The Living Stone and a Holy People

So rid yourselves of(A) all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.(B) Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk,(C) so that you may grow by it for your salvation,[a] since you have tasted(D) that the Lord is good.(E)[b] Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God— you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God(F) through Jesus Christ. For it is contained in Scripture:

Look! I lay a stone in Zion,(G)
a chosen and honored[c] cornerstone,[d](H)
and the one who believes in Him
will never be put to shame![e](I)[f]

So honor will come to you who believe, but for the unbelieving,

The stone that the builders rejected—
this One has become the cornerstone,(J)[g]

and

A stone to stumble over,[h]
and a rock to trip over.[i](K)[j]

They stumble because they disobey the message; they were destined(L) for this.

But you are a chosen race,[k](M)[l] a royal priesthood,(N)[m]
a holy nation,(O)[n] a people for His possession,(P)[o]
so that you may proclaim the praises[p](Q)[q]
of the One who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light.(R)
10 Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people;
you had not received mercy,(S)
but now you have received mercy.

A Call to Good Works

11 Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and temporary residents(T) to abstain(U) from fleshly(V) desires that war against you.[r](W) 12 Conduct(X) yourselves honorably among the Gentiles,[s] so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do what is evil, they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day of visitation.[t](Y)

13 Submit(Z) to every human authority[u] because of the Lord, whether to the Emperor[v] as the supreme authority(AA) 14 or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. 15 For it is God’s will(AB) that you silence the ignorance(AC) of foolish people by doing good. 16 As God’s slaves,(AD) live as free people, but don’t use your freedom as a way to conceal evil.(AE) 17 Honor everyone. Love(AF) the brotherhood.(AG) Fear God.(AH) Honor the Emperor.[w]

Submission of Slaves to Masters

18 Household slaves, submit with all fear(AI) to your masters,(AJ) not only to the good and gentle but also to the cruel.[x](AK) 19 For it brings favor[y] if, mindful of God’s will,[z][aa] someone endures grief from suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if you sin and are punished, and you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer,(AL) if you endure it, this brings favor with God.

21 For you were called to this,
because Christ also suffered(AM) for you,
leaving you an example,(AN)
so that you should follow(AO) in His steps.
22 He did not commit sin,(AP)
and no deceit(AQ) was found in His mouth;(AR)[ab]
23 when He was reviled,
He did not revile in return;
when He was suffering,
He did not threaten
but entrusted Himself to the One who judges(AS) justly.
24 He Himself bore our sins(AT)
in His body(AU) on the tree,(AV)
so that, having died to sins,(AW)
we might live for righteousness;(AX)
you have been healed by His wounds.(AY)[ac]
25 For you were like sheep going astray,(AZ)[ad]
but you have now returned
to the Shepherd(BA) and Guardian[ae] of your souls.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Peter 2:2 Other mss omit in your salvation
  2. 1 Peter 2:3 Ps 34:8
  3. 1 Peter 2:6 Or valuable
  4. 1 Peter 2:6 Lit head of the corner
  5. 1 Peter 2:6 Or be disappointed
  6. 1 Peter 2:6 Is 28:16 LXX
  7. 1 Peter 2:7 Ps 118:22
  8. 1 Peter 2:8 Or a stone causing stumbling
  9. 1 Peter 2:8 Or a rock to trip over
  10. 1 Peter 2:8 Is 8:14
  11. 1 Peter 2:9 Or generation, or nation
  12. 1 Peter 2:9 Dt 7:6; 10:15; Is 43:20 LXX
  13. 1 Peter 2:9 Ex 19:6; 23:22 LXX; Is 61:6
  14. 1 Peter 2:9 Ex 19:6; 23:22 LXX
  15. 1 Peter 2:9 Ex 19:5; 23:22 LXX; Dt 4:20; 7:6; Is 43:21 LXX
  16. 1 Peter 2:9 Or the mighty deeds
  17. 1 Peter 2:9 Is 42:12; 43:21
  18. 1 Peter 2:11 Or against the soul
  19. 1 Peter 2:12 Or among the nations, or among the pagans
  20. 1 Peter 2:12 The day when God intervenes in human history, either in grace or in judgment
  21. 1 Peter 2:13 Or creature
  22. 1 Peter 2:13 Lit king
  23. 1 Peter 2:17 Lit king
  24. 1 Peter 2:18 Or unscrupulous; lit crooked
  25. 1 Peter 2:19 Other mss add with God
  26. 1 Peter 2:19 Other mss read if, because of a good conscience
  27. 1 Peter 2:19 Lit if, because of conscience toward God
  28. 1 Peter 2:22 Is 53:9
  29. 1 Peter 2:24 Is 53:5
  30. 1 Peter 2:25 Is 53:6
  31. 1 Peter 2:25 Or Overseer

Chosen as Living Stones

Therefore, ridding yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn infants long for the unadulterated spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is kind,[a] to whom you are drawing near, a living stone rejected by men but chosen and precious in the sight of God. And you yourselves, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture,

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone,
and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[b]

Therefore the honor is for you who believe, but for those who refuse to believe,

“The stone that the builders rejected,
this one has become the cornerstone[c],”

and

“A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,”[d]

who stumble because they[e] disobey the word to which also they were consigned. But you are a chosen race,[f] a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s possession, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light, 10 who once were not a people, but now are the people of God, the ones who were not shown mercy, but now are shown mercy.[g]

11 Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires which wage war against your[h] soul, 12 maintaining your good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in the things in which they slander you as evildoers, by seeing your good deeds they may glorify God on the day of visitation.

Submission to Established Authority

13 Subject yourselves to every human authority for the sake of the Lord, whether to a king[i] as having supreme authority, 14 or to governors as those sent out by him for the punishment of those who do evil and the praise of those who do good. 15 For the will of God is as follows: by[j] doing good to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as free persons, and not using your[k] freedom as a covering for evil, but as slaves of God. 17 Honor all people, love the community of believers, fear God, honor the king.[l]

18 Domestic slaves, be subject to your[m] masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unjust. 19 For this finds favor, if because of consciousness of God someone endures sorrows while[n] suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you[o] sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if you endure when you[p] do good and suffer for it, this finds favor with God. 21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his footsteps, 22 who did not commit sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth,[q] 23 who when he[r] was reviled, did not revile in return; when[s] suffering, he did not threaten, but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly, 24 who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we may die to sins and live to righteousness, by whose wounds you were healed. 25 For you were going astray like sheep, but you have turned back now to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Peter 2:3 A quotation from Ps 34:8
  2. 1 Peter 2:6 A quotation from Isa 28:16
  3. 1 Peter 2:7 Literally “into the head of the corner”
  4. 1 Peter 2:8 A quotation from Isa 8:14
  5. 1 Peter 2:8 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“disobey”) which is understood as causal
  6. 1 Peter 2:9 Or “people,” or “generation,” or “nation”
  7. 1 Peter 2:10 This verse contains quotations from Hos 1:6, 9; 2:23
  8. 1 Peter 2:11 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  9. 1 Peter 2:13 Or “to the emperor”
  10. 1 Peter 2:15 Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“doing good”) which is understood as means
  11. 1 Peter 2:16 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  12. 1 Peter 2:17 Or “the emperor”
  13. 1 Peter 2:18 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  14. 1 Peter 2:19 Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“suffering”) which is understood as temporal
  15. 1 Peter 2:20 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“sin”) which is understood as temporal
  16. 1 Peter 2:20 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“do good”) which is understood as temporal
  17. 1 Peter 2:22 This verse contains quotations from Isa 53:9
  18. 1 Peter 2:23 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was reviled”) which is understood as temporal
  19. 1 Peter 2:23 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“suffering”) which is understood as temporal