⁵ you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood^[a] to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God^(A) through Jesus Christ.

⁹ But you are a chosen race,^[a][b](A) a royal priesthood,^[c](B) a holy nation,^[d](C) a people for his possession,^[e](D) so that you may proclaim the praises^[f][g](E) of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.^(F)

¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy,^(A) but now you have received mercy.

⁹ And they sang a new song:^(A)

²⁴ For false messiahs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders to lead astray,^(A) if possible, even the elect.

Faithful Service to Christ

⁴⁵ “Who then is a faithful and wise servant,^(A) whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time?^{(B) 46} Blessed is that servant whom the master finds doing his job when he comes.^{(C) 47} Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁸ But if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delayed,’ ⁴⁹ and starts to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with drunkards,^{(D) 50} that servant’s master will come on a day he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. ⁵¹ He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.