Born Again to a Living Hope

^3 (A)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! ^(B)According to his great mercy, ^(C)he has caused us to be born again to a living hope ^(D)through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to ^(E)an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and ^(F)unfading, ^(G)kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who by God's power are being guarded ^(H)through faith for a salvation ^(I)ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by ^(J)various trials, ⁷ so that ^(K)the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes ^(L)though it is tested by ^(M)fire—may be found to result in ^(N)praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ^8 (O)Though you have not seen him, you love him. ^(P)Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, ⁹ obtaining ^(Q)the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

¹⁰ Concerning this salvation, ^(R)the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, ¹¹ inquiring ^(S)what person or time^{[a] (T)}the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating ^(U)when he predicted ^(V)the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. ^12 (W)It was revealed to them that ^(X)they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you ^(Y)by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, ^(Z)things into which angels long to look.

Called to Be Holy

¹³ Therefore, ^(AA)preparing your minds for action,^[b] and ^(AB)being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, ^(AC)do not be conformed to the passions ^(AD)of your former ignorance, ¹⁵ but ^(AE)as he who called you is holy, you also be holy ^(AF)in all your conduct, ¹⁶ since it is written, ^(AG)“You shall be holy, for I am holy.” ¹⁷ And if you ^(AH)call on him as Father who ^(AI)judges ^(AJ)impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves ^(AK)with fear throughout the time of your exile, ¹⁸ knowing that you ^(AL)were ransomed from ^(AM)the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹ but ^(AN)with the precious blood of Christ, like that of ^(AO)a lamb ^(AP)without blemish or spot. ²⁰ He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but ^(AQ)was made manifest ^(AR)in the last times for the sake of you ^21 (AS)who through him are believers in God, ^(AT)who raised him from the dead and ^(AU)gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

²² Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for ^(AV)a sincere brotherly love, ^(AW)love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ^23 (AX)since you have been born again, ^(AY)not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through ^(AZ)the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴ for

And this word ^(BC)is the good news that was preached to you.

A Living Stone and a Holy People

2 ^(BD)So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ^2 (BE)Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual ^(BF)milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³ if indeed you have ^(BG)tasted that the Lord is good.

⁴ As you come to him, a living stone ^(BH)rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ^5 (BI)you yourselves like living stones are being built up as ^(BJ)a spiritual house, to be ^(BK)a holy priesthood, ^(BL)to offer spiritual sacrifices ^(BM)acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in Scripture:

⁷ So the honor is for you who ^(BP)believe, but for those who ^(BQ)do not believe,

⁸ and

They stumble because they disobey the word, ^(BT)as they were destined to do.

⁹ But you are ^(BU)a chosen race, ^(BV)a royal ^(BW)priesthood, ^(BX)a holy nation, ^(BY)a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you ^(BZ)out of darkness into ^(CA)his marvelous light. ^10 (CB)Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.