¹⁴ Simon^[a] has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles.^(A)

1 Simon Peter, a servant^(A) and apostle of Jesus Christ,^(B)

To those who through the righteousness^(C) of our God and Savior Jesus Christ^(D) have received a faith as precious as ours:

⁷ After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe.^{(A) 8} God, who knows the heart,^(B) showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them,^(C) just as he did to us. ⁹ He did not discriminate between us and them,^(D) for he purified their hearts by faith.^(E)

⁹ But you are a chosen people,^(A) a royal priesthood,^(B) a holy nation,^(C) God’s special possession,^(D) that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.^{(E) 10} Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;^(F) once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

⁵ Through him we received grace^(A) and apostleship to call all the Gentiles^(B) to the obedience that comes from^[a] faith^(C) for his name’s sake.