1 Peter 2

¹ So rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind.

² Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up into your salvation,

³ now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by people but chosen and precious in God's sight—

⁵ you 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.

⁶ For 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."

⁷ Now to you who believe, this honor is yours. But to those who do not believe,
"The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,"

⁸ and,
"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.

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own possession, so that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

¹⁰ Once 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.

¹¹ Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.

¹² Live 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.

¹³ Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority,

¹⁴ or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

¹⁵ For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.

¹⁶ Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God's slaves.

¹⁷ Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.

¹⁸ Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

¹⁹ For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are conscious of God.

²⁰ For what credit is it if you endure a beating for doing wrong? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.

²¹ To this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.

²² "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."

²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to the one who judges justly.

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.

²⁵ For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.