² who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge^(A) of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit,^(B) to be obedient^(C) to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:^(D)

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.^(E)

²⁴ to Jesus the mediator^(A) of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood^(B) that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.^(C)

Stand Firm

¹³ But we ought always to thank God for you,^(A) brothers and sisters loved by the Lord, because God chose you as firstfruits^[a](B) to be saved^(C) through the sanctifying work of the Spirit^(D) and through belief in the truth.

² Grace and peace be yours in abundance^(A) through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.^(B)

²² Now that you have purified^(A) yourselves by obeying^(B) the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply,^(C) from the heart.^[a]

⁴ For he chose us^(A) in him before the creation of the world^(B) to be holy and blameless^(C) in his sight. In love^{(D) 5} he^[a] predestined^(E) us for adoption to sonship^[b](F) through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure^(G) and will—

² God did not reject his people,^(A) whom he foreknew.^(B) Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel:

²³ This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge;^(A) and you, with the help of wicked men,^[a] put him to death by nailing him to the cross.^(B)

²⁶ but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings^(A) by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from^[a] faith^(B)—