1 I am Peter. I am an apostle of Jesus Christ. I send this letter to God's chosen people. You are like people on a journey. You live in the countries of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. But you do not belong there.
2 God the Father chose you as he planned to do long ago. You were made holy by the Spirit. You were chosen to obey Jesus Christ and to be made clean by the blood of his death. May you have much blessing and peace.
3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He was very kind to us, and made us his children. So we have a new hope. This hope is a living hope because Jesus Christ was raised from death.
4 Because we are God's children, one day we shall receive special blessings. They cannot be spoiled in any way, and they will last for ever. They are kept safe in heaven for you.
5 You are saved by God's power because you believe. You will then be fully saved. The way is ready and you will see it when the end of time comes.
6 This makes you very glad, even though now maybe you are sad because you have troubles of many kinds. They are only for a short time.
7 To believe is worth more than to have gold. Gold can spoil, but it is tested by fire to show that it is good. So troubles test you to prove that you believe. Then, because you really believe, you will be praised and made great and have honour when Jesus Christ comes again.
8 You love him even though you have not seen him. You trust him even though you do not see him. And so you are very happy. No words can tell how happy you are. Your joy is very great.
9 God will reward you because you have believed. You will then be fully saved.
10 The prophets of God long ago told about this way of being saved. They tried to find out about it and asked much about it. They spoke words from God telling about the blessing God would give you.
11 The Spirit of Christ in them showed them that Christ would have troubles and after that he would be great. They tried to find out when these things would happen or how things would be when they did happen.
12 The Spirit showed them that they told these things not for themselves, but for you. And now the men who told you the good news have told you these same things. They spoke by the power of the Holy Spirit who was sent from heaven. Even the angels wanted very much to know about these things.
13 So think clearly. Keep awake. When Jesus Christ comes, he will bring you blessing. Set all your hope on that.
14 Be children who obey. Do not be like what you were before you knew Christ. Then you did anything you wanted to do.
15 But be holy in all the things you do. Be holy because the one who has called you is holy.
16 God says in the holy writings, `You must be holy, because I am holy.'
17 You call God your Father. He does not think one man is better than another. He judges everyone by what he has done. So then you must fear him as you live your life here on earth.
18 You know this. You lived the way your fathers taught you to live, and it was not a good way to live. You were bought and set free from that way of life. But you were not bought with silver or gold money, which can spoil.
19 You were bought with blood that is worth much. It is like the blood of a sheep that is perfect with nothing wrong in its body. You were bought with the blood of Christ.
20 Before the world was made God chose Christ to do it, and Christ came at the end of time for your sake.
21 It is through Christ that you believe in God. God raised Christ from death and made him great. And that is why you are able to believe and hope in God.
22 You have obeyed what is true and that has made your hearts clean. And now you really love your Christian brothers. So with your clean hearts, love each other very much.
23 You have been made God's children. He did not make you his children by something that dies, but by something that cannot die. That is the word of God.
24 The holy writings say, `People may be great. But they are like a flower on the grass. The grass dies and the flower falls off.
25 But the word of the Lord cannot die!' And this word is the good news which has been told to you.