The Living Stone and a Holy People

1Therefore, rid yourselves ofa all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.b 2Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word,a a so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, 3if you have tasteda that the Lord is good.b c 4As you come to him, a living stone — rejected by people but chosen and honored byA God —  5you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthoodA to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to Goda through Jesus Christ. 6For it stands in Scripture:

See, I lay a stone in Zion,a

a chosen and honoredA cornerstone,b

and the one who believes in him

will never be put to shame.c d

7So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving,

The stone that the builders rejected —

this one has become the cornerstone,a b

8and

A stone to stumble over,

and a rock to trip over.a b

They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destinedc for this.

9But you are a chosen race,a a b a royal priesthood,c d a holy nation,e f a people for his possession,g h so that you may proclaim the praisesB i j of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.k 10Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy,a but now you have received mercy.

A Call to Good Works

11Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exilesa to abstainb from sinfulc desires that wage war against the soul.d 12Conducta yourselves honorably among the Gentiles,A so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits.b

13Submita to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the emperorA as the supreme authorityb 14or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. 15For it is God’s willa that you silence the ignoranceb of foolish people by doing good. 16Submit as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil,a but as God’s slaves.b 17Honor everyone. Lovea the brothers and sisters.b Fear God.c Honor the emperor.

Submission of Slaves to Masters

18Household slaves, submit to your mastersa with all reverenceb not only to the good and gentle ones but also to the cruel.c 19For it brings favor if, because of a consciousness of God, someone endures grief from suffering unjustly. 20For what credit is there if when you do wrong and are beaten, you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer,a if you endure it, this brings favor with God.

21For you were called to this, because Christ also suffereda for you, leaving you an example,b that you should followc in his steps. 22He did not commit sin,a and no deceitb was found in his mouth;c d 23when he was insulted, he did not insult in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten but entrusted himself to the one who judgesa justly. 24He himself bore our sinsa in his bodyb on the tree;c so that, having died to sins,d we might live for righteousness.e By his woundsf g you have been healed. 25For you were like sheep going astray,a b but you have now returned to the Shepherdc and OverseerA of your souls.