< 1 Peter 1 >
1 Petre, apostle of Jhesu Crist, to the chosun men, to the comelingis of scateryng abrood, of Ponte, of Galathie, of Capadosie,
I, Peter, who [have been appointed by] Jesus Christ {one whom Jesus Christ [has appointed]} to be an apostle, [am writing this letter] to you believers whom God has chosen to belong to him. [You are living] in [the Roman provinces of] Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. [Just like the Jews who lived in Israel long ago were] scattered [to other countries far from their homes] [MET], you now live [far from] heaven, which is [your true home].
2 of Asye, and of Bitynye, bi the `bifor knowyng of God, the fadir, in halewyng of spirit, bi obedience, and springyng of the blood of Jhesu Crist, grace and pees be multiplied to you.
God our Father previously chose you, and his Spirit has set you apart in order that you would obey Jesus Christ. He did that in order that [just like Moses] sprinkled [the Israelites with blood when God established the old covenant] [MET], [Jesus would establish his new covenant with you] with the blood [that flowed from his body when he died]. May God act very kindly to you, and may he give you much [inner] peace.
3 Blessid be God, and the fadir of oure Lord Jhesu Crist, which bi his greet merci bigat vs ayen in to lyuynge hope, bi the ayen risyng of Jhesu Crist fro deth,
Praise God, who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because he has been very merciful to [us, he has given us new life] [MET]. Because he has caused Jesus Christ to become alive again after he died, he has enabled us to live very confidently; that is, to fully expect to receive the things [that God/he has promised to give us].
4 in to eritage vncorruptible, and vndefoulid, and that schal not fade, that is kept in heuenes for you,
He has enabled us to expect to receive an absolutely imperishable/indestructible [TRI] inheritance that has been {that [God] has} preserved in heaven for us.
5 that in the vertu of God ben kept bi the feith in to heelthe, and is redi to be schewid in the last tyme.
God, by his mighty power, is guarding you as you trust in Jesus. [He is keeping you safe so] that he may, at the end of the time in which we now live (OR, when Jesus returns), completely deliver you [from Satan’s power].
6 In which ye schulen make ioye, thouy it bihoueth now a litil to be sori in dyuerse temptaciouns;
You rejoice because of what will happen then, but now you are grieving for a short time while [God is allowing] you to be tested {[various things to] test you [MET]}, [as precious metals are tested] {[someone tests precious metals]} [to see if they are pure]. [These trials that you are experiencing are necessary]
7 that the preuyng of youre feith be myche more preciouse than gold, that is preuyd bi fier; and be foundun in to heriyng, and glorie, and onour, in the reuelacioun of Jhesu Crist.
to prove that you really do trust in Jesus. His proving that will be more valuable than gold, [which does not last forever even] though it is purified [by being put] {someone tries to make it pure by [putting it]} [in a hot] fire. As a result of your passing the test [and proving that you really do trust in Jesus], God will honor you very highly [TRI] when Jesus Christ comes again.
8 Whom whanne ye han not seyn, ye louen; in to whom also now ye not seynge, bileuen; but ye that bileuen schulen haue ioye, and gladnesse that may not be teld out,
You love [Jesus], although you have not seen him. Although you do not see him now, you rejoice very much [DOU]
9 and ye schulen be glorified, and haue the ende of youre feith, the helthe of youre soulis.
because you are experiencing the result of your believing in him; that is, [God] is saving you [SYN] [from the guilt of your sins].
10 Of which helthe profetis souyten, and enserchiden, that profecieden of the grace to comyng in you,
As for those who [long ago] spoke messages that God had revealed to them about how God would act kindly toward you in ways which you did not deserve, they (investigated very carefully/tried very hard to learn) [DOU] about how God would save you.
11 and souyten which euer what maner tyme the spirit of Crist signyfiede in hem, and bifor telde tho passiouns, that ben in Crist, and the latere glories.
They wanted to know whom the Spirit of Christ that was in them was referring to, and what time he was talking about, when he told beforehand that the Messiah would suffer [and die], and that glorious/wonderful things would happen [to him and to us] afterwards.
12 To which it was schewid, for not to hem silf, but to you thei mynystriden tho thingis, that now ben teld to you bi hem that prechiden to you bi the Hooli Goost sent fro heuene, in to whom aungelis desiren to biholde.
It was revealed to {[God] told} them that it was not for their own sake that he was revealing these things to them, but that it was for your sake. It was these things that were proclaimed to you by those who told you the message [about Christ {that those who told you the message about Christ proclaimed to you]}. They proclaimed these things to you because the Holy Spirit whom [God] sent from heaven [enabled them to do that]. And even angels would like to know more about these [truths about how God saves us].
13 For which thing be ye gird the leendis of youre soule, sobre, perfit, and hope ye in to the ilke grace that is profrid to you bi the schewyng of Jhesu Crist,
Therefore, [prepare your minds] [MET] [as people] fasten their belts around their waists [to prepare to work]. [What I mean is that] you should (discipline your minds/control what you think about), and by doing that conduct your lives fully and confidently expecting to receive the good things that [God will] kindly [do for you] when Jesus Christ returns [from heaven].
14 as sones of obedience, not made lijk to the formere desiris of youre vnkunnyngnesse,
[And because you should obey your heavenly Father] [SIM], as children [ought to] obey their fathers [here on earth], do not do the evil things that you used to desire to do when you did not know [God’s truth].
15 but lijk him that hath `clepid you hooli; that also `ye silf be hooli in `al lyuyng;
Instead, just like God, the one who chose you [to belong to him], is (holy/separate from evil), you also must be (holy/separate from evil) in everything that you do,
16 for it is writun, Ye schulen be hooli, for Y am hooli.
because it is {[someone/Moses] has} written [in the Scriptures that God said], “You must be (holy/separate from evil) because I am (holy/separate from evil).”
17 And if ye inwardli clepe him fadir, which demeth withouten accepcioun of persoones bi the werk of ech man, lyue ye in drede in the time of youre pilgrimage; witynge that not bi corruptible gold,
God is the one who (impartially/without favoritism) judges what each person does. Since you call him ‘Father’, live (reverently/with great respect for him) during the time that you are living here on earth. [While you are living here, you are] like exiles/foreigners [MET] [because you are away from heaven, which is your true home].
18 ethir siluer, ye ben bouyt ayen of youre veyn liuynge of fadris tradicioun,
[Live reverently] because you know that it was not with things that will not last forever, things like gold and silver, that [God] bought you to free you from your useless life-style that you learned from your ancestors.
19 but bi the precious blood as of the lomb vndefoulid and vnspottid,
Instead, [it was] with the precious blood of Christ [that flowed from his body when he died that God bought you. Christ’s death was a perfect sacrifice for us] [MET], [like] the lambs that [the Jewish priests sacrificed were] perfect, without any blemishes/defects/flaws or spots [DOU].
20 Crist Jhesu, that was knowun bifor the makyng of the world, but he is schewid in the laste tymes,
Christ was chosen [by God] {[God] chose Christ} before the world was created {[he] created the world}. But it was not until now, when the time [in which we are living will soon] end, that he was revealed for your sake.
21 for you that bi hym ben feithful in God; that reiside hym fro deth, and yaf to hym euerlastynge glorie, that youre feith and hope were in God.
Because of what Christ has done, you are trusting in God, who caused Christ to become alive again after he died, and greatly honored him. As a result, God is the one in whom you are trusting and confidently expecting [that he will do great things for you].
22 And make ye chast youre soulis in obedience of charite, in loue of britherhod; of simple herte loue ye togidre more bisili.
Because you have been made pure by obeying the truth, with the result that you sincerely love your fellow believers, continue to love each other earnestly and sincerely/wholeheartedly.
23 And be ye borun ayen, not of corruptible seed, `but vncorruptible, bi the word of lyuynge God, and dwellynge in to with outen ende. (aiōn )
[I ask you to do this, because you now have] a new life [MET]. It was not [by means of] something that will perish that you received this new life. Instead, it was [by means of] something that will last forever; that is, by believing the life-giving and enduring message of God. (aiōn )
24 For ech fleisch is hey, and al the glorie of it is as flour of hey; the hei driede vp, and his flour felde doun;
[We know that this is true] because, [as the prophet Isaiah wrote], All people [will die] [SIM], like grass [dies]. And all the greatness/honor that people have [will not last forever], like the flowers [SIM] [that grow up] in the grass [do not last long]. The grass withers and the flowers die,
25 but the word of the Lord dwellith with outen ende. And this is the word, that is prechid to you. (aiōn )
but God’s message endures/lasts forever. This message [that endures/lasts] is the message [about Christ] that was proclaimed to you. (aiōn )