1 Peter 2
New Testament for Everyone
2 So put away all evil, all deceitful, hateful malice, and all ill-speaking. 2 As newborn babies, long for the spiritual milk, the real stuff, not watered down. That is what will make you grow up to salvation— 3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
The living stone
4 Come to him, to that living stone. Humans rejected him, but God chose him and values him very highly! 5 Like living stones yourselves, you are being built up into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices that will be well pleasing to God through Jesus the Messiah.
6 That’s why it stands in scripture:
Look! I’m setting up in Zion
a chosen, precious cornerstone;
believe in him! You’ll not be ashamed.
7 He is indeed precious for you believers. But when people don’t believe, “the stone which the builders rejected has become the head cornerstone,” 8 and “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble as they disobey the word, which indeed was their destiny. 9 But you are a “chosen race; a royal priesthood”; a holy nation; a people for God’s possession. Your purpose is to announce the virtuous deeds of the one who called you out of darkness into his amazing light. 10 Once you were “no people”; now you are “God’s people.” Once you had not received mercy; now you have received mercy.
Living in a pagan world
11 My beloved ones, I beg you—strangers and resident aliens as you are—to hold back from the fleshly desires that wage war against your true lives. 12 Keep up good conduct among the pagans, so that when they speak against you as evildoers they will observe your good deeds and praise God on the day of his royal arrival.
13 Be subject to every human institution, for the sake of the Lord: whether to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish evildoers and praise those who do good. 15 This, you see, is God’s will. He wants you to behave well and so to silence foolish and ignorant people. 16 Live as free people (though don’t use your freedom as a veil to hide evil!), but as slaves of God. 17 Do honor to all people; love the family; reverence God; honor the emperor.
Suffering as the Messiah did
18 Let slaves obey their masters with all respect, not only the good and kind ones but also the unkind ones. 19 It is to your credit, you see, if because of a godly conscience you put up with unjust and painful suffering. 20 After all, what credit is it if you do something wrong, are beaten for it, and take it patiently? But if you do what is right, suffer for it, and bear it patiently, this is to your credit before God.
21 This, after all, is what came with the terms of your call, because
the Messiah, too, suffered on your behalf,
leaving behind a pattern for you
so that you should follow the way he walked.
22 He committed no sin,
nor was there any deceit in his mouth.
23 When he was insulted, he didn’t insult in return,
when he suffered, he didn’t threaten,
but he gave himself up to the one who judges justly.
24 He himself bore our sins
in his body on the cross,
so that we might be free from sins
and live for righteousness.
It is by his wound that you are healed.
25 For you were going astray like sheep,
but now you have returned to the shepherd
and guardian of your true lives.
彼得前書 2
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
渴慕靈奶
2 因此，你們既然已經除去一切惡毒、欺詐、虛偽、嫉妒和毀謗， 2 就要像初生的嬰兒一樣渴慕純淨的靈奶，好不斷成長，直到完全得救。 3 因為你們嚐過主恩的滋味是何等甘美。
靈宮活石
4 主是活石，雖然被人棄絕，卻被上帝揀選、視為寶貴。 5 你們也如同活石，被用來建造屬靈的宮殿，好做聖潔的祭司，藉著耶穌基督獻上蒙上帝悅納的靈祭。 6 因為聖經上說：
「看啊，我在錫安放了一塊蒙揀選的寶貴房角石，
信靠祂的人必不會蒙羞。」
7 所以，對你們信的人而言，這石頭是寶貴的；但對那些不信的人來說，卻是：
「工匠丟棄的石頭，
已成了房角石。」
8 也是：
「絆腳石和使人跌倒的磐石。」
他們跌倒是因為他們不順服真道，這種下場早已註定了。
9 但你們是蒙揀選的族群，是君尊的祭司，是聖潔的國度，是上帝的子民，因此你們可以宣揚上帝的美德。祂曾呼召你們離開黑暗，進入祂奇妙的光明。 10 從前你們不是上帝的子民，現在卻作了祂的子民；從前你們未蒙憐憫，現在卻蒙了憐憫。
上帝的僕人
11 親愛的弟兄姊妹，你們是客旅，是寄居的，我勸你們要禁戒與靈魂為敵的邪情私慾。 12 你們在異教徒當中要品行端正。這樣，儘管他們毀謗你們是作惡的人，但看見你們的好行為，也會在主來的日子把榮耀歸給上帝。
13 為主的緣故，你們要服從人間的一切權柄，不管是居首位的君王， 14 還是被君王派來賞善罰惡的官員。 15 因為上帝的旨意是要你們行善，使那些愚昧無知的人啞口無言。 16 你們是自由的人，不要以自由為藉口去犯罪作惡，要作上帝的奴僕。 17 要尊重所有的人，愛主內的弟兄姊妹，敬畏上帝，尊敬君王。
受苦的榜樣
18 你們做奴僕的，要存敬畏的心順服主人，不但順服那良善溫和的，也要順服那兇暴的。 19 因為人若為了讓良心對得起上帝而忍受冤屈之苦，就會得到恩福。 20 如果你們犯罪受責打，能夠忍受得住，有什麼功勞呢？但如果你們因行善而受苦，還能忍受，就是上帝所喜悅的。
21 你們蒙召也是為此，因為基督也為你們受過苦，給你們留下榜樣，叫你們可以追隨祂的腳步。 22 祂沒有犯罪，口中也沒有詭詐。 23 祂被辱駡也不還口，被迫害也不揚言報復，只把自己交託給按公義施行審判的上帝。 24 祂被釘在十字架上，親身擔當了我們的罪，使我們向著罪死了，可以過公義的生活。因祂所受的鞭傷，你們得到了醫治。 25 從前你們好像是迷路的羊，現在卻歸向了你們靈魂的牧人和監護者。
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.
