You will rejoice then, though for the passing moment you may need to suffer various trials;

You never knew him, but you love him; for the moment you do not see him, but you believe in him, and you will thrill with an unspeakable and glorious joy

to them it was revealed that they got this intelligence not for themselves but for you, regarding all that has now been disclosed to you by those who preached the gospel to you through the holy Spirit sent from heaven. The very angels long to get a glimpse of this!

you know it was not by perishable silver or gold that you were ransomed from the futile traditions of your past,

You are born anew of immortal, not of mortal seed, by the living, lasting word of God;

Live like free men, only do not make your freedom a pretext for misconduct; live like servants of God.

Servants, be submissive to your masters with perfect respect, not simply to those who are kind and reasonable but to the surly as well ??19 for it is a merit when from a sense of God one bears the pain of unjust suffering.

In the same way, you wives must be submissive to your husbands, so that even those who will not believe the Word may be won over without a word by the behaviour of their wives,

You are not to adorn yourselves on the outside with braids of hair and ornaments of gold and changes of dress,

In the same way you husbands must be considerate in living with your wives, since they are the weaker sex; you must honour them as heirs equally with yourselves of the grace of Life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

Even supposing you have to suffer for the sake of what is right, still you are blessed. Have no fear of their threats, do not let that trouble you,

Baptism, the counterpart of that, saves you to-day (not the mere washing of dirt from the flesh but the prayer for a clean conscience before God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ

and it astonishes them that you will not plunge with them still into the same flood of profligacy. They abuse you,

Be hospitable to each other, and do not grudge it.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the ordeal that has come to test you, as though some foreign experience befell you.

but if a man suffers for being a Christian, he must not be ashamed, he must rather glorify God for that.

be shepherds to your flock of God; take charge of them willingly instead of being pressed to it, not to make a base profit from it but freely,

not by way of lording it over your charges but proving a pattern to the flock.