From a divinely inspired letter written
by Simon Peter to believers dispersed
throughout Asia Minor (Turkey):
Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.-1 Peter 3:8-12
And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. The like figure whereunto every baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.-1 Peter 3:13-22***Simon Peter and his brother Andrew were Israelites from Bethsaida, Galilee, descended from Adam and Eve, their son Seth, Seth's great-great-great-grandson Enoch, Enoch's great-grandson Noah the ark builder, Noah's son Shem, Shem's son Arphaxad, Arphaxad's great-great-great-great-great-grandson Terah, Terah's children Abraham (Abram the Hebrew) and Sarah (Sarai), their son Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and Isaac and Rebekah's youngest fraternal twin son Jacob (Israel). The divinely inspired Scriptures of the Holy Bible reveal that the Lord God created Adam, the 1st man. The Lord God formed Adam from the dust of the ground, and the Lord God made Adam's wife Eve, the mother of all living, after taking a part out of Adam. Jacob was married to Leah and Rachel, Rebekah's nieces, the daughters of Rebekah's brother Laban the Syrian. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Dinah were born to Jacob and Leah. Dan and Naphtali were born to Jacob and maidservant Bilhah. Gad and Asher were born to Jacob and maidservant Zilpah, and Joseph and Benjamin were born to Jacob and Rachel. When Joseph was 30 years old, he became second-in-command in Egypt. Years thereafter, Jacob moved with his entire family from Canaan, to Egypt. When Jacob was 147 years old, he died in Egypt and his body was buried in Canaan. Sometime after Joseph and his siblings were dead, their descendants the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt. Miriam and her younger brothers Aaron and Moses were born into the tribe of Levi. when Moses was 80 years old and Aaron was 83, the Lord God sent them to speak to the Israelite elders and to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. After the Lord God sent the 10th and final plague upon Pharaoh and Egypt, Moses and Aaron led the Israelites, and those with them, away from Egypt, across the divinely parted Red Sea, and into the desert wilderness of Shur. During the 40-year journey to Canaan, the Promised Land, Miriam died and was buried in the desert wilderness of Kadesh. Upon Mount Hor, 123-year-old Aaron died and was buried. When Moses went upon Mount Nebo, the Lord God showed Moses the Promised Land, and 120-year-old Moses died and was divinely buried. Joshua, Moses' successor, was from the tribe of Ephraim, descended from Joseph and his wife Asenath, and Joseph and Asenath's 2nd born son Ephraim, whom Jacob proclaimed to be his own son. Joshua led the Israelites across the divinely parted Jordan River and onto the land that the Lord God promised to give to Abraham, and Isaac, and to Jacob, and their descendants. Over 300 years after 110-year-old Joshua died and was buried in his tribe's portion of the Promised Land, Saul, from the tribe of Benjamin, became the 1st king to rule over the Israelites. David, from the tribe of Judah, was the 2nd king to reign over all of the Israelites. Solomon, the 2nd child born to David and Bathsheba, was the 3rd king to reign, and Rehoboam, the son born to Solomon and Naamah, was the 4th king. After Rehoboam gave a specific answer, the Israelites split into 2 kingdoms, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of Solomon. The tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin became Judah, the nation in the south. Rehoboam was the 1st king to reign and Jerusalem was the royal city. The other Israelite tribes became the northern nation, Israel. Jeroboam, the son born to Nebat and Zeruah, was the 1st king to rule the northern nation and Samaria was the final royal city. Galilee was in the portion of the Promised Land allotted to the tribe of Naphtali, and was located in the northern nation of Israel, and was inhabited by Israelites and Gentiles, people not born into the Israelite tribes. Eventually, Galilee became known as Galilee of the nations and Galilee of the Gentiles. King Pekah was the 18th king to rule over all of the Israelites in the northern nation of Israel. During Pekah's reign, the Assyrians invaded the kingdom and King Tiglath-pileser, ruler of Assyria, began taking Israelites, including those in Galilee, to Assyria. During the reign of King Hoshea, the 19th king to rule the northern nation, the Assyrians conquered Samaria, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Rehoboam's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandson Jehoiakim (Eliakim) was the 17th king to rule Judah. During Jehoiakim's reign, the Babylonians (Chaldeans) invaded Judah and Jerusalem and King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of Babylon, began looting the temple of the Lord. Jehoiachin (Jeconiah/Coniah), the son born to Jehoiakim and Nehushta, was the 18th king to rule Judah. During Jehoiachin's reign, the Babylonians took more prominent Israelites, including Jehoiachin, his wives and mother, to Babylon. Jehoiakim's brother Zedekiah (Mattaniah) was the 19th king to rule Judah. During the 11th year of Zedekiah's reign, the Babylonians conquered Jerusalem, according to the will of the Lord God, due to the idolatry and other wickedness of the Israelites. Over 500 years after Israelites began returning to Judah and Jerusalem, Jesus the Christ, the Son of God, was born. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin, and Jesus was born into the tribe of Judah to Mary and her husband Joseph when Mary was a virgin. Sometime after Jesus was born, Joseph, Mary and Egypt stayed in Egypt for a brief while, according to the instructions Joseph received from an angel of the Lord. After an angel of the Lord told Joseph to return, and Joseph received another divine warning, Joseph, Mary and Jesus lived in Joseph and Mary's hometown, Nazareth, in Galilee. Approximately 30 years after Jesus was born to Joseph and Mary, Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River by Mary's relative John the Baptist, from the tribe of Levi. Jesus having prayed, the heavens tearing open, the Holy Spirit descended as a dove and lit upon Jesus. The Lord God in heaven audibly acknowledged his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert wilderness. Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights and was tempted. Afterwards, Jesus was tended to by angels, and Jesus went to the area near John the Baptist, and John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus to be the Lamb of God taking away the sin of the world. In Galilee, Jesus told specific Israelite men, including Simon Peter and Andrew, to follow him, and Jesus began to preach teach and perform miracles among the Israelites, the treasured and chosen people of the Lord God. When Jesus spoke to Simon Peter, Jesus gave Simon Peter the name Cephas (Peter). Sometime thereafter, Jesus healed Simon Peter's mother-in-law. Simon Peter walked on water towards Jesus, and received a revelation from the Lord God and knew Jesus to be the Christ, and knew Jesus to have the words of eternal life, and said he was ready to go to prison with Jesus and die with Jesus. When it was time to pay money at the temple, Simon Peter obeyed Jesus and fished and retrieved a coin from the mouth of a fish. After Jesus taught about offences and trespasses, Simon Peter asked Jesus about forgiveness. In Judea, Simon Peter told Jesus that they had left everything to follow Jesus. After Jesus washed Simon Peter's feet, Simon Peter wanted Jesus to wash his hands and head and said he would lay down his life for Jesus and would not deny Jesus. Less than 3 1/2 years after Jesus was baptized, Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, the disciple and apostle. When Judas Iscariot led the armed group to arrest Jesus, Simon Peter used his own sword to sever the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest. Three times, Simon Peter denied knowing Jesus before Jesus was crucified, buried in a tomb, resurrected, seen by over 500 people, including Simon Peter and Andrew, and returned to heaven. Simon Peter became a leader among the Israelite believers and became known for proclaiming healing in the name of Jesus. The Israelites knew that Simon Peter spoke to Ananias and Sapphira before Ananias and Sapphira died. In Joppa, when Simon Peter was in a trance, he saw a divine sight and spoke with Jesus the Christ. In Caesarea, in the home of Cornelius, Simon Peter spoke a message to Cornelius and the other Gentiles in Cornelius' home. In Jerusalem, Simon Peter explained the incident to the Israelites. King Herod Agrippa I imprisoned Simon Peter, and an angel of the Lord led Simon Peter out of the prison. Simon Peter was associated with the apostle Paul (Saul), and associated with Barnabas (Joses/Joseph), and wrote and sent at least 2 divinely inspired letters.-Genesis, Exodus, Numbers 13:1-14:45, 20:1-29, 26:1-27:23, Deuteronomy, Joshua 1:1-4:24, 23:1-24:33, Judges 1:1-2:23, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Jeremiah 39:1-18, 52:1-34, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Galatians 1:1-2:21, 1 Peter, 2 Peter
Reference Information:
conversation = anastrophen = manner of life, behavior, conduct, upturning
courteous = tapeinophrones/tapeinophrosune = humble
ensue = doxato = dioko = pursue, chase
eschew = ekklinato/ekklino = turn away, to bow out
guile = dolon/dolos = deceit, bait
pitiful = eusplanchnoi/eusplagchnos/eusplagchnos = tenderhearted, compassionate, empathetic
quickened = zoopoietheis/zoopoieo = make alive
railing = loidorian/loidoria/loidoreo = insult, slander, abuse
rendering = apodidontes/apodidomi = repaying, give back, return
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