1 Peter 2-3

New King James Version

Our Inheritance Through Christ’s Blood

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

The Chosen Stone and His Chosen People^(E)

⁴Coming to Him as to a living stone, ^(F)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,

^(G)“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 ^[b]are disobedient,

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

⁸and

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

^(J)They stumble, being disobedient to the word, ^(K)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 ^(L)darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰^(M)who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.

Living Before the World

¹¹Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts ^(N)which war against the soul, ¹²^(O)having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, ^(P)they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Submission to Government^(Q)

¹³^(R)Therefore submit yourselves to every ^[c]ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, ¹⁴or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. ¹⁵For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— ¹⁶^(S)as free, yet not ^(T)using liberty as a cloak for ^[d]vice, but as bondservants of God. ¹⁷Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear ^(U)God. Honor the king.

Submission to Masters^(V)

¹⁸^(W)Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. ¹⁹For this is ^(X)commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. ²⁰For ^(Y)what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. ²¹For ^(Z)to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for ^[e]us, ^(AA)leaving ^[f]us an example, that you should follow His steps:

²²“Who^(AB) committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

²³^(AC)who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but ^(AD)committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; ²⁴^(AE)who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, ^(AF)that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—^(AG)by whose ^[g]stripes you were healed. ²⁵For ^(AH)you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned ^(AI)to the Shepherd and ^[h]Overseer of your souls.

Submission to Husbands

3 Wives, likewise, be ^(AJ)submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, ^(AK)they, without a word, may ^(AL)be won by the conduct of their wives, ²^(AM)when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. ³^(AN)Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— ⁴rather let it be ^(AO)the hidden person of the heart, with the ^[i]incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. ⁵For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, ⁶as Sarah obeyed Abraham, ^(AP)calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

A Word to Husbands

⁷^(AQ)Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, ^(AR)as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, ^(AS)that your prayers may not be hindered.

Called to Blessing

⁸Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be ^[j]courteous; ⁹^(AT)not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary ^(AU)blessing, knowing that you were called to this, ^(AV)that you may inherit a blessing. ¹⁰For

^(AW)“He who would love life
And see good days,
^(AX)Let him ^[k]refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
¹¹Let him ^(AY)turn away from evil and do good;
^(AZ)Let him seek peace and pursue it.
¹²For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
^(BA)And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Suffering for Right and Wrong

¹³^(BB)And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? ¹⁴^(BC)But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. ^(BD)“And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” ¹⁵But ^[l]sanctify ^[m]the Lord God in your hearts, and always ^(BE)be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the ^(BF)hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; ¹⁶^(BG)having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. ¹⁷For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Christ’s Suffering and Ours

¹⁸For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring ^[n]us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, ¹⁹by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, ²⁰who formerly were disobedient, ^[o]when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. ²¹^(BH)There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism ^(BI)(not the removal of the filth of the flesh, ^(BJ)but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²²who has gone into heaven and ^(BK)is at the right hand of God, ^(BL)angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.