1 From Peter, apostle of Jesus Christ—
To God's chosen people who live as refugees scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. 2 You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood.
May grace and peace be yours in full measure.
A Living Hope
3 Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, 4 and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away. 5 They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God's power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time.
6 Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer. 7 Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 You love him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him, although you do not now see him. So you rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express, 9 because you are receiving the salvation of your souls, which is the purpose of your faith in him.
10 It was concerning this salvation that the prophets made careful search and investigation, and they prophesied about this gift which God would give you. 11 They tried to find out when the time would be and how it would come. This was the time to which Christ's Spirit in them was pointing, in predicting the sufferings that Christ would have to endure and the glory that would follow. 12 God revealed to these prophets that their work was not for their own benefit, but for yours, as they spoke about those things which you have now heard from the messengers who announced the Good News by the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things which even the angels would like to understand.
A Call to Holy Living
13 So then, have your minds ready for action. Keep alert and set your hope completely on the blessing which will be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. 14 Be obedient to God, and do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant. 15 Instead, be holy in all that you do, just as God who called you is holy. 16 The scripture says, “Be holy because I am holy.”
17 You call him Father, when you pray to God, who judges all people by the same standard, according to what each one has done; so then, spend the rest of your lives here on earth in reverence for him. 18 For you know what was paid to set you free from the worthless manner of life handed down by your ancestors. It was not something that can be destroyed, such as silver or gold; 19 it was the costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect or flaw. 20 He had been chosen by God before the creation of the world and was revealed in these last days for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from death and gave him glory; and so your faith and hope are fixed on God.
22 Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart. 23 For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal. 24 As the scripture says,
“All human beings are like grass,
and all their glory is like wild flowers.
The grass withers, and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
This word is the Good News that was proclaimed to you.
Saludo
1 Yo, Pedro, apóstol de Jesucristo, saludo a los que se hallan expatriados y dispersos en el Ponto, Galacia, Capadocia, Asia y Bitinia, y que fueron elegidos,
2 según el propósito de Dios Padre y mediante la santificación del Espíritu, para obedecer a Jesucristo y ser limpiados con su sangre. Que la gracia y la paz les sean multiplicadas.
Una esperanza viva
3 Bendito sea el Dios y Padre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo, que por su gran misericordia y mediante la resurrección de Jesucristo nos ha hecho nacer de nuevo a una esperanza viva,
4 para que recibamos una herencia incorruptible, incontaminada e imperecedera. Esta herencia les está reservada en los cielos
5 a ustedes, que por medio de la fe son protegidos por el poder de Dios, para que alcancen la salvación, lista ya para manifestarse cuando llegue el momento final.
6 Esto les causa gran regocijo, aun cuando les sea necesario soportar por algún tiempo diversas pruebas y aflicciones;
7 pero cuando la fe de ustedes sea puesta a prueba, como el oro, habrá de manifestarse en alabanza, gloria y honra el día que Jesucristo se revele. El oro es perecedero y, sin embargo, se prueba en el fuego; ¡y la fe de ustedes es mucho más preciosa que el oro!
8 Ustedes aman a Jesucristo sin haberlo visto, y creen en él aunque ahora no lo ven, y se alegran con gozo inefable y glorioso,
9 porque están alcanzando la meta de su fe, que es la salvación.
10 Los profetas que hablaron de la gracia destinada a ustedes, estudiaron e investigaron con detalle todo acerca de esta salvación.
11 Ellos querían determinar a quién y a qué momento se refería el Espíritu de Cristo que estaba en ellos, cuando anunciaba de antemano los sufrimientos de Cristo y las glorias que les seguirían.
12 Dios les hizo saber que su tarea no era para ellos mismos, sino para nosotros, y que solo administraban lo que a ustedes ahora les anuncian aquellos que les han predicado el evangelio por el Espíritu Santo enviado del cielo. Estas son cosas que aun los ángeles quisieran contemplar.
Llamamiento a una vida santa
13 Por lo tanto, preparen su mente para la acción, estén atentos y pongan toda su esperanza en la gracia que recibirán cuando Jesucristo sea manifestado.
14 Pórtense como hijos obedientes, y no sigan los dictados de sus anteriores malos deseos, de cuando vivían en la ignorancia.
15 Al contrario, vivan una vida completamente santa, porque santo es aquel que los ha llamado.
16 Escrito está: «Sean santos, porque yo soy santo.»
17 Si ustedes llaman «Padre» a aquel que al juzgar se fija en lo que se ha hecho, y no en quién lo hizo, vivan el resto de sus vidas en el temor de Dios.
18 Ustedes saben que fueron rescatados de una vida sin sentido, la cual heredaron de sus padres; y que ese rescate no se pagó con cosas corruptibles, como el oro y la plata,
19 sino con la sangre preciosa de Cristo, sin mancha y sin contaminación, como la de un cordero,
20 que ya había sido destinado desde antes de que Dios creara el mundo, pero que se manifestó en estos últimos tiempos por amor a ustedes.
21 Por él ustedes creen en Dios, que fue quien lo resucitó de los muertos y lo ha glorificado, para que ustedes tengan puesta su fe y su esperanza en Dios.
22 Y ahora, ya que se han purificado mediante su obediencia a la verdad, para amar sinceramente a sus hermanos, ámense los unos a los otros de todo corazón,
23 pues ustedes han nacido de nuevo, y no de una simiente perecedera, sino de una simiente imperecedera, por la palabra de Dios que vive y permanece para siempre.
24 Porque:
«Todo hombre es como la hierba,
y toda su gloria es como una flor.
La hierba se seca, y la flor se marchita,
25 pero la palabra del Señor permanece para siempre.»
Y estas son las buenas noticias que se les han anunciado.