Greeting to the Elect Pilgrims

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To the ^[a]pilgrims ^(A)of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

Greeting to the Twelve Tribes

1 James, ^(A)a bondservant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,

To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad:

Greetings.

The Crowd’s Response

⁵ And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, ^(A)devout men, from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And when this sound occurred, the ^(B)multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. ⁷ Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak ^(C)Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each in our own ^[a]language in which we were born? ⁹ Parthians and Medes and Elamites, those dwelling in Mesopotamia, Judea and ^(D)Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰ Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya adjoining Cyrene, visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹ Cretans and ^[b]Arabs—we hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.”

The Heavenly Hope

¹³ These all died in faith, ^(A)not having received the ^(B)promises, but ^(C)having seen them afar off ^[a]were assured of them, embraced them and ^(D)confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Christ Our Cornerstone

¹⁹ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

⁵² and ^(A)not for that nation only, but ^(B)also that He would gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad.

⁶⁴ “Then the Lord ^(A)will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and ^(B)there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known—wood and stone.

Living Before the World

¹¹ Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts ^(A)which war against the soul,

¹² that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.