Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

  To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus,
Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, according to the
foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the
Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his
blood:

  May grace and peace be multiplied to you.

  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According
to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living
hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an
inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in
heaven for you, who by God's power are being guarded through faith
for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you
rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been
grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your
faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by
fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the
revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love
him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice
with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the
outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

  Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the
grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,
inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was
indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the
subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving
not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced
to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy
Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.

  Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-
minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to
you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not
be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he
who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since
it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call
on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's
deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your
exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways
inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as
silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of
a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the
foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for
the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised
him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope
are in God.

  Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a
sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure
heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but
of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for

    “All flesh is like grass
        and all its glory like the flower of grass.
    The grass withers,
        and the flower falls,
    but the word of the Lord remains forever.”


      And this word is the good news that was preached to you.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001
by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.