but in your hearts be consecrated to Christ as Lord, and always be ready to make your defense to anyone who asks a reason for the hope you have. But you must do it in gentleness and reverence,

But you are the chosen race, the royal priesthood, the consecrated nation, the people to be His very own, to proclaim the perfections of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.

since you have learned by experience that the Lord is kind.

For Christ Himself, once for all, died for our sins, the Innocent for the guilty to bring us to God, being put to death in physical form but made alive in the Spirit,

He bore our sins in His own body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to uprightness. By His wounds you have been healed,

Be calm and alert. Your opponent the devil is always prowling about like a roaring lion, trying to devour you.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In accordance with His great mercy He has begotten us anew to an ever living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead;

For this is the way the pious women of olden times, who set their hope on God, used to adorn themselves.

Cast every worry you have upon Him, because He cares for you.

As all of you have received your spiritual talents, you must keep on using them in serving one another, as good trustees of God's many-sided favor.

the people chosen in accordance with the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the consecration of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with His blood: spiritual blessing and peace to you in increasing abundance.

because you know that you have not been ransomed with things that perish as silver or gold, from the futile way of living taught by your fathers,

You married women, in the same way, must be submissive to your husbands, so that, if any of them do not believe the message, they may be won over without a word through the living of the wives,

Indeed, it was to this kind of living that you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you might follow His footsteps.

So, as a joint-elder with them, a witness of the suffering borne by Christ, and a sharer of the glory that is to be uncovered, I beg the elders among you,

because you have been born anew, not from a germ that perishes but from one that does not perish, by the word of the living and everlasting God.

Therefore, as a means of spiritual preparation, tighten up the belt about your minds, keep perfectly calm, keep your hope on the spiritual blessing to be conferred upon you at the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

but they will have to give account for it to Him who is ready to judge living and dead.

because you will receive the goal of your faith, the ultimate salvation of your souls.

Baptism, which corresponds to this figure, now saves you, too -- I do not mean the mere removal of physical stains, but the craving for a clear conscience toward God -- through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

and like new-born babies thirst for pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to final salvation,

Keep on coming to Him, as to a living stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious in His sight,

and keep on building yourselves up, as living stones, into a spiritual house for a consecrated priesthood, to offer up, through Jesus Christ, spiritual sacrifices that will be acceptable to God.

You married men, in the same way, must live with your wives in an intelligent consideration of them; you must show them deference, too, as the weaker sex, as they share with you the gracious gift of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the foreign-born Jews who are scattered over Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

Dearly beloved, I beg you as aliens and exiles to keep on abstaining from the evil desires of your lower nature, because they are always at war with the soul.

Dearly beloved, do not be astonished that a test by fire is coming upon you, as though something strange were happening to you,

For the Lord's sake submit to all human authority; to the emperor as supreme,

You younger men, on your part, must be submissive to the elders. And you must all put on the servant's apron of humility to one another, because God opposes the haughty but bestows His unmerited favor on the humble.

Since you have purified your souls by obeying the truth, in sincere love for the brotherhood you must love one another heartily and fervently,

Finally, you must all live in harmony, be sympathetic, loving as brothers, tenderhearted, humble,

This is why the good news was preached to the dead too, that they may be judged in their physical nature as men are, but live in the Spirit as God does.

but in accordance with the Holy Being who has called you, you must prove to be holy too,

They were submissive to their husbands, as Sarah, for example, obeyed Abraham and called him master. You have become true daughters of hers, if you practice doing right and cease from every fear.

In such a hope keep on rejoicing, although for a little while you must be sorrow-stricken with various trials,

Therefore humbly submit to God's strong hand, so that at the proper time He may exalt you.

who through Him trust in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory; so that your faith and hope may rest in God.

who are always guarded by the power of God through faith, in order that you may receive that final salvation which will be ready to be uncovered for you at the last time.

So once for all get rid of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all sorts of slander,

Above everything else keep your love for one another fervent, because love covers up a multitude of sins.

And if you address as Father, Him who judges everyone impartially in accordance with what he does, you must live reverently all your fleeting stay on earth,

But the end of everything on earth is near. So be serious and sober minded, that you may give yourselves to prayer.

for the Scripture says: "You ought to be holy, because I am holy."

So then, since Christ has suffered in our physical form, you too must arm yourselves with the same determination. For whoever suffers in his physical form has done with sin,

He never committed a sin, and deceit was never found on His lips.

be shepherds of the flock of God that is among you, not as though you had to but of your own free will, not from the motive of personal profit but freely,

If anyone is preaching, let him do it as one who utters the oracles of God; if anyone is rendering any service to others, let him do it with all the strength that God supplies, so that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Even the prophets, who prophesied about the spiritual blessing meant for you, made careful investigations and persistent research about this salvation,

Because the time has come for judgment to begin at the household of God, and if it begins with us, what will the end be of those who are rejecting God's good news?

You must continue to love Him, although you have never seen Him, but because you do believe in Him, although you do not now see Him, you must continue to rejoice with an unutterable and triumphant joy,

Your adornments must be not of an external nature, with braids of hair or ornaments of gold, or changes of dress,

Keep on living upright lives among the heathen, so that, when they slander you as evildoers, by what they see of your good deeds they may come to praise God on the judgment day.

He must turn, too, away from evil and do right; He must seek peace and follow it,

And God, the giver of every spiritual blessing, who through your union with Christ has called you to His eternal glory, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself make you perfect, firm, and strong,

You house-servants must be submissive to your masters and show them perfect respect, not only to those who are kind and fair but also to those who are cruel.

so that the genuineness of your faith, which is more precious than gold that perishes even after it is shown by the test of fire to be genuine, may result in your praise and glory and honor at the unveiling of Jesus Christ.

who had once been disobedient, while God's patience was awaiting in the days when Noah was preparing an ark, in which a few people-- eight, to be exact -- were brought safely through the water.

Resist him and be strong in faith, because you know that your brotherhood all over the world is experiencing the same sort of sufferings.

but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without a blemish or a blot,

who was foreordained for it before the foundation of the world but was brought out to public view at the end of the ages, for the sake of you

As obedient children, stop molding your character by the evil desires you used to cherish when you did not know any better,

But the word of the Lord lives on forever"; that is, the message of the good news which has been brought to you.

To Him be dominion forever. Amen.

but so far as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, keep on rejoicing, so that at the uncovering of His glory you may rejoice triumphantly.

For it is God's will that by doing right you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.

and keep your conscience clear, so that those who bitterly abuse your excellent conduct as Christians may be ashamed of slandering you.

For it is better, if the will of God should plan it so, to suffer for doing right than for doing wrong.

and to governors as sent by Him to punish those who do evil and to reward those who do right.

By Silvanus, our faithful brother, as I regard him, I have written you this short letter, to encourage you and to testify that this is the true, unmerited favor of God. Stand firm in it.

Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you that are in union with Christ.

when they see how chaste and respectful you are.

For what credit is it to bear it patiently, if you do wrong and are beaten for it? But if you do right and patiently suffer for it, it is pleasing in the sight of God.

For not one of you should suffer as a murderer or as a thief or any sort of criminal, or as a meddler in other people's business,

And if it is hard for the upright man to be saved, what will become of the godless and sinful?

so that he no longer can spend the rest of his earthly life in harmony with human desires but in accordance with God's will.

They are astonished that you are not still rushing hand in hand with them into the same excesses of profligate living, and they abuse you for it;

in which He went and preached to the spirits in prison,

Show honor to everyone. Practice love for the brotherhood; practice reverence to God and honor to the Emperor.

yes, to an inheritance that is imperishable, unsullied, and unfading, which is kept in heaven for you

It must be so, because the Scriptures say: "Here now I lay in Zion a chosen stone, a costly cornerstone, And not a single one who puts his trust in Him will ever be put to shame."

for once you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of Your souls.

who has gone to heaven and is now at God's right hand, with angels, heavenly authorities and powers made subject to Him.

And who is it that will harm you if you are enthusiastic to do right?

It was made known to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in their searching for these things that have already been told to you by those who through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven brought you the good news. The angels long to take a peep into these things.

and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the glorious crown that never fades.

Be ungrudgingly hospitable to one another.

For "All human life is just like grass, and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass dries up; the flowers drop off.

but if anyone suffers for being a Christian, he must not be ashamed of it, but should keep on praising God for bearing this name.

never returning evil for evil or abuse for abuse, but blessing instead, because it was for this that you were called, to obtain the blessing of heirs.

earnestly trying to find out the time, and the nature of the times, which the Spirit of the Christ within them pointed to, in foretelling the sufferings of the Christ and the glory that should follow them.

So to you who put your trust in Him the honor belongs, but to those who fail to trust Him: "That stone which then the builders threw away Has now become the cornerstone,"

but they must be of an internal nature, the character concealed in the heart, in the imperishable quality of a quiet and gentle spirit, which is of great value in the sight of God.

Because the eyes of the Lord are on upright men, and His ears listen to their pleading cries, but His face is against them that do wrong."

For "Whoever wants to enjoy life and see delightful days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.

For it is pleasing in the sight of God for one to bear his sorrows though suffering innocently.

Although He was abused, He never retorted; although He continued to suffer, He never threatened, but committed His case to Him who judges justly.

If you are suffering abuse because you bear the name of Christ, you are happy, because the glorious Spirit of God is resting upon you.

Your sister-church in Babylon, chosen along with you, and Mark my son, wish to be remembered to you.

and: "A stone for them to stumble over and a rock to trip them up." They keep on stumbling over the message, because they are disobedient to it, and this is their appointed doom.

For the time that is past is enough for you to have accomplished what the heathen like to do, leading lives that are steeped in sensuality, lustful desires, drunkenness, carousing, revelry, dissipation, and idolatry that leads to lawlessness,

Instead, you are happy, even if you should suffer for doing right. Never be afraid of their threats, and never be disturbed,

Live like free men, only do not make your freedom a pretext for doing evil, but live like slaves of God.

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once His mercy had not been shown you, but now it has.

and not as domineering over those in your charge but proving yourselves models for the flock to imitate;

Therefore, those who suffer in accordance with God's will must also, in doing right, entrust their souls to the Creator who is faithful.