1 Peter 2

Wycliffe Bible

2 Therefore put ye away all malice, and all guile, and feignings, and envies, and all backbitings; [Therefore putting away all malice, and all guile, and simulations, or feignings, and envies, and all detractions;]

² as now born young children, reasonable, without guile, covet ye milk [of full teaching], that in it ye wax into health;

³ if nevertheless ye have tasted, that the Lord is sweet.

⁴ And approach ye to him, that is a living stone, and reproved of men [To whom ye going nigh, a quick stone, reproved soothly of men], but chosen of God, and honoured;

⁵ and yourselves as quick stones be ye above builded [and yourselves as quick stones be above builded] into spiritual houses, and an holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

⁶ For which thing the scripture saith, Lo! I shall set in Sion the highest corner stone, chosen and precious [For which thing the scripture holdeth, Lo! I shall put in Sion the highest stone, a corner stone, chosen, precious]; and he that shall believe in him, shall not be confounded.

⁷ Therefore honour to you that believe; but to men that believe not, the stone whom the builders reproved, this is made into the head of the corner;

⁸ and the stone of hurting, and the stone of stumbling, to them that offend to the word, neither believe it, in which they be set.^[a]

⁹ But ye be a chosen kin, a kingly priesthood, holy folk, a people of purchasing, that ye tell the virtues of him, that called you from darknesses into his wonderful light.

¹⁰ Which sometime were not a people of God, but now ye be the people of God; which had not mercy, but now ye have mercy.

¹¹ Most dear, I beseech you, as comelings and pilgrims, to abstain you from fleshly desires, that fight against the soul;

¹² and have ye your conversation good among heathen men [having your conversation, or life, good among heathen men], that in that thing that they backbite of you, as of misdoers, they behold you of good works, and glorify God in the day of visitation.

¹³ Be ye subject to each creature of man, for God; either to the king, as to him that is higher in state [as precellent, or more worthy in state],

¹⁴ either to dukes, as to those that be sent of him to the vengeance of misdoers, and to the praising of good men [forsooth to the praising of good deeds, or good men].

¹⁵ For so is the will of God, that ye do well, and make the unknowingness of unprudent men to be dumb. [For so is the will of God, that ye doing well, make the unknowingness of unwise men to be dumb.]

¹⁶ As free men, and not as having freedom the covering of malice, but as the servants of God.

¹⁷ Honour ye all men, love ye brotherhood, dread ye God, honour ye the king.

¹⁸ Servants, be ye subject in all dread to lords, not only to good and to mild [not only to good and mild], but also to tyrants.

¹⁹ For this is grace, if for conscience of God any man suffereth heavinesses, and suffereth unjustly. [Forsooth this is grace, if for conscience of God any man suffereth sorrows, or heavinesses, suffering unjustly.]

²⁰ For what grace is it, if ye sin, and be buffeted, and suffer? But if ye do well, and suffer patiently, this is grace with God.

²¹ For to this thing ye be called. For also Christ suffered for us, and left ensample to you [leaving to you example], that ye follow the steps of him.

²² Which did not sin, neither guile was found in his mouth.

²³ And when he was cursed, he cursed not [Which, when he was cursed, cursed not]; when he suffered, he menaced not; but he betook himself to him, that deemed him unjustly.

²⁴ And he himself bare our sins in his body on a tree [Which he himself suffered, or bare, our sins in his body on the tree], that we be dead to sins, and live to rightwiseness, by whose wan wound ye be healed.

²⁵ For ye were as sheep erring, but ye be now turned to the shepherd, and bishop of your souls.