Sacrifices Pleasing to God

13 Let ^(A)love of the brothers continue. ² Do not neglect to ^(B)show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have ^(C)entertained angels without knowing it. ^3 (D)Remember ^(E)the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you yourselves also are in the body. ^4 (F)Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled, ^(G)for the sexually immoral and adulterers God will judge. ⁵ Make sure that your way of life is ^(H)free from the love of money, ^(I)being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “^(J)I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” ⁶ so that we confidently say,

⁷ Remember your ^(L)leaders, who spoke ^(M)the word of God to you; and considering the ^[b]result of their conduct, ^(N)imitate their faith. ^8 (O)Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. ^9 (P)Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to ^(Q)be strengthened by grace, not by ^(R)foods, ^(S)through which those who ^[c]were so occupied were not benefited. ¹⁰ We have an altar ^(T)from which those ^(U)who serve the tabernacle have no authority to eat. ¹¹ For ^(V)the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. ¹² Therefore Jesus also, ^(W)that He might sanctify the people ^(X)through His own blood, suffered ^(Y)outside the gate. ¹³ So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, ^(Z)bearing His reproach. ¹⁴ For here ^(AA)we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking ^(AB)the one to come. ^15 (AC)Through Him then, let us continually offer up a ^(AD)sacrifice of praise to God, that is, ^(AE)the fruit of lips that confess His name. ¹⁶ And do not neglect doing good and ^(AF)sharing, for ^(AG)with such sacrifices God is pleased.

^17 (AH)Obey your leaders and submit to them—for ^(AI)they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account—so that they will do this with joy and not with groaning, for this would be unprofitable for you.

^18 (AJ)Pray for us, for we are convinced that we have a ^(AK)good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves well in all things. ¹⁹ And I urge you all the more to do this, ^(AL)so that I may be restored to you the sooner.

Benediction

²⁰ Now ^(AM)the God of peace, who ^(AN)brought up from the dead the ^(AO)great Shepherd of the sheep ^[d]through ^(AP)the blood of the ^(AQ)eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus, ^21 (AR)equip you in every good thing to do His will, by ^(AS)doing in us ^(AT)what is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, ^(AU)to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

²² But ^(AV)I urge you, ^(AW)brothers, ^[e]bear with ^[f]this ^(AX)word of exhortation, for ^(AY)I have written to you briefly. ²³ Know that ^(AZ)our brother Timothy has been released, with whom, if he comes soon, I will see you. ²⁴ Greet ^(BA)all of your leaders and all the ^[g](BB)saints. Those from ^(BC)Italy greet you.

^25 (BD)Grace be with you all.

A Living Hope

1 ^(A)Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who reside as ^(B)exiles, ^(C)scattered throughout ^(D)Pontus, ^(E)Galatia, ^(F)Cappadocia, ^(G)Asia, and ^(H)Bithynia, ^(I)who are chosen ² according to the ^(J)foreknowledge of God the Father, ^(K)by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to the ^(L)obedience of Jesus Christ and the ^(M)sprinkling of His blood: ^(N)May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

^3 (O)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who ^(P)according to His great mercy ^(Q)has caused us to be born again to ^(R)a living hope through the ^(S)resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to obtain an ^(T)inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and ^(U)unfading, having been ^(V)kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who are ^(W)protected by the power of God ^(X)through faith for ^(Y)a salvation ready ^(Z)to be revealed in the last time. ^6 (AA)In this you greatly rejoice, even though now ^(AB)for a little while, ^(AC)if necessary, you have been grieved by ^(AD)various ^[a]trials, ⁷ so that the ^[b](AE)proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which ^[c]is perishable, ^(AF)even though tested by fire, ^(AG)may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at ^(AH)the revelation of Jesus Christ. ⁸ And ^(AI)though you have not seen Him, you ^(AJ)love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and ^[d]full of glory, ⁹ receiving as ^(AK)the outcome of your faith the salvation of ^[e]your souls.

^10 (AL)Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who ^(AM)prophesied of the ^(AN)grace that would come to you, made careful searches and inquiries, ^11 [f]inquiring to know what time or what kind of time ^(AO)the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He was ^(AP)predicting the sufferings of Christ and the glories ^[g]to follow. ¹² It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been declared to you through those who ^(AQ)proclaimed the gospel to you by ^(AR)the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which ^(AS)angels long to ^[h]look.

¹³ Therefore, having ^[i](AT)girded your minds for action, ^[j](AU)being sober in spirit, fix your ^(AV)hope completely on the ^(AW)grace ^[k]to be brought to you at ^(AX)the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As ^[l](AY)obedient children, not ^[m](AZ)being conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ^(BA)ignorance, ¹⁵ but ^[n](BB)like the Holy One who called you, ^[o](BC)be holy yourselves also ^(BD)in all your conduct; ¹⁶ because it is written, “^(BE)You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

¹⁷ And if you ^(BF)address as Father the One who ^(BG)impartially ^(BH)judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves ^[p](BI)in fear during the time of your ^(BJ)sojourn, ¹⁸ knowing that you were not ^[q](BK)redeemed with corruptible things like silver or gold from your ^(BL)futile conduct inherited from your forefathers, ¹⁹ but with precious ^(BM)blood, as of a ^(BN)lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. ²⁰ He was ^(BO)foreknown before ^(BP)the foundation of the world, but ^(BQ)appeared ^[r]in these last times ^(BR)for the sake of you ²¹ who through Him are ^(BS)believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and ^(BT)gave Him glory, so that your faith and ^(BU)hope are in God.

²² Since you have ^(BV)in obedience to the truth ^(BW)purified your souls for a love of the brothers ^(BX)without hypocrisy, fervently love one another from ^[s]the heart, ²³ for you have been ^(BY)born again ^(BZ)not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, that is, through the living and enduring ^(CA)word of God. ²⁴ For,

And this is ^(CD)the word which was ^[t]proclaimed to you as good news.

As Living Stones, God’s Chosen Family

2 Therefore, ^(CE)laying aside all ^[u]malice and all deceit and ^[v]hypocrisy and ^[w]envy and all ^[x](CF)slander, ^2 (CG)like newborn babies, long for the ^[y](CH)pure ^[z]milk of the word, so that by it you may ^(CI)grow ^[aa]in respect to salvation, ³ if you have ^(CJ)tasted ^[ab](CK)the kindness of the ^[ac]Lord.