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¹ Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, [writing] to the dispersed, in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. [who are] elect and pilgrims

² according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by sanctification of the Spirit for obedience and sprinkling by the blood of Jesus Christ. May grace and peace be yours abundantly.

³ Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again into a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

⁴ to an incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading inheritance reserved in heaven for you.

⁵ You are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation [which is] ready to be revealed at the end of time.

⁶ You greatly rejoice in this, even though now for a short time you have to be afflicted with sadness through various trials,

⁷ so that the testing of you faith, which is more precious than perishable gold, will be found to be with praise, honor, and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ,

⁸ whom you love although you haven't seen him. Though you don't see him now, yet you believe and rejoice with indescribable and glorious joy,

⁹ because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of [your] souls.

¹⁰ This salvation [is] what the prophets have diligently asked about and searched for, when they prophesied about the grace [that would come] to you.

¹¹ They were examining what time and conditions the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, did indicate when he predicted the suffering of Christ and the glory that would follow.

¹² It was revealed to them that it was not to them but to us they were ministering the things, which are now reported to you by those who by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven have preached the gospel to you.

¹³ Therefore have your minds constantly ready for action, be alert, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought to you at the revealing of Jesus Christ.

¹⁴ [You need to be] obedient children, not conforming yourselves to your former sensual desires in your time of ignorance.

¹⁵ On the contrary, even as he who has called is holy, so you be holy in everything you do,

¹⁶ because it is written, "Be holy, because I am holy."

¹⁷ And if you call on the Father, who without favoritism judges every ones' work, then live the time of your pilgrimage in reverent fear.

¹⁸ You know that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver and gold from your futile way of life handed down to you

¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, even as a lamb without blemish and spotless,

²⁰ truly foreknown before the foundation of the world, but appeared in these last times for you.

²¹ Through him, you believe in God who raised him up from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope might be in God.

²² Because you have purified your souls by obeying the truth through the Spirit resulting in sincere love for the brothers, love one another with a pure heart fervently.

²³ You are born again not from a perishable seed but from an imperishable one by the word of God, which lives and remains forever.

²⁴ For all flesh [is] like grass, and all human glory [is] like the grass's flower. The grass withers, and its flower falls off,

²⁵ but the word of the Lord endures forever. This is the word by which the gospel is preached to you.

2

¹ Therefore laying aside all desires to injure others, all types of deceit and hypocrisies, all types of envy, and all forms of evil speaking.

² As newborn babies, desire the sincere milk of the word so you may grow by it,

³ if you have experienced that the Lord is gracious.

⁴ You came to the Lord [as to] a living stone, truly rejected by people but chosen by God [and] precious.

⁵ You also, as living stones, are built into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

⁶ That is why it is contained in the scripture, "Behold, I set a chief cornerstone in Zion that is chosen and precious. He who believes in him will not be ashamed.

⁷ Therefore to you who believe, [he is] precious, but to those who refuse to believe, the stone which the builders rejected is made the cornerstone,

⁸ a stumbling stone, and a rock that offends, these stumble at the word refusing to believe, into which they were set.

⁹ But you [are] a holy generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a special purchased people, so that you proclaim the praises of the one who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

¹⁰ At one time you were not [his] people, but now [are] God's people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

¹¹ Dearly beloved, I beg [you] as sojourners and foreigners hold yourself back from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.

¹² Have your behavior virtuous among the heathen, so that in the course of slandering you as being evildoers, they may by the virtuous deeds, which they observe, glorify God on the day of visitation.

¹³ Submit to every regulation of man, whether from the king, as supreme,

¹⁴ or from governors, or those sent by him for the punishment of evildoers or for the praise of those who do well.

¹⁵ For doing so is God's will, that by doing what is right you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

¹⁶ [Living] as freeborn, yet not using [your] freedom as a cover for evil but as servants of God.

¹⁷ Honor all. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

¹⁸ Servants, obey [your] masters with total respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the surly ones.

¹⁹ For this is acceptable if someone because of a godly conscience endures grief, suffering unjustly.

²⁰ For what honor is there when you are beaten up for your wrongdoings and take it patiently? But when you do something that is good and suffer, then take it patiently, that is acceptable with God.

²¹ For you were called into this, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example so that you should follow in his steps.

²² He committed no sin, neither was deceit ever found in his speech.

²³ When he was verbally abused, he did not verbally abuse in return. When he suffered, he did not threaten but committed it to him who judges righteously.

²⁴ [Christ] by himself [and] on his own body carried our sins on the wooden cross that we, now dead to sins, should live for righteousness. By his bruises, you were healed.

²⁵ For you were like sheep wandering away but now have come back to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

3

¹ In the same way, you wives must submit to your own husbands, so that if any refuse to believe, they will be won over without a word by the conduct of their wives

² while watching your pure conduct [and] respectful honor.

³ Do not let your beauty be in external things like the way you fix your hair, decorate yourself with gold, or clothes you put on

⁴ but in internal things of the heart, which can not perish, like a meek and quiet spirit, which is worth much in God's sight.

⁵ For in the past it was in this way that the holy women, who trusted in God, made themselves beautiful, being submitted to their own husbands.

⁶ For example, Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are as long as you do well and are not afraid at every scary thing.

⁷ Likewise, you husbands live with [your wives] with an understanding attitude, giving honor to the wife since [she is] more delicate [than you] and [you are] heirs together of the grace of life, [do this] so that your prayers are not hindered.

⁸ Finally, be like minded, have compassion on one another, be loving as brothers, be tender hearted, be courteous.

⁹ Do not pay back evil for evil, or verbal abuse for verbal abuse, but instead a blessing, because you are called for this, so that you should inherit a blessing,

¹⁰ for he who desires to love life and see good days, must refrain his tongue from speaking evil and his lips from speaking deceit.

¹¹ Let him stay away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

¹² For the eyes of the Lord [are] on the righteous, and his ears [listen to] their prayers, but the Lord's face [is] against those who do evil.

¹³ Who will hurt you, if you become imitators of the good?

¹⁴ But even if you suffer doing what is right, then you are blessed. Do not be afraid or troubled by their terror.

¹⁵ Instead, deeply revere the Lord God in your hearts. Always be ready to answer with gentleness and respectfulness anyone who asks you about the reason for the hope that is in you.

¹⁶ Having a clear conscious, so when they speak against you, as if you were evildoers, those who falsely accuse you may be ashamed by your good, Christ-like behavior.

¹⁷ For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing what is right, then for doing what is evil.

¹⁸ Christ also suffered just one time concerning sins, the just on the behalf of the unjust, that he might bring us to God, even put to death in the flesh but made alive in the Spirit,

¹⁹ in which he also went and preached to the spirits in prison.

²⁰ They were disobedient back when the long suffering of God waited in Noah's time while the ark was being prepared into which a few, eight souls in all, were saved through water.

²¹ This represents baptism, which now saves you--not by removing the filthiness of the flesh, but the answer of a clear conscience toward God--through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

²² who has gone into heaven and is on the right hand of God. Angels, rulers, and powers being forced to submit to him.

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¹ And so as Christ has suffered in the flesh for us, equip yourselves in the same way with the same attitude, for he who has suffered in the flesh wants nothing to do with sin,

² so that he should no longer live the rest of [his] life in the flesh [yielding] to the lusts of men but to the will of God.

³ For in times gone by, it may have satisfied us to have done the will of the heathen, when we lead our life in sexual promiscuity, evil desires, drunkenness, carousings, drinking parties, and depraved idolatries.

⁴ They think it strange in that you don't rush into the same excessive unrestrained actions, [and so] start cursing you.

⁵ They will give an account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.

⁶ For it was for this reason the gospel was also preached to those who are dead, that they should be judged by men in the flesh but live by God in the spirit.

⁷ But the end of everything is near. Therefore be clear headed and attentive in prayer.

⁸ Above everything else have fervent love among yourselves, because love will cover many sins.

⁹ Be hospitable to one another without grumbling.

¹⁰ As everyone has received the gift, so serve the same to one another as good stewards of the grace of God in its many forms.

¹¹ If any man speaks, then speak as the Word of God; if any one serves, then serve with the strength that God gives, so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and supremacy forever and ever. Amen.

¹² Beloved, don't be surprised at that the fiery trial which is to test you, as if some strange thing is happening to you,

¹³ but rejoice, seeing that you are partakers of Christ's sufferings, so that when his glory will be revealed, you may also rejoice with exceeding joy.

¹⁴ If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, [be] happy, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. He is blasphemed by them, but glorified by you.

¹⁵ Let none of you suffer for being a murderer, thief, criminal, or a busybody.

¹⁶ Yet, if [any suffer] as a Christian, do not be ashamed instead glorify God in this matter.

¹⁷ For the time to begin the judgment on the house of God [is here], and if it begins at us, what will be the outcome of those who do not obey the gospel of God?

¹⁸ If the righteous are saved with difficulty, where will the ungodly and sinner be seen?

¹⁹ Therefore, let those who suffer according to the will of God continue to do what is right and give their souls for safekeeping to their faithful Creator.

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¹ I exhort the elders who are among you. I also am an elder, an eyewitness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker of the glory that will be revealed.

² Feed the flock of God, which is among you. Take the oversight voluntarily, not by being forced, not for money's sake but with a willingly heart.

³ Do not lord it over God's heritage, but be examples to the flock.

⁴ When the Chief Shepherd will appear, you will receive a crown of glory that does not fade away.

⁵ Likewise, you younger ones yield to the elder's counsel. Yes, all be yielding to one another and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble.

⁶ So humble yourselves under God's mighty hand, so he may lift you up at the proper time.

⁷ Cast all your worries on him, because he cares for you.

⁸ Be clear headed; be vigilant, because your enemy, the devil, like a roaring lion, walks around seeking whom he can devour.

⁹ Resist him, [be] immovable in the faith, realizing that the same kind of afflictions are being faced by your brothers who are in the world.

¹⁰ But the God of all grace, who has called us into his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, will mend you, make you resolute, give you strength, and support you.

¹¹ To him [be] glory and supremacy forever and ever. Amen.

¹² I have written briefly to you with the help of Silvanus whom I regard as a faithful brother. [I have written] encouraging [you] and testifying that this is the true grace of God in which you firmly stand.

¹³ The [church] at Babylon, chosen together with [you] sends you greetings and Mark, my son, also.

¹⁴ Greet one another with a kiss of love. May peace [be] with you all who are Christ Jesus'. Amen.