Greeting

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who are elect exiles of ^(A)the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, ² according to ^(B)the foreknowledge of God the Father, ^(C)in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and ^(D)for sprinkling with his blood:

May ^(E)grace and ^(F)peace be multiplied to you.

Born Again to a Living Hope

^3 (G)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! ^(H)According to his great mercy, ^(I)he has caused us to be born again to a living hope ^(J)through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to ^(K)an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and ^(L)unfading, ^(M)kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God's power are being guarded ^(N)through faith for a salvation ^(O)ready to be revealed in the last time.

Called to Be Holy

¹³ Therefore, ^(A)preparing your minds for action,^[a] and ^(B)being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, ^(C)do not be conformed to the passions ^(D)of your former ignorance, ¹⁵ but ^(E)as he who called you is holy, you also be holy ^(F)in all your conduct, ¹⁶ since it is written, ^(G)“You shall be holy, for I am holy.” ¹⁷ And if you ^(H)call on him as Father who ^(I)judges ^(J)impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves ^(K)with fear throughout the time of your exile, ¹⁸ knowing that you ^(L)were ransomed from ^(M)the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹ but ^(N)with the precious blood of Christ, like that of ^(O)a lamb ^(P)without blemish or spot. ²⁰ He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but ^(Q)was made manifest ^(R)in the last times for the sake of you ^21 (S)who through him are believers in God, ^(T)who raised him from the dead and ^(U)gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

²² Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for ^(V)a sincere brotherly love, ^(W)love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ^23 (X)since you have been born again, ^(Y)not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through ^(Z)the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴ for

And this word ^(AC)is the good news that was preached to you.

A Living Stone and a Holy People

2 ^(AD)So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ^2 (AE)Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual ^(AF)milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have ^(AG)tasted that the Lord is good.

⁴ As you come to him, a living stone ^(AH)rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ^5 (AI)you yourselves like living stones are being built up as ^(AJ)a spiritual house, to be ^(AK)a holy priesthood, ^(AL)to offer spiritual sacrifices ^(AM)acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in Scripture: