Book of Common Prayer

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ to the chosen pilgrims^[a] of the dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bythinia, ² according-to^[b] the foreknowledge of God the Father, in^[c] the sanctification^[d] of the Spirit, for^[e] obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

Blessed Be God For Our Present And Future Salvation, Which Was Prophesied Long Ago

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the One having caused us to be born-again^[f] according to His great mercy to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to an undecayable^[g] and undefiled and unfading inheritance having been reserved^[h] in the heavens for you— ⁵ the ones being guarded by the power of God through faith for^[i] a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time,

⁶ ... in which you are rejoicing-greatly, [although] right-now for a little while, if it is necessary, having been grieved by various trials ⁷ in order that the genuineness of your faith— being more-valuable than gold (which is perishing), though being tested by fire— may be found resulting-in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ,

⁸ ... Whom not having seen, you are loving; in Whom— right-now not seeing Him, but believing— you are rejoicing-greatly with inexpressible^[j] and glorified joy ⁹ while receiving^[k] the outcome^[l] of your faith, the salvation of your souls,

¹⁰ ... concerning which salvation prophets sought-out and searched-out— the ones having prophesied about the grace for^[m] you— ¹¹ searching for what person^[n] or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating while predicting the sufferings for Christ and the glories after these, ¹² to whom it was revealed that they were ministering them not for themselves, but for you,

... which things now were declared to you through the ones having announced-the-good-news-to you by the Holy Spirit having been sent-forth from heaven, into which things angels desire to look.

The King Leaves Galilee For Judea. Large Crowds Follow Him And He Heals Them

19 And it came about that when Jesus finished^[a] these words, He went-away from Galilee and came into the districts^[b] of Judea, beyond the Jordan. ² And large crowds followed Him, and He cured them there.

The Pharisees Test Jesus With a Question About Divorce. Divorce Is Not God’s Will

³ And Pharisees came to Him— testing Him, and saying, “Is it lawful for a man^[c] to send-away^[d] his wife for any reason^[e]?” ⁴ And the One, having responded, said, “Did you not read [in Gen 1:27] that the One having created from the beginning^[f] ‘made them male and female’? ⁵ And He said [in Gen 2:24], ‘For this reason^[g] a man will leave-behind his father and his mother and will be joined^[h] to his wife. And the two will be one flesh’. ⁶ So then, they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God paired-together^[i], let a person^[j] not separate”. ⁷ They say to Him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate^[k] of divorce and send her away?” ⁸ He says to them that “Moses permitted^[l] you to send-away your wives because of your hardness-of-heart. But from the beginning it has not been so^[m]. ⁹ And I say to you that whoever sends-away his wife not based on sexual-immorality, and marries another, is committing-adultery”.

The Disciples Conclude It Is Better Not To Marry. Jesus Says This Is Right For Some

¹⁰ His disciples say to Him, “If the case of the man with the wife is like this, it is not expedient^[n] to marry!” ¹¹ But the One said to them, “Not all give-way-to^[o] this statement, but [only] ones to whom it has been given. ¹² For there are eunuchs^[p] who were born thus from a mother’s womb. And there are eunuchs who were made-eunuchs by people. And there are eunuchs who made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of the heavens. Let the one being able to give way, give way”.