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Greetings from Peter

This letter is from Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.

I am writing to God’s chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.[a] God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ.

May God give you more and more grace and peace.

The Hope of Eternal Life

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.

So be truly glad.[b] There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.

You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.

10 This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. 11 They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ’s suffering and his great glory afterward.

12 They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen.

A Call to Holy Living

13 So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-control. Put all your hope in the gracious salvation that will come to you when Jesus Christ is revealed to the world. 14 So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then. 15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy. 16 For the Scriptures say, “You must be holy because I am holy.”[c]

17 And remember that the heavenly Father to whom you pray has no favorites. He will judge or reward you according to what you do. So you must live in reverent fear of him during your time here as “temporary residents.” 18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. 19 It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. 20 God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.

21 Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory.

22 You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters.[d] Love each other deeply with all your heart.[e]

23 For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. 24 As the Scriptures say,

“People are like grass;
    their beauty is like a flower in the field.
The grass withers and the flower fades.
25     But the word of the Lord remains forever.”[f]

And that word is the Good News that was preached to you.

Footnotes

  1. 1:1 Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia were Roman provinces in what is now Turkey.
  2. 1:6 Or So you are truly glad.
  3. 1:16 Lev 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7.
  4. 1:22a Greek must have brotherly love.
  5. 1:22b Some manuscripts read with a pure heart.
  6. 1:24-25 Isa 40:6-8.

Peter Petros, an apostle apostolos of Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos, to those who live as refugees parepidēmos of the dispersion diaspora in Pontus Pontos, Galatia Galatia, Cappadocia Kappadokia, Asia Asia, and kai Bithynia Bithunia, elect according to kata the foreknowledge prognōsis of God theos the Father patēr by en being set apart hagiasmos by the Spirit pneuma for eis obedience hypakoē and kai for sprinkling rhantismos with the blood haima of Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos. May grace charis and kai peace eirēnē be yours hymeis in ever increasing measure plēthunō.

Blessed eulogētos be the ho God theos and kai Father patēr of ho our hēmeis Lord kyrios Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos, who ho according to kata · ho his autos great polys mercy eleos gave anagennaō us hēmeis new birth into eis a living zaō hope elpis through dia the resurrection anastasis of Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos from ek the dead nekros, to eis an inheritance klēronomia that is imperishable aphthartos, · kai undefiled amiantos, and kai unfading amarantos, being preserved tēreō in en heaven ouranos for eis you hymeis, who ho by en the power dynamis of God theos are being guarded phroureō through dia faith pistis for eis a salvation sōtēria ready hetoimos to be revealed apokalyptō in en the last eschatos time kairos.

In en this hos you rejoice agalliaō, even if ei now arti it is necessary dei for a short oligos time to be made sorrowful lypeō by en various poikilos trials peirasmos, so that hina the ho genuineness dokimion of ho your hymeis faith pistis ( which is more precious polytimos than gold chrysion that ho perishes apollymi), having been tested dokimazō by dia fire pyr, · de may be found heuriskō to eis your praise epainos and kai glory doxa and kai honor timē at en the revelation apokalypsis of Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos. Though you have not ou seen him, you love agapaō him hos. Though horaō not seeing horaō him now arti, yet de believing pisteuō in eis him hos, you rejoice agalliaō with joy chara unspeakable aneklalētos and kai filled with glory doxazō, because you are obtaining komizō the ho goal telos of ho your hymeis faith pistis—the salvation sōtēria of your souls psychē.

10 Concerning peri this hos salvation sōtēria, the prophets prophētēs who ho prophesied prophēteuō of peri the ho grace charis that would come to eis you hymeis investigated diligently ekzēteō and kai examined with care exeraunaō, 11 trying to discover eraunaō what tis time or ē manner poios of time kairos the ho Spirit pneuma of Christ Christos who was in en them autos was indicating dēloō when he predicted promartyromai the ho sufferings pathēma of eis Christ Christos and kai the ho glories doxa that houtos would follow meta. 12 To them hos it was revealed apokalyptō that hoti not ou to themselves heautou, but de to you hymeis, they were ministering diakoneō these things autos that hos now nyn have been announced anangellō to you hymeis through dia those ho who preached euangelizō to you hymeis by en the Holy hagios Spirit pneuma sent apostellō from apo heaven ouranos—things into eis which hos angels angelos long epithumeō to look parakyptō.

13 Therefore dio gird up anazōnnymi the ho loins osphys of ho your hymeis mind dianoia, be sober-minded nēphō, and set your hope elpizō completely teleiōs on epi the ho grace charis that will be brought pherō to you hymeis at en the revelation apokalypsis of Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos. 14 As hōs children teknon of obedience hypakoē, do not be conformed syschēmatizō to the ho desires epithumia you used to have proteros in en · ho your hymeis time of ignorance agnoia 15 but alla, just as kata the ho one who called kaleō you hymeis is holy hagios, so also kai are ginomai you autos to be ginomai holy hagios in en all pas your conduct anastrophē. 16 For dioti it is written graphō, “ Be eimi holy hagios, because hoti I egō am eimi holy hagios.”

17 And kai if ei you call upon epikaleō him as Father patēr who ho judges krinō impartially aprosōpolēmptōs according to kata the ho work ergon of each hekastos, conduct yourselves anastrephō with en fear phobos during the ho time chronos of ho your hymeis exile paroikia, 18 since you know oida that hoti you were ransomed lytroō from ek the ho empty mataios way of life anastrophē handed down from patroparadotos your hymeis ancestors patroparadotos, not ou by perishable phthartos things such as silver argyrion or ē gold chrysion, 19 but alla by precious timios blood haima, as hōs of a lamb amnos without blemish or kai spot aspilos, the blood of Christ Christos. 20 He was chosen in advance proginōskō, before pro the foundation katabolē of the world kosmos, but de was revealed phaneroō at epi the end eschatos of the ho times chronos for dia you hymeis 21 who ho through dia him autos believe pistos in eis God theos, who ho raised egeirō him autos from ek the dead nekros and kai gave didōmi him autos glory doxa, so that hōste · ho your hymeis faith pistis and kai hope elpis are eimi in eis God theos. 22 Since you have purified hagnizō · ho your hymeis souls psychē by en · ho obedience hypakoē to the ho truth alētheia so that eis there is a sincere anypokritos love for other believers philadelphia, love agapaō one another allēlōn fervently ektenōs from ek a pure katharos heart kardia, 23 for you have been born again anagennaō not ou of ek perishable phthartos seed spora but alla of imperishable aphthartos, by dia means of the living zaō and kai enduring menō word logos of God theos. 24 For dioti All pas flesh sarx is like hōs grass chortos, and kai all pas its autos glory doxa like hōs the flower anthos of grass chortos; the ho grass chortos dries up xērainō and kai its ho flower anthos falls ekpiptō; 25 but de the ho word rhēma of the Lord kyrios endures menō for eis all ho time aiōn.” And de this houtos is eimi the ho word rhēma that ho was preached euangelizō to eis you hymeis.