| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. | 1So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. |
| 2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, | 2Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, |
| 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. | 3now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. Living Stones for God’s House |
| 4As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, | 4You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. |
| 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. | 5And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. |
| 6For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” | 6As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” |
| 7To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” | 7Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” |
| 8and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed. | 8And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. |
| 9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. | 9But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. |
| 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. | 10“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” |
| 11Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul. | 11Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. |
| 12Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us. | 12Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. Respecting People in Authority |
| 13Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to the king as the supreme authority, | 13For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, |
| 14or to governors as those sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. | 14or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. |
| 15For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish men. | 15It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. |
| 16Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. | 16For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. |
| 17Treat everyone with high regard: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. | 17Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king. Slaves |
| 18Servants, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but even to those who are unreasonable. | 18You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. |
| 19For if anyone endures the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God, this is to be commended. | 19For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. |
| 20How is it to your credit if you are beaten for doing wrong and you endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. | 20Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. |
| 21For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps: | 21For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. |
| 22“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” | 22He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. |
| 23When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. | 23He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. |
| 24He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.” | 24He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. |
| 25For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. | 25Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls. |
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