1 Therefore,laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,
2 as newborn babes, desire the puremilk of the word, that you may grow thereby,
3 if indeed you havetasted that the Lordisgracious.
The Chosen Stone and His Chosen People
4 Coming to Himastoa living stone,rejected indeed by men, but chosen by Godandprecious,
5 you 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.
6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,
# “Behold, I lay in Zion
A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
7 Therefore, to you who believe,Heisprecious; but to those who are disobedient,
# “The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone,”
8 and
# “A stone of stumbling
And a rock of offense.”
# They stumble, being disobedient to the word,to which they also were appointed.
9 But youarea chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out ofdarkness into His marvelous light;
10 who oncewerenot a people butarenow the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Living Before the World
11 Beloved, I begyouas sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lustswhich war against the soul,
12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers,they may, byyourgood works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Submission to Government
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme,
14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers andforthepraise of those who do good.
15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—
16 as free, yet notusing liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.
17 Honor allpeople.Love the brotherhood. FearGod. Honor the king.
Submission to Masters
18 Servants,besubmissive toyourmasters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
19 For thisiscommendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully.
20 Forwhat creditisitif, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, thisiscommendable before God.
21 Forto this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us,leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 “Whocommitted no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
23 who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, butcommittedHimselfto Him who judges righteously;
24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree,that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
25 Foryou were like sheep going astray, but have now returnedto the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.