1 From Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ.
To God's people who are scattered like foreigners in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia.
2 God the Father decided to choose you as his people, and his Spirit has made you holy. You have obeyed Jesus Christ and are sprinkled with his blood.
I pray that God will be kind to you and will keep on giving you peace!
A Real Reason for Hope
3 Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is so good, and by raising Jesus from death, he has given us new life and a hope that lives on. 4 God has something stored up for you in heaven, where it will never decay or be ruined or disappear.
5 You have faith in God, whose power will protect you until the last day. Then he will save you, just as he has always planned to do. 6 On that day you will be glad, even if you have to go through many hard trials for a while. 7 Your faith will be like gold that has been tested in a fire. And these trials will prove that your faith is worth much more than gold that can be destroyed. They will show that you will be given praise and honor and glory when Jesus Christ returns.
8 You have never seen Jesus, and you don't see him now. But still you love him and have faith in him, and no words can tell how glad and happy 9 you are to be saved. This is why you have faith.
10 Some prophets told how God would treat you with undeserved grace, and they searched hard to find out more about the way you would be saved. 11 The Spirit of Christ was in them and was telling them how Christ would suffer and would then be given great honor. So they searched to find out exactly who Christ would be and when this would happen. 12 But they were told that they were serving you and not themselves. They preached to you by the power of the Holy Spirit, who was sent from heaven. And their message was only for you, even though angels would like to know more about it.
Chosen To Live a Holy Life
13 Be alert and think straight. Put all your hope in how God will treat you with undeserved grace when Jesus Christ appears. 14 Behave like obedient children. Don't let your lives be controlled by your desires, as they used to be. 15 Always live as God's holy people should, because God is the one who chose you, and he is holy. 16 That's why the Scriptures say, “I am the holy God, and you must be holy too.”
17 You say that God is your Father, but God doesn't have favorites! He judges all people by what they do. So you must honor God while you live as strangers here on earth. 18 You were rescued from the useless way of life you learned from your ancestors. But you know you were not rescued by such things as silver or gold that don't last forever. 19 You were rescued by the precious blood of Christ, that spotless and innocent lamb. 20 Christ was chosen even before the world was created, but because of you, he did not come until these last days. 21 And when he did come, it was to lead you to have faith in God, who raised him from death and honored him in a glorious way. This is why you have put your faith and hope in God.
22 You obeyed the truth, and your souls were made pure. Now you sincerely love each other. But you must keep on loving with all your heart. 23 Do this because God has given you new birth by his message that lives on forever. 24 The Scriptures say,
“Humans wither like grass,
and their glory fades
like wild flowers.
Grass dries up,
and flowers fall
to the ground.
25 But what the Lord has said
will stand forever.”
Our good news to you is what the Lord has said.
1 Pēteris, Jēzus Kristus apustulis, svešniekiem, kas izkaisīti Pontā, Galatijā, Kapadoķijā, Āzijā un Bitinijā,
2 Ko Dievs Tēvs pēc iepriekšējā lēmuma izredzējis, garā svētīdams, lai tie būtu paklausīgi un taptu apslacināti ar Jēzus Kristus asinīm: žēlastība un miers lai jums ir bagātīgi.
3 Slavēts lai ir Dievs, mūsu Kunga Jēzus Kristus Tēvs, kas savā lielajā žēlastībā mūs ir atdzemdinājis dzīvai cerībai ar Jēzus Kristus augšāmcelšanos no miroņiem,
4 Neiznīcīgam, neaptraipītam un nevīstošam mantojumam, kas ir uzglabāts debesīs jums,
5 Kas Dieva spēkā tiekat pasargāti ticībā pestīšanai, kas ir sagatavota, lai atklātos pēdējā laikā.
6 Tad jūs līksmosities, tagad, ja tas ir vajadzīgs, drusku noskumdināti dažādos pārbaudījumos,
7 Lai jūsu pārbaudītā ticība, kas ir daudz vērtīgāka nekā iznīcīgais zelts, kas tak uguni tiek pārbaudīts, izrādītos teicama, slavējama un godājama, kad Jēzus Kristus parādīsies.
8 Viņu jūs mīlat, lai gan neesat to redzējuši, uz viņu jūs ticat, to tagad neredzēdami, un priecāsities neizsakāmā un apskaidrotā priekā,
9 Kad jūs sasniegsit savas ticības gala mērķi, dvēseļu pestīšanu.
10 Par šo pestīšanu ir taujājuši un pētījuši pravieši, kas sludināja jums nolemto žēlastību,
11 Gribēdami izzināt, uz kufu vai kādu laiku norāda Kristus Gars viņos, kas iepriekš liecināja par Kristus ciešanām un tām sekojošo godību.
12 Viņiem tika atklāts, ka ne viņiem pašiem, bet jums nāk par labu tās lietas, ko jums tagad pauduši tic, kas jums evaņģēliju sludināja Svētajā Garā, kas no debesim sūtīts. Šais lietās pat arī eņģeļi kāro ieskatīties.
13 Tāpēc apjozuši sava prāta gurnus un modri būdami, lieciet savu cerību pilnīgi uz to žēlastību, kas jums tiks pasniegta, kad Jēzus Kristus paradīsies.
14 Kā paklausīgi bērni neveidojiet savu dzīvi pēc kārībām, kupās jūs agrāk dzīvojāt savā nezināšanā.
15 Bet sekodami Svētajam, kas jūs aicinājis, topiet arī paši svēti visā dzīvošanā,
16 Jo ir rakstīts: „Esiet svēti, jo es esmu svēts.“
17 Un kad jūs to piesaucat kā Tēvu, kas cilvēka stāvokli neievērodams spriež tiesu pēc ikkatra darba, tad pavadāt bijībā savas svešniecības laiku.
18 Jūs zināt, ka esat atpirkti ne ar iznīcīgām lietām—sudrabu vai zeltu no savas aplamās no tēviem mantotās dzīves,
19 Bet ar Kristus, šī bezvainigā un nevainojamā jēra, dārgām asinīm,
20 Kas gan iepriekš izredzēts pirms pasaules radīšanas, bet atklāts laiku beigās jūsu dēļ.
21 Jūs caur viņu ticat uz Dievu, kas viņu ir uzmodinājis no miroņiem un to godā cēlis, tā ka jūsu ticība ir kļuvusi arī par cerību uz Dievu.
22 Savas dvēseles šķīstījuši, klausot patiesībai uz neliekuļotu brāļu mīlestību, mīliet cits citu no visas sirds pastāvīgi,
23 Jūs, kas esat atdzimuši ne no iznīcīgas sēklas, bet neiznīcīgas, no dzīvā un paliekamā Dieva vārda.
24 Jo visa miesa ir kā zāle un visa viņas godība kā zāles zieds. Zāle nokalst un viņas ziedi nobirst, bet Dieva vārds paliek mūžīgi.
25 Bet tas ir tas vārds, kas jums ir tapis kā prieka vēsts sludināts.
