Peter an Apostle belonging to Jesus Christ, to the elect strangers of the dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia dispersed according to the foreknowledge of God even the Father, by the sanctification of the Spirit because of obedience and the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Grace is to you and may possibly peace be multiplied.

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is well-spoken of, who birthed us again according to His great mercy into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ out from the dead, into an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance, which is kept in the heaven for you, the ones who God’s natural ability is guarding through faith into a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time, in which you rejoice, since it is necessary for a little while to suffer in various trials, in order that the approval of your faith – more precious than gold even gold that has been approved by fire –  should be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen, you love, in whom now not seeing but you are believing, rejoicing with an inexpressible joy. And you will rejoice when you are in a state of having been glorified, having receiving the end of your faith; the salvation of the soul.

Concerning which salvation the prophets sought out and diligently searched, the ones who prophesied concerning the grace unto you, searching into what person or what time the Spirit from Christ by them declared, having before testified of the suffering unto Christ and the things concerning the glories to follow, to whom it was revealed that not to themselves but to us they were serving in these things now announced to you through those who declare the good news to you by the Holy Spirit, having been sent from heaven, into which angels desire to stoop to look.

Therefore, gird up the loins of your understanding (workings of your mind), being clear minded, hoping completely upon the grace brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be outwardly conformed to the former desires in your ignorance, but be outwardly conformed according as He, the one having called you, is set apart and you yourselves become set apart in all conduct, because it is written, “You become set apart because I am set apart.”

And since you are calling upon the Father, the one who judges impartially according to each one’s work, conduct the time of your sojourning in respect, intuitively knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable silver or gold, out from your useless conduct handed down from the traditions of the forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as a lamb without defect or blemish, who on the one hand was in a state of having been foreknown before the foundations of the world, but on the other hand was manifested in the last times on your behalf, the ones believing in God through Him, who raised Him out from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope should be in God.

Having purified your soul by obedience of the truth through the Spirit into sincere brotherly love (fondness) out from a clean heart, fervently loving one another of the same kind. Having been born again not out from corruptible seed, but from incorruptible seed through the living Word of God, even the one abiding into the age; because, all flesh is as grass and all its glory as the flower of the grass, the grass that is caused to dry up and the flower falls away. But the individual utterance of the Lord remains into the age. And this is the individual utterance, the one having been gospelized to you.

Therefore, having laid aside all bad (that which lacks in character) and all guile and hypocrisies and envies, and all slander just as newborn babies, long for the logical, pure milk in order that it should cause you to increase, if perhaps you have tasted for yourself that the Lord is kind towards those who have come to the living stone, on the one hand rejected by man, on the other hand elect, precious facing God. And you, just as living stones, are being built up into a Spiritual house, a royal priesthood, to offer acceptable spiritual sacrifices to God through Jesus Christ. Because it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I set in Zion a cornerstone, elect, precious and the one believing upon him should never be put to shame. Therefore, precious unto you, who are believing, but to those not believing a stone, which the builders rejected. This one became the head of the corner and a stumbling stone and a foundational rock of scandalizing, the ones stumbling being disobedient to the Word into which also they were appointed. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people unto a possession, in order that you should proclaim virtue, the ones called out from the darkness into His marvelous light, who once were not a people, but now a people of God, the ones in a state of not having mercy, but now have been caused to have mercy.

Beloved, I encourage you just as strangers and pilgrims to abstain from fleshly desires which make war against the soul. Having your conduct valuable among the nations, in order that in that which they slander you just as evildoers observing out from valuable works they should glorify God in the day of inspection.

Be put into subjection to all creation of mankind because of the Lord, whether kings as supreme, or governors as having been sent by Him unto vengeance of evildoers but praise to doers of that which is beneficial, for thus is the desirous will of God, the one doing good is to muzzle the foolishness of ignorant men as free and not holding the freedom as a cloak of badness, but as slaves of God. Honor all men, love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.

The household slaves put yourselves in subjection with all respect to the despots, not only the good and gentle, but also the unscrupulous. For this is grace, if because of a conscience toward God you bear grief, suffering unjustly. For what good report is it, if sinning and being beat you endure, but if you do what is beneficial and endure suffering, this is grace from God. For into this you were called because Christ also suffered concerning you, leaving behind for you an example in order that you should follow after His tracks, who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth, who being verbally insulted did not return verbal insults, when suffering did not threaten, but was handed over to the one judging justly, who Himself took up our sins in His body upon the tree in order that we having died to the sin nature should live in righteousness , by who’s wound you were healed. For we continually were like sheep having gone astray, but you have been caused to return now unto the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Likewise, wives put yourselves in subjection to your own husband in order that if any are disobedient to the Word, they will be gained through the conduct of the wives without a word, having been observed by your respectful, holy conduct, which should not be the exterior; braiding of the hair and adornment of gold nor putting on worldly garments, but the hidden man of the heart, by the incorruptibility of the quiet and pious spirit, which is precious before God. For in this manner in former times also holy women, the ones hoping in God, adorned themselves being subject to their own husbands, just as Sarah continually listened and responded to Abraham, calling him lord (sir), whose children you have become, having done what is right and do not fearing intimidation. Likewise, the husbands dwell with according to knowledge, assign honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, also as a fellow heir of the grace of life, in order that your prayers of worship are not impeded.

Finally, all of you be of one mind, sympathetic, fond, tenderhearted, hospitable. Do not repay evil for evil, nor verbal abuse for verbal abuse, but on the contrary commend, because unto this you were called in order that you should inherit a blessing. For the one desiring to love life and see good days, let him hold his tongue from evil and lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn from evil and let him do good. Let him seek peace and let him pursue it, because the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and His ear unto their supplication, but the face of the Lord is against the ones doing that which lacks in character. And who will mistreat you if you become zealous of good? But even if you suffer because of righteousness, you are happy, and do not fear their intimidation, do not be troubled, but set apart Christ as Lord (master) in your heart and always be ready facing a defense against the one asking you a word concerning the hope in you, with objectivity of mind and respect, having a good conscience, in order that the one speaking evil of you as an evil doer; the one mistreating you should be put to shame by your good conduct in Christ. For it is better to be one doing good, since it is desiring the desirous will of God to suffer, than to suffer for doing wrong. Because Christ also once died concerning sins, just on behalf of unjust, in order that He should bring us to God, on the one hand having been put to death in the flesh, but on the other hand having been made alive in the spirit, in which also He was caused to go to the spirits in prison to herald with authority, who were formally not obeying when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah while constructing the Ark, into which a few, that is eight souls were brought to safety through the water, which to you is an antitype, the result of immersion now saves, not the removal of filth from the flesh, but the result of an appeal of a good conscience towards God through the resurrection of Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having been caused to go to heaven, having subjected to Him angels and authorities and powers.

Therefore, Christ suffered in the flesh on our behalf; you also with the same way of thinking equip yourselves, because the one having suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin with the result to live the remaining time in the flesh not by the desires of man, but by the desirous will of God. For sufficient for the one having passed the time to work out thoroughly for ourselves the determinate will of the Gentiles, having proceeded in licentiousness, desires, drunkenness, partying, drinking bouts, and unlawful idol worship in which they think it strange that you do not run together with them into the same excess of unsavingness, they blaspheme you, who will give account to the one ready to judge the living and the dead. For because of this also the good news was announced to the dead ones, in order that on the one hand they might be judged according to man in the flesh, but according to God they should live by the Spirit.

Indeed the end of all things is near; therefore, have a saving frame of mind and be clear minded unto communications of worship. Moreover, above all to yourselves have earnest love because love hides a multitude of sins. Show fondness of strangers unto one another of the same kind without complaining. Just as each one has received a gift unto himself, this use to serve as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If, assuming it is true, anyone speaks, as speaking Oracles of God. If, assuming it is true, anyone serves, as serving out from strength as God supplies, in order that in all God should be glorified through Jesus Christ, who is the glory and the strength into the ages of the ages, I believe it.

Beloved, do not think it strange among you concerning the fire facing temptation comes to you as of some strange thing to you, but as far as fellowshipping in the suffering of Christ you rejoice in order that also in the revelation of His glory you rejoice having been caused to be in a state of rejoicing.  If, assuming it is true, you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are happy because the Spirit of glory even the Spirit of God is causing Himself to rest upon you. According as on the one hand they blaspheme, but on the other hand you glorify.

For let none of your suffer as a murderer or a thief, or an evil doer, or as a meddler. However, if as a Christian let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this name because the time has come for judgment to begin from the house of God, and since first from us, what is the end of those who are disobedient to the Gospel from God? And since the righteous with difficulty are saved, where will the ungodly even sinner shine?  Wherefore also, let the ones suffering according to the desirous will of God entrust to the faithful Creator their souls in doing good.

Therefore I, who am also an elder and witness of the suffering of Christ and partaker in the glory that is about to be revealed, exhort the elders among you, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion but voluntarily; not with fondness for dishonest gain, but willingly; not as one lording over the possession but becoming an example for the flock. And when the head shepherd will appear, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.

Likewise, let the younger be subject to the elders, indeed all one to another of the same kind, clothed with a humble mind because God is against the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God in order that you should be lifted up in time, casting all of your anxiety upon Him because He cares for you.

Be sober minded, keep watch, your adversary the devil as a roaring lion walks about seeking to swallow up, whom you resist steadfast by the faith, intuitively knowing the same sufferings are being accomplished in the world by your brethren. Moreover, the God of all grace, the one who called you into His eternal glory in Christ, after having suffered for a little while, Himself will mend, establish, strengthen, ground you. To Him is the dominion into the ages of the ages, I believe it.

Through Silvanus, a faithful brother among you as I reckon, through a little writing, I encourage you and testify this to be true grace from God into which you stand. The church in Babylon greets you and Mark my son. Greet one another of the same kind in a kiss of love. Peace is with you all, the ones in Christ.