1 Greetings from Peter, an apostle* of Jesus Christ. To God's chosen people who are away from their homes--people scattered all over the areas of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. ²God planned long ago to choose you by making you his holy people.* Making you holy is the Spirit's* work. God wanted you to obey him and to be made clean by the blood (death) of Jesus Christ. Grace (kindness) and peace be yours more and more.

A Living Hope

³Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has great mercy, and because of his mercy he gave us a new life. This new life brings us a living hope through Jesus Christ's rising from death. ⁴Now we wait to get the blessings God has for his children. Those blessings are kept for you in heaven. Those blessings cannot ruin or be destroyed or lose their beauty. ⁵God's power protects you through your faith, and it keeps you safe until your salvation comes. That salvation is ready to be given to you at the end of time. ⁶This makes you very happy. But now for a short time different kinds of troubles may make you sad. ⁷Why do these troubles happen? To prove that your faith is pure (true). This purity of faith is worth more than gold. Gold can be proved to be pure by fire, but gold will ruin. The purity of your faith will bring you praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ appears (comes). ⁸You have not seen Christ, but still you love him. You can't see him now, but you believe in him. You are filled with a joy that cannot be explained. And that joy is full of glory. ⁹Your faith has a goal. And you are receiving that goal--your salvation. ¹⁰The prophets* studied carefully and tried to learn about this salvation. Those prophets spoke about the grace (kindness) that was coming to you. ¹¹The Spirit of Christ was in those prophets. And the Spirit was telling about the sufferings that would happen to Christ and about the glory that would come after those sufferings. Those prophets tried to learn about what the Spirit was showing them. They tried to learn when those things would happen and what the world would be like at that time. ¹²It was shown to those prophets that their service was not for themselves. The prophets were serving you. They were serving you when they told about the things that you have heard. You heard those things from the men who told you the Good News.* They told you with the help of the Holy Spirit* that was sent from heaven. The things you were told are things that even the angels want very much to know about.

A Call to Holy Living

¹³So prepare your minds for service, and have self-control. All your hope should be for the gift of grace (kindness) that will be yours when Jesus Christ appears (comes). ¹⁴In the past you did not understand about these things, so you did the evil things you wanted. But now you are children [of God] who obey. So don't live like you lived in the past. ¹⁵But be holy* in all the things you do, the same as God is holy. God is the One who called you. ¹⁶It is written [in the Scriptures*]: "Be holy, because I (God) am holy."* ¹⁷You pray to God and call him Father. God judges each man's work equally. So while you are visiting [here on earth], you should live with fear (respect) for God. ¹⁸You know that [in the past] you were living in a worthless way. You got that way of living from the people who lived before you. But you were saved from that way of living. You were bought, but not with things that ruin like gold or silver. ¹⁹But you were bought with the precious blood (death) of Christ--a pure and perfect lamb. ²⁰Christ was chosen before the world was made. But he was shown [to the world] in these last times for you. ²¹You believe in God through Christ. God raised Christ from death. Then God gave glory to him. So your faith and your hope are in God. ²²Now you have made yourselves pure by obeying the truth. Now you can have true love for your brothers and sisters. So love each other deeply--with all your heart. ²³You have been born again. This new life did not come from something that dies. It came from something that cannot die. You were born again through God's living message* that continues forever. ²⁴The Scripture* says, "People [don't live forever; they] are all like grass, and all their glory is like a wild flower. The grass dies, and the flower falls. ²⁵But the word of God will live forever." Isaiah 40:6-8

And this is the word (teaching) that was told to you.

apostle A person Jesus chose to represent him in special way. holy people God's people are called holy because they are made pure through Christ, and they belong only to God. Spirit, Holy Spirit Also called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and the Comforter. Joined with God and Christ, he does God's work among people in the world. prophets People that spoke for God. Sometimes prophets told things that would happen in the future. Good News The news that God has made a way for people to have their sins forgiven and live with him forever. holy A holy person is pure and belongs only to God. Scriptures Holy Writings--the Old Testament. "Be ... holy" Quote from Lev. 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7. message The news that God has made a way through Christ for people to have their sins forgiven and live with him forever.