2 ¶ Having therefore left all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envies and all murmurings,

² as newborn babes, desire the rational milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby in health;

³ if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is benevolent;

⁴ ¶ coming unto whom (is the living Stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious),

⁵ ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, well pleasing to God by Jesus, the Christ.

⁶ Therefore, also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion the chief corner stone, chosen, precious; and he that believes on him shall not be confounded.

⁷ Unto you, therefore, who believe he is precious; but unto those who are disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

⁸ and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, even to those who stumble at the word, not obeying in that for which they were ordained.

⁹ But ye are the chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, an acquired people, that ye should show forth the virtues of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.

¹⁰ Ye who in the time past were not a people, but are now the people of God, who in the time past had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

¹¹ Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from the carnal desires which war against the soul

¹² and have your honest conversation among the Gentiles, so that, in that which they murmur about you as of evildoers, having witnessed your good works, they may glorify God in the day of visitation.

¹³ ¶ Therefore, be subject to every human ordinance that is of the Lord, whether it be to a king or to a superior,

¹⁴ and unto governors as unto those that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those that do well.

¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that in well doing ye may silence the ignorance of vain men,

¹⁶ as being free, yet not using your liberty to cover maliciousness, but as slaves of God.

¹⁷ Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

¹⁸ Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and humane, but also to the unjust.

¹⁹ For this is due to grace, if a man for conscience toward God endures grief, suffering wrongfully.

²⁰ For what glory is it if, when ye are buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is due to grace from God.

²¹ Because for this were ye called: for the Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps

²² who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth,

²³ who, when he was cursed, did not return the curse; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but committed himself to him that judges righteously;

²⁴ he himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose wound ye were healed.

²⁵ For ye were as sheep that had gone astray, but are now converted unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.