1 Peter 1:17-2:10

English Standard Version

¹⁷And if you ^(A)call on him as Father who ^(B)judges ^(C)impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves ^(D)with fear throughout the time of your exile, ¹⁸knowing that you ^(E)were ransomed from ^(F)the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, ¹⁹but ^(G)with the precious blood of Christ, like that of ^(H)a lamb ^(I)without blemish or spot. ²⁰He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but ^(J)was made manifest ^(K)in the last times for the sake of you ²¹^(L)who through him are believers in God, ^(M)who raised him from the dead and ^(N)gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

²²Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for ^(O)a sincere brotherly love, ^(P)love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ²³^(Q)since you have been born again, ^(R)not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through ^(S)the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴for

^(T)“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
²⁵^(U)but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word ^(V)is the good news that was preached to you.

A Living Stone and a Holy People

2 ^(W)So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ²^(X)Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual ^(Y)milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³if indeed you have ^(Z)tasted that the Lord is good.

⁴As you come to him, a living stone ^(AA)rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ⁵^(AB)you yourselves like living stones are being built up as ^(AC)a spiritual house, to be ^(AD)a holy priesthood, ^(AE)to offer spiritual sacrifices ^(AF)acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶For it stands in Scripture:

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

⁷So the honor is for you who ^(AI)believe, but for those who ^(AJ)do not believe,

^(AK)“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”^[a]

⁸and

^(AL)“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”

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

⁹But you are ^(AN)a chosen race, ^(AO)a royal ^(AP)priesthood, ^(AQ)a holy nation, ^(AR)a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you ^(AS)out of darkness into ^(AT)his marvelous light. ¹⁰^(AU)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.