1 Peter 2

A living stone and a chosen people

Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.a ²Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,b ³now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.c

⁴As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him—d ⁵you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.e ⁶For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”f ⁷Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”g ⁸and, “A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.h

⁹But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.i ¹⁰Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.j ¹¹Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.k

¹²Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.l

Submit for the Lord's sake

¹³Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority,m ¹⁴or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.n ¹⁵For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.o

¹⁶Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.p ¹⁷Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.q ¹⁸Slaves, in reverent fear of God submit yourselves to your masters, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

¹⁹For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God. ²⁰But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

He left us an example

²¹To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.r ²²“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”s ²³When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.t

²⁴“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”u ²⁵For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.v