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1 Peter 2:4-12
New International Version
1 Peter 2:4-12
New International Version
The Living Stone and a Chosen People
4 As you come to him, the living Stone(A)—rejected by humans but chosen by God(B) and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built(C) into a spiritual house[a](D) to be a holy priesthood,(E) offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.(F) 6 For in Scripture it says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and precious cornerstone,(G)
and the one who trusts in him
will never be put to shame.”[b](H)
7 Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,(I)
8 and,
They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.(M)
9 But you are a chosen people,(N) a royal priesthood,(O) a holy nation,(P) God’s special possession,(Q) that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.(R) 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God;(S) once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Living Godly Lives in a Pagan Society
11 Dear friends,(T) I urge you, as foreigners and exiles,(U) to abstain from sinful desires,(V) which wage war against your soul.(W) 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds(X) and glorify God(Y) on the day he visits us.
Footnotes
- 1 Peter 2:5 Or into a temple of the Spirit
- 1 Peter 2:6 Isaiah 28:16
- 1 Peter 2:7 Psalm 118:22
- 1 Peter 2:8 Isaiah 8:14
1 Peter 2:4-12
New Living Translation
1 Peter 2:4-12
New Living Translation
Living Stones for God’s House
4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor.
5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests.[a] Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 6 As the Scriptures say,
“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,[b]
chosen for great honor,
and anyone who trusts in him
will never be disgraced.”[c]
7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him.[d] But for those who reject him,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.”[e]
8 And,
“He is the stone that makes people stumble,
the rock that makes them fall.”[f]
They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.
9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[g] a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.
10 “Once you had no identity as a people;
now you are God’s people.
Once you received no mercy;
now you have received God’s mercy.”[h]
11 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 12 Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world.[i]
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New Living Translation (NLT)
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