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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Dear friends, I’m urging you all as travellers and foreigners to keep away from worldly temptations which are in a battle against your soul.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, magenta:vocative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Beloved ones, I exhort you as foreigners and exiles to abstain from fleshly desires, which make war against the soul,

UST Fellow believers whom I love, you are like foreigners whose real home is in heaven. So I urge you not to do the things that your sinful human natures want to do. Those desires will destroy you.

BLB Beloved, I exhort you as aliens and sojourners, to abstain from fleshly desires, which war against the soul,

AICNT Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the fleshly desires which wage war against the soul;

OEB 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.

WEBBE Beloved, I beg you as foreigners and pilgrims to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to keep away from fleshly desires that do battle against the soul,

LSV Beloved, I call on [you], as strangers and sojourners, to keep from the fleshly desires that war against the soul,

FBV My friends, I'm pleading with you as foreigners and strangers[fn] in this world not to give in to physical desires that are in conflict with what is spiritual.

2:11 “Foreigners and strangers”—not seeing this world as home.

TCNT Beloved, I urge you as strangers and sojourners to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul,

T4T You people whom I love, I urge you to consider that you are like foreigners [MET, DOU] whose real home is in heaven. As a result, avoid doing the things that your self-directed nature desires, because those desires ◄fight against/always oppose► your souls.

LEB Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires which wage war against your[fn] soul,

2:11 *Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun

BBE My loved ones, I make this request with all my heart, that, as those for whom this world is a strange country, you will keep yourselves from the desires of the flesh which make war against the soul;

Moff Beloved, as sojourners and exiles I appeal to you to abstain from the passions of the flesh that wage war upon the soul.

Wymth Dear friends, I entreat you as pilgrims and foreigners not to indulge the cravings of your lower natures: for all such cravings wage war upon the soul.

ASV ¶ Beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

DRA Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, to refrain yourselves from carnal desires which war against the soul,

YLT Beloved, I call upon [you], as strangers and sojourners, to keep from the fleshly desires, that war against the soul,

Drby Beloved, I exhort [you], as strangers and sojourners, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

RV Beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
(Beloved, I beseech/implore you as sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; )

SLT Dearly beloved, I beseech as sojourners and strangers, to keep off from fleshly passions, which war against the soul;

Wbstr Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

KJB-1769 Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;
(Dearly beloved, I beseech/implore you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; )

KJB-1611 Dearely beloued, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrimes, abstaine from fleshly lusts, which warre against the soule,
(Dearely beloved, I beseech/implore you as strangers and pilgrims, abstaine from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul,)

Bshps Dearely beloued, I beseche you as straugers and pilgrimes, abstaine from fleshly lustes, whiche fight agaynst the soule:
(Dearely beloved, I beseech/implore you as strangers and pilgrims, abstaine from fleshly lusts, which fight against the soul:)

Gnva Dearely beloued, I beseeche you, as strangers and pilgrims, abstaine from fleshly lusts, which fight against the soule,
(Dearely beloved, I beseech/implore you, as strangers and pilgrims, abstaine from fleshly lusts, which fight against the soul, )

Cvdl Dearly beloued, I beseke you as straungers and pilgrems, absteyne fro the fleshly lustes, which fighte agaynst the soule,
(Dearly beloved, I beseke you as strangers and pilgrems, abstain from the fleshly lusts, which fight against the soul,)

TNT Derly beloved I beseche you as straugers and pilgrems abstayne from flesshly lustes which fyght agaynst the soule
(Derly beloved I beseech/implore you as strangers and pilgrems abstain from flesshly lusts which fight against the soul )

Wycl Moost dere, Y biseche you, as comelyngis and pilgrymys, to absteine you fro fleischli desiris, that fiyten ayens the soule;
(Moost dere, I beseech/implore you, as comelyngis and pilgrimys, to absteine you from fleshly desires, that fighting against the soul;)

Luth Liebe Brüder, ich ermahne euch, als die Fremdlinge und Pilgrime, enthaltet euch von fleischlichen Lüsten, welche wider die SeeLE streiten,
(love(n) brothers, I admonish/rebuke you, as the strangers and Pilgrime, contain/includet you from fleshly/carnalen desires(n), which against the soul argue/battle,)

ClVg Carissimi, obsecro vos tamquam advenas et peregrinos abstinere vos a carnalibus desideriis, quæ militant adversus animam,[fn]
(Carissimi, I_beg you(pl) as_if newcomers and peregrinos to_abstain you(pl) from carnal desires, which militant against the_soul, )

2.11 Charissimi. ID. Hucusque generaliter instruxit Ecclesiam, etc., usque ad libertas vitæ remissioris majora illecebrarum titillantium tolerare pericula. Tanquam advenas. Eo minus animum terrenis rebus supponite, quo vos patriam in cœlis habere meministis. Reprobi hic habent patriam, cujus desideriis inhiant, ideo relegabuntur in perpetuum exsilium, carentes voluptatibus.

2.11 Charissimi. ID. So_far generally instruxit assembly/church, etc., until to freedom of_life remissioris bigger he/that_onecebrarum titillantium tolerare dangers. Tanquam newcomers. I_am_going minus mind earthly things supposese, where you(pl) homeland in/into/on heavens to_have meministis. Reprobi this/here they_have homeland, whose desires inhiant, therefore/for_that_reason relegabuntur in/into/on forever exsilium, carentes pleasures.

UGNT ἀγαπητοί, παρακαλῶ ὡς παροίκους καὶ παρεπιδήμους, ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν, αἵτινες στρατεύονται κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς;
(agapaʸtoi, parakalō hōs paroikous kai parepidaʸmous, apeⱪesthai tōn sarkikōn epithumiōn, haitines strateuontai kata taʸs psuⱪaʸs;)

SBL-GNT Ἀγαπητοί, παρακαλῶ ὡς παροίκους καὶ παρεπιδήμους ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν, αἵτινες στρατεύονται κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς·
(Agapaʸtoi, parakalō hōs paroikous kai parepidaʸmous apeⱪesthai tōn sarkikōn epithumiōn, haitines strateuontai kata taʸs psuⱪaʸs;)

RP-GNT Ἀγαπητοί, παρακαλῶ ὡς παροίκους καὶ παρεπιδήμους, ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν, αἵτινες στρατεύονται κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς·
(Agapaʸtoi, parakalō hōs paroikous kai parepidaʸmous, apeⱪesthai tōn sarkikōn epithumiōn, haitines strateuontai kata taʸs psuⱪaʸs;)

TC-GNT Ἀγαπητοί, παρακαλῶ ὡς παροίκους καὶ παρεπιδήμους, [fn]ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν, αἵτινες στρατεύονται κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς·
(Agapaʸtoi, parakalō hōs paroikous kai parepidaʸmous, apeⱪesthai tōn sarkikōn epithumiōn, haitines strateuontai kata taʸs psuⱪaʸs; )

2:11 απεχεσθαι ¦ απεχεσθε ANT

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:1–12: Christ is the cornerstone and believers are his holy people

In this section Peter used illustrations from the Old Testament to describe how important Christ was and how holy Christians should be. Christ was like the most important stone in a building. Christians belong to him and so should live holy lives.

Some other headings for this section are:

Live as God’s Chosen People (GW)

A Living Stone and a Holy People (CEV)

2:11a

Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles,

¶ Dear ones, you are foreigners and exiles in this world. So I appeal to you
¶ My friends, remember that you are living in exile here and this world is not your true home/village. So, I strongly/earnestly encourage/ask you

Beloved: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Beloved was a common way for a letter writer to address his readers. It expressed his affection for them. It does not imply that Peter actually knew them personally as individuals. Some other ways Beloved can be translated include:

Dear ones

you whom I love

my friends (GNT)

I urge you: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as urge means to ask very strongly or to earnestly recommend someone to do something. Other ways to translate this include:

I beg you

I beseech you

I appeal to you (REB)

as foreigners and exiles: Peter reminds his readers again (see 1:1, 1:17) that this world is not their real home, so they are living here as foreigners and exiles.

Commentators agree that in this context foreigners means much the same things as exiles. The two words are used together as a stylistic device to emphasize what Peter is saying. Some English translations therefore combine them. For example:

as aliens in a foreign land (REB)

foreigners: The Greek word that the BSB translates as foreigners is related to the word that it translates as “foreigners” in 1:17c. It refers to someone who is living temporarily in a country of which he is not a citizen.

exiles: The Greek word that the BSB translates as exiles is the same as that in 1:1c. It again refers to someone living in a land that is not his own. See how you translated this word in 1:1c.

Some other ways foreigners and exiles can be translated include:

temporary residents and foreigners (NLT)

strangers and refugees (GNT)

aliens and exiles (RSV)

General Comment on 2:11a

The fact that the believers were foreigners and exiles is the ground for the appeal. So in some languages it may be helpful to say:

…you are foreigners and strangers on this earth. So I beg you… (CEV)

…you are foreigners and aliens here. So I warn you… (NLT)

2:11b

to abstain from the desires of the flesh,

to refuse/reject the bad desires/appetites of your human nature.
to not do the bad things that you feel like doing,

to abstain from the desires of the flesh: The word abstain means to hold oneself back from doing something.

So the phrase to abstain from the desires of the flesh means “not to do things you want to do that are wrong” or “to avoid doing the things that your sinful human nature wants to do.”

from the desires of the flesh: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as the desires of the flesh is literally “fleshly desires.” The adjective “fleshly,” that is, “of the flesh,” refers in this context to the human nature that tends towards sin. “Flesh” is here contrasted with the “soul,” which is the immortal and spiritual part of man that desires to do God’s will.

If possible, do not translate “flesh” as “body.” It is true that sinful actions are done with our bodies, but our minds and hearts are involved as well (Mark 7:21).

Other ways to say this phrase include:

to keep away from fleshly desires (NET)

not to surrender to sinful desires

avoid doing the bad things you want to do

2:11c

which war against your soul.

Those bad desires fight/struggle against your spiritual self/life.
because those things are your enemies.

which war against your soul: This is a figure of speech. Peter was saying that all sinful desires are like enemies that are fighting against the believer’s soul.

your soul: The soul is the real person/individual, as in 1:9. It is the person who has been rescued for eternal life. This life is threatened by the desires of the unredeemed human nature.

Other ways of saying this include:

that attack the soul (NJB)

that battle your soul

those desires that fight against you (CEV)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

General Information:

Peter begins to tell his readers how to live Christian lives.

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

παροίκους καὶ παρεπιδήμους

sojourners (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἀγαπητοί παρακαλῶ ὡς παροίκους καί παρεπιδήμους ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν αἵτινες στρατεύονται κατά τῆς ψυχῆς)

Here, foreigners and exiles mean basically the same thing. The repetition is used to emphasize that Christians on this earth are far away from their home in heaven. If your language does not use repetition to do this, you can use one phrase and provide emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: [true exiles]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

παροίκους

sojourners

Peter uses foreigners here to refer to his Christian readers. Just like a foreigner is not in his homeland, so are Christians not at home while living on the earth. If this might confuse your readers, you could express the meaning plainly or use a simile. Alternate translation: [those living away from their home in heaven]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

παρεπιδήμους

aliens

See how you translated exiles in [1:1](../01/01.md).

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν

˓to_be˒_keeping_away ˱from˲_the fleshly desires

Here, fleshly refers to a person’s sinful nature. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [to abstain from satisfying your sinful desires]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

στρατεύονται κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς

˓are˒_warring (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἀγαπητοί παρακαλῶ ὡς παροίκους καί παρεπιδήμους ἀπέχεσθαι τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν αἵτινες στρατεύονται κατά τῆς ψυχῆς)

Peter speaks of fleshly desires as if they were soldiers trying to destroy the spiritual life of believers. If this might confuse your readers, you could express the meaning plainly or use a simile. Alternate translation: [will destroy your spiritual life]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / genericnoun

τῆς ψυχῆς

your soul

Peter is referring to each individual Christian to whom he is writing this letter, not one particular soul. If this would be misunderstood in your language, use a more natural phrase. Alternate translation: [your souls] or [you]