Apostle Paul and Barnabas, and then authored the part of the Injil or Gospel known as Mark. ↩︎