| New American Standard Bible 1995 | New Living Translation |
| 1Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, | 1So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. |
| 2like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to 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, |
| 3if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. | 3now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. Living Stones for God’s House |
| 4And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God, | 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, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up 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 this is contained in Scripture: "BEHOLD, I LAY IN ZION A CHOICE STONE, A PRECIOUS CORNER stone, AND HE WHO BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." | 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.” |
| 7This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, "THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE VERY CORNER stone," | 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"; for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also 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 RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has 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. |
| 10for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; 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 aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul. | 11Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. |
| 12Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation. | 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 a king as the one in authority, | 13For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, |
| 14or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of 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 such is the will of God that by doing right you may 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. |
| 16Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. | 16For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. |
| 17Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king. | 17Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king. Slaves |
| 18Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also 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 this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly. | 19For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. |
| 20For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with 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 you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, | 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. |
| 22WHO COMMITTED NO SIN, NOR WAS ANY DECEIT FOUND IN HIS MOUTH; | 22He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. |
| 23and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously; | 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. |
| 24and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were 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 continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. | 25Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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