1 T his letter is from Peter, a missionary of Jesus Christ. I am writing to those who were taken away from their homeland and are living in the countries of Pontus and Galatia and Cappadocia and Asia and Bithynia.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the choice sojourners of the dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

2 Y ou were chosen by God the Father long ago. He knew you were to become His children. You were set apart for holy living by the Holy Spirit. May you obey Jesus Christ and be made clean by His blood. May you be full of His loving-favor and peace.

according to a foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied!

3 L et us thank the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It was through His loving-kindness that we were born again to a new life and have a hope that never dies. This hope is ours because Jesus was raised from the dead.

Blessed the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to the abundance of His kindness did beget us again to a living hope, through the rising again of Jesus Christ out of the dead,

4 W e will receive the great things that we have been promised. They are being kept safe in heaven for us. They are pure and will not pass away. They will never be lost.

to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and unfading, reserved in the heavens for you,

5 Y ou are being kept by the power of God because you put your trust in Him and you will be saved from the punishment of sin at the end of the world.

who, in the power of God are being guarded, through faith, unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time,

6 W ith this hope you can be happy even if you need to have sorrow and all kinds of tests for awhile.

in which ye are glad, a little now, if it be necessary, being made to sorrow in manifold trials,

7 T hese tests have come to prove your faith and to show that it is good. Gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire. Your faith is worth much more than gold and it must be tested also. Then your faith will bring thanks and shining-greatness and honor to Jesus Christ when He comes again.

that the proof of your faith -- much more precious than of gold that is perishing, and through fire being approved -- may be found to praise, and honour, and glory, in the revelation of Jesus Christ,

8 Y ou have never seen Him but you love Him. You cannot see Him now but you are putting your trust in Him. And you have joy so great that words cannot tell about it.

whom, not having seen, ye love, in whom, now not seeing and believing, ye are glad with joy unspeakable and glorified,

9 Y ou will get what your faith is looking for, which is to be saved from the punishment of sin.

receiving the end of your faith -- salvation of souls;

10 T he early preachers tried to find out how to be saved. They told of the loving-favor that would come to you.

concerning which salvation seek out and search out did prophets who concerning the grace toward you did prophecy,

11 T he early preachers wondered at what time or to what person this would happen. The Spirit of Christ in them was talking to them and told them to write about how Christ would suffer and about His shining-greatness later on.

searching in regard to what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ that was in them was manifesting, testifying beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory after these,

12 T hey knew these things would not happen during the time they lived but while you are living many years later. These are the very things that were told to you by those who preached the Good News. The Holy Spirit Who was sent from heaven gave them power and they told of things that even the angels would like to know about. Holy Living

to whom it was revealed, that not to themselves, but to us they were ministering these, which now were told to you (through those who did proclaim good news to you,) in the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, to which things messengers do desire to bend looking.

13 G et your minds ready for good use. Keep awake. Set your hope now and forever on the loving-favor to be given you when Jesus Christ comes again.

Wherefore having girded up the loins of your mind, being sober, hope perfectly upon the grace that is being brought to you in the revelation of Jesus Christ,

14 B e like children who obey. Do not desire to sin like you used to when you did not know any better.

as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves to the former desires in your ignorance,

15 B e holy in every part of your life. Be like the Holy One Who chose you.

but according as He who did call you holy, ye also, become holy in all behaviour,

16 T he Holy Writings say, “You must be holy, for I am holy.”

because it hath been written, `Become ye holy, because I am holy;'

17 T he Father is the One Who judges you by what you do. He does not respect one person more than another. If you call Him Father, be sure you honor Him with love and fear all the days of your life here on earth.

and if on the Father ye do call, who without acceptance of persons is judging according to the work of each, in fear the time of your sojourn pass ye,

18 Y ou know you were not bought and made free from sin by paying gold or silver which comes to an end. And you know you were not saved from the punishment of sin by the way of life that you were given from your early fathers. That way of life was worth nothing.

having known that, not with corruptible things -- silver or gold -- were ye redeemed from your foolish behaviour delivered by fathers,

19 T he blood of Christ saved you. This blood is of great worth and no amount of money can buy it. Christ was given as a lamb without sin and without spot.

but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and unspotted -- Christ's --

20 L ong before the world was made, God chose Christ to be given to you in these last days.

foreknown, indeed, before the foundation of the world, and manifested in the last times because of you,

21 B ecause of Christ, you have put your trust in God. He raised Christ from the dead and gave Him great honor. So now your faith and hope are in God. The Living Word

who through him do believe in God, who did raise out of the dead, and glory to him did give, so that your faith and hope may be in God.

22 Y ou have made your souls pure by obeying the truth through the Holy Spirit. This has given you a true love for the Christians. Let it be a true love from the heart.

Your souls having purified in the obedience of the truth through the Spirit to brotherly love unfeigned, out of a pure heart one another love ye earnestly,

23 Y ou have been given a new birth. It was from a seed that cannot die. This new life is from the Word of God which lives forever.

being begotten again, not out of seed corruptible, but incorruptible, through a word of God -- living and remaining -- to the age;

24 A ll people are like grass. Their greatness is like the flowers. The grass dries up and the flowers fall off.

because all flesh as grass, and all glory of man as flower of grass; wither did the grass, and the flower of it fell away,

25 B ut the Word of the Lord will last forever. That Word is the Good News which was preached to you.

and the saying of the Lord doth remain -- to the age; and this is the saying that was proclaimed good news to you.