1我是耶稣基督的使徒彼得，写信给蒙上帝拣选，寄居在本都、加拉太、加帕多迦、亚细亚、庇推尼各地的人。 2你们蒙拣选是按照父上帝预先定好的旨意，借着圣灵得以圣洁，好顺服耶稣基督，并靠祂的血得到洁净。
愿上帝赐给你们丰丰富富的恩典和平安！
活泼的盼望
3愿颂赞归于我们主耶稣基督的父上帝！祂有无穷的怜悯，借着耶稣基督从死里复活使我们获得重生，有活泼的盼望， 4可以承受那不会朽坏、没有污点、不会衰残、为你们存留在天上的产业。 5你们这些因信而蒙上帝用大能保守的人，必能得到那已经预备好、在末世要显明的救恩。
6为此，即使现今你们必须暂时在百般试炼中忍受痛苦，也要满怀喜乐。 7这样，你们的信心经过试验便显明是真实的，比那经过火炼仍会坏掉的金子更加宝贵，使你们可以在耶稣基督显现时得到称赞、荣耀和尊贵。 8你们虽然没有见过基督，却爱祂；虽然现在看不见祂，却信祂，并且有无法形容、充满荣耀的喜乐。 9因为你们得到了信心带来的果效，就是你们的灵魂得救。
10有关这救恩，那些预言恩典要临到你们的众先知早已详细寻求查考了。 11基督的灵曾在他们心中指示他们，预言基督要受苦，然后得荣耀。他们便详细查考这些事会在什么时候、什么情况下发生。 12他们得到启示，知道他们传讲这些事不是为了自己，而是为了你们。现在，那些靠着从天上差来的圣灵向你们传福音的人，已经将这些事传给你们了。连天使也想把这些事看个明白。
要圣洁像主
13所以，要预备好你们的心，谨慎自律，专心盼望耶稣基督显现时要带给你们的恩典。 14你们既是顺服的儿女，就不要再像从前无知的时候那样放纵私欲。 15那呼召你们的是圣洁的，你们在一切事上也要圣洁。 16因为圣经上说：“你们要圣洁，因为我是圣洁的。”
17既然你们称呼那位按各人的行为公正无私地审判人的上帝为父，就应该存着敬畏的心过你们在世上寄居的日子。 18要知道，你们从传统的、没有意义的生活中被救赎出来，不是靠金银等会朽坏的东西， 19而是靠无瑕无疵的代罪羔羊——基督的宝血。 20基督是上帝在创世以前预先拣选的，却在这末世为你们显现。 21你们借着基督信了使祂从死里复活、赐祂荣耀的上帝，所以，你们的信心和盼望都在于上帝。
22你们既因顺服真理，洁净了自己的心，能够真诚地爱弟兄姊妹，就当以清洁的心彼此切实相爱。 23你们获得重生，不是借着会腐烂的种子，而是借着不会腐烂的种子——上帝活泼永存的道。 24因为
“芸芸众生尽如草，
荣华不过草上花；
草必枯干花必残，
25唯有主道永长存。”
这道就是传给你们的福音。
1I, Peter, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Jesus Christ.
I am sending this letter to you, God’s chosen people. You are people who have had to wander in the world. You are scattered all over the areas of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. 2You have been chosen in keeping with what God the Father had planned. That happened through the Spirit’s work to make you pure and holy. God chose you so that you might obey Jesus Christ. God wanted you to be in a covenant relationship with him. He established this relationship by the blood of Christ.
May more and more grace and peace be given to you.
Peter Praises God for a Living Hope
3Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In his great mercy he has given us a new birth and a living hope. This hope is living because Jesus Christ rose from the dead. 4He has given us new birth so that we might share in what belongs to him. This is a gift that can never be destroyed. It can never spoil or even fade away. It is kept in heaven for you. 5Through faith you are kept safe by God’s power. Your salvation is going to be completed. It is ready to be shown to you in the last days. 6Because you know all this, you have great joy. You have joy even though you may have had to suffer for a little while. You may have had to suffer sadness in all kinds of trouble. 7Your troubles have come in order to prove that your faith is real. Your faith is worth more than gold. That’s because gold can pass away even when fire has made it pure. Your faith is meant to bring praise, honor and glory to God. This will happen when Jesus Christ returns. 8Even though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not see him now, you believe in him. You are filled with a glorious joy that can’t be put into words. 9You are receiving the salvation of your souls. This salvation is the final result of your faith.
10The prophets searched very hard and with great care to find out about this salvation. They spoke about the grace that was going to come to you. 11They wanted to find out when and how this salvation would come. The Spirit of Christ in them was telling them about the sufferings of the Messiah. These were his sufferings that were going to come. The Spirit of Christ was also telling them about the glory that would follow. 12It was made known to the prophets that they were not serving themselves. Instead, they were serving you when they spoke about the things that you have now heard. Those who have preached the good news to you have told you these things. They have done it with the help of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.
Be Holy
13So be watchful, and control yourselves completely. In this way, put your hope in the grace that lies ahead. This grace will be brought to you when Jesus Christ returns. 14You should obey your Father. You shouldn’t give in to evil desires. They controlled your life when you didn’t know any better. 15The God who chose you is holy. So you should be holy in all that you do. 16It is written, “Be holy, because I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44,45; 19:2)
17You call on a Father who judges each person’s work without favoring one over another. So live as outsiders during your time here. Live with the highest respect for God. 18You were set free from an empty way of life. This way of life was handed down to you by your own people of long ago. You know that you were not bought with things that can pass away, like silver or gold. 19Instead, you were bought with the priceless blood of Christ. He is a perfect lamb. He doesn’t have any flaws at all. 20He was chosen before God created the world. But he came into the world for your sake in these last days. 21Because of what Christ has done, you believe in God. It was God who raised him from the dead. And it was God who gave him glory. So your faith and hope are in God.
22You have made yourselves pure by obeying the truth. So you have an honest and true love for each other. So love one another deeply, from your hearts. 23You have been born again by means of the living word of God. His word lasts forever. You were not born again from a seed that will die. You were born from a seed that can’t die. 24It is written,
“All people are like grass.
All their glory is like the flowers in the field.
The grass dries up. The flowers fall to the ground.
25But the word of the Lord lasts forever.” (Isaiah 40:6–8)
And this is the word that was preached to you.
