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The Living Stone and a Chosen People

Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander.(A) Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation(B) if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.[a](C)

Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones let yourselves be built[b] into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.(D) For it stands in scripture:

“See, I am laying in Zion a stone,
    a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”(E)

This honor, then, is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,[c]

“The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the very head of the corner,”(F)

and

“A stone that makes them stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.(G)

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people,[d] in order that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.(H)

10 Once you were not a people,
    but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy,
    but now you have received mercy.(I)

Live as Servants of God

11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul.[e](J) 12 Conduct yourselves honorably among the gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.[f](K)

13 For the Lord’s sake be subject to every human authority,[g] whether to the emperor as supreme(L) 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. 15 For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish. 16 As servants of God, live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil.(M) 17 Honor everyone. Love the family of believers.[h] Fear God. Honor the emperor.(N)

The Example of Christ’s Suffering

18 Slaves, be subject to your masters with all respect,[i] not only those who are good and gentle but also those who are dishonest. 19 For it is a commendable thing if, being aware of God, a person endures pain while suffering unjustly. 20 If you endure when you are beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do good and suffer for it, this is a commendable thing before God.(O) 21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.(P)

22 “He committed no sin,
    and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

23 When he was abused, he did not return abuse; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.(Q) 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross,[j] so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds[k] you have been healed.(R) 25 For you were going astray like sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.[l](S)

Footnotes

  1. 2.3 Or kind
  2. 2.5 Or you yourselves are being built
  3. 2.7 Other ancient authorities read obey
  4. 2.9 Gk a people for his possession
  5. 2.11 Or one’s life
  6. 2.12 Gk God on the day of visitation
  7. 2.13 Or every authority ordained for humans
  8. 2.17 Gk Love the brotherhood
  9. 2.18 Or fear
  10. 2.24 Or carried up our sins in his body to the tree
  11. 2.24 Gk bruise
  12. 2.25 Or lives

As Newborn Babes

Therefore, (A)rid yourselves of all [a]malice and all deceit and [b]hypocrisy and [c]envy and all [d](B)slander, (C)and like newborn babies, long for the [e](D)pure [f]milk of the word, so that by it you may (E)grow [g]in respect to salvation, if you have (F)tasted [h](G)the kindness of the Lord.

As Living Stones

And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been (H)rejected by people, but is [i]choice and precious in the sight of God, (I)you also, as living stones, [j]are being built up as a (J)spiritual house for a holy (K)priesthood, to (L)offer spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For this is contained in [k]Scripture:

(M)Behold, I am laying in Zion a choice stone, a (N)precious cornerstone,
And the one who believes in [l]Him will not be [m]put to shame.”

(O)This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for unbelievers,

(P)A stone which the builders (Q)rejected,
This became the [n]chief cornerstone,”

and,

(R)A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”;

(S)for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, (T)and to this they were also appointed.

But you are (U)a chosen people, a royal (V)priesthood, a (W)holy nation, (X)a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you (Y)out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 (Z)for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 (AA)Beloved, (AB)I urge you as (AC)foreigners and strangers to abstain from (AD)fleshly lusts, which wage (AE)war against the soul. 12 (AF)Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they (AG)slander you as evildoers, they may [o]because of your good deeds, as they observe them, (AH)glorify God (AI)on the day of [p]visitation.

Honor Authority

13 (AJ)Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent [q]by him (AK)for the punishment of evildoers and the (AL)praise of those who do right. 15 For [r](AM)such is the will of God, that by doing right you (AN)silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Act as (AO)free people, and [s]do not use your freedom as a [t]covering for evil, but use it as (AP)bond-servants of God. 17 (AQ)Honor all people, (AR)love the brotherhood, (AS)fear God, (AT)honor the [u]king.

18 (AU)Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and (AV)gentle, but also to those who are [v]harsh. 19 For this finds favor, if for the sake of (AW)conscience toward God a person endures [w]grief when suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if (AX)when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

Christ Is Our Example

21 For (AY)you have been called for this purpose, (AZ)because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you (BA)an example, so that you would follow in His steps, 22 He who (BB)committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; 23 [x]and while being (BC)abusively insulted, He did not insult in return; while suffering, He did not threaten, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 and He Himself [y](BD)brought our sins in His body up on the [z](BE)cross, so that we (BF)might die to [aa]sin and live for righteousness; (BG)by His [ab]wounds you were (BH)healed. 25 For you were (BI)continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the (BJ)Shepherd and [ac]Guardian of your souls.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Peter 2:1 Or wickedness
  2. 1 Peter 2:1 plural nouns
  3. 1 Peter 2:1 plural nouns
  4. 1 Peter 2:1 plural nouns
  5. 1 Peter 2:2 Or unadulterated
  6. 1 Peter 2:2 Or spiritual (Gr logikos) milk, so
  7. 1 Peter 2:2 Or up to salvation
  8. 1 Peter 2:3 Lit that the Lord is kind
  9. 1 Peter 2:4 Lit chosen; or elect
  10. 1 Peter 2:5 Or allow yourselves to be built up; or build yourselves up
  11. 1 Peter 2:6 Or a scripture
  12. 1 Peter 2:6 Or it
  13. 1 Peter 2:6 Or disappointed
  14. 1 Peter 2:7 Lit head of the corner
  15. 1 Peter 2:12 Or as a result of
  16. 1 Peter 2:12 I.e., Christ’s coming again in judgment
  17. 1 Peter 2:14 Lit through
  18. 1 Peter 2:15 Lit so
  19. 1 Peter 2:16 Lit not having
  20. 1 Peter 2:16 I.e., a way to conceal
  21. 1 Peter 2:17 Or emperor
  22. 1 Peter 2:18 Or unscrupulous
  23. 1 Peter 2:19 Or pain
  24. 1 Peter 2:23 Lit who
  25. 1 Peter 2:24 Or offered...up
  26. 1 Peter 2:24 Lit wood; see Deut 21:23
  27. 1 Peter 2:24 Lit sins
  28. 1 Peter 2:24 Lit wound; or welt
  29. 1 Peter 2:25 Or Bishop, Overseer