¶ Peter an apostle of Iesu Christ, to them that dwell here and there as strangers thorow out, Pontus, Galacia, Capadocia, Asia, and Bethinia, elect by the foreknowledge of God the father, thorow the sanctifying of the spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Iesus Christ. Grace be with you, and peace be multiplied.
¶ Blessed be God the father of our Lord Iesus Christ, which thorow his abundant mercy begat us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from death, to enjoy an inheritance immortal, and undefiled, and that putrifieth not, reserved in heaven for you which are kept by the power of God thorow faith, unto health, which health is prepared all ready to be shewed in the last time, in the which time ye shall rejoice, though now for a season (if need require) ye are in heaviness, throwe many fold temptations, that your faith once tried being much more precious than gold that perisheth (though it be tried with fire) might be found unto laud, glory, and honour, when Iesus Christ shall appear: whom ye have not seen and yet love him, in whom even now, though ye see him not, yet ye believe, and rejoice with joy ineffable, and glorious: receiving the end of your faith, the health of your souls.
¶ Of which health, have the prophets enquired, and sought, which prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching when, or at what time the spirit of Christ which was in them should signify, which spirit testified before, the passions that should come unto Christ, and the glory that should follow after: unto which prophets it was declared, that not unto themselves, but unto us, they should minister the things which are now shewed unto you, of them which by the holy ghost sent down from heaven, have preached unto you the things which the angels desire to behold.
¶ Wherefore gird up the loins of your minds, be sober, and trust perfectly on the grace that is brought unto you, in that Iesus Christ is opened, as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves unto your old lusts of ignorance: But as he which called you is holy, even so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, because it is written: Be ye holy, for I am holy.
¶ And if so be that ye call on the father which without respect of person judgeth according to every man's works, see that ye pass the time of your pilgrimage in fear. For as much as ye know how that ye were not redeemed with corruptible gold and silver from your vain conversation, which ye received by the traditions of the fathers: but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb undefiled, and without spot, which was ordained before the world was made: but was declared in the last times for your sakes, which by his means have believed on God that raised him from death, and glorified him, that ye might have faith and hope toward God.
¶ And for as much as ye have purified your souls thorow the spirit, in obeying the trueth for to love brotherly without feigning, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: for ye are born a new, not of mortal seed, but of immortal seed, by the word of God which liveth, and lasteth for ever, because that all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man is as the flower of grass, the grass is withered, and the flower is faded away, but the word of the Lord endureth ever. And this is the word which by the gospell was preached among you.
© Faith of God
William Tyndale 1526