1 Peter 1:22-2:10

New King James Version

The Enduring Word

²²Since you ^(A)have purified your souls in obeying the truth ^[a]through the Spirit in ^[b]sincere ^(B)love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, ²³^(C)having been born again, not of ^[c]corruptible seed but ^[d]incorruptible, ^(D)through the word of God which lives and abides ^[e]forever, ²⁴because

^(E)“All flesh is as grass,
And all ^[f]the glory of man as the flower of the grass.
The grass withers,
And its flower falls away,
²⁵^(F)But the ^[g]word of the Lord endures forever.”

^(G)Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

Our Inheritance Through Christ’s Blood

2 Therefore, ^(H)laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, ²^(I)as newborn babes, desire the pure ^(J)milk of the word, that you may grow ^[h]thereby, ³if indeed you have ^(K)tasted that the Lord is gracious.

The Chosen Stone and His Chosen People^(L)

⁴Coming to Him as to a living stone, ^(M)rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, ⁵you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

^(N)“Behold, I lay in Zion
A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”

⁷Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who ^[i]are disobedient,

^(O)“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone,”

⁸and

^(P)“A stone of stumbling
And a rock of offense.”

^(Q)They stumble, being disobedient to the word, ^(R)to which they also were appointed.

⁹But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of ^(S)darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰^(T)who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.