First Letter of Peter

searching for who or what kind of time the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, pointed to, when he predicted the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that would follow them.

To them it was revealed, that not to themselves, but to you, did they minister these things, which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent out from heaven; which things angels desire to look into.

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, be sober and set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ --

as children of obedience, not conforming yourselves according to your former lusts as in your ignorance,

but just as he who called you is holy, you yourselves also be holy in all of your behavior;

because it is written, "You shall be holy; for I am holy."

If you call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judges according to each man's work, pass the time of your living as strangers here in reverent fear:

knowing that you were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from the useless way of life handed down from your fathers,

but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, the blood of Christ;

who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of times for your sake,

who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God.

Seeing you have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth through the Spirit in sincere brotherly affection, love one another from the heart fervently:

having been born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which lives and remains forever.

For, "All flesh is like grass, And all of man's glory like the flower in the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls;

But the Lord's word endures forever." This is the word of good news which was preached to you.

Putting away therefore all wickedness, all deceit, hypocrisies, envies, and all evil speaking,

as newborn babes, long for the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby,

if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious:

coming to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious.

You also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.