1 Peter 2

1 Therefore, cease ye from all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisy, and envy, and backbiting.

Rid yourselves therefore of all ill-will and all deceitfulness, of insincerity and envy, and of all evil speaking.

2 And be like infant children; and crave the word, as being the pure spiritual milk by which ye are nourished up to life;

Thirst, like newly-born infants, for pure milk for the soul, that by it you may grow up to salvation;

3 if ye have tasted and seen that the Lord is good:

if you have had any experience of the goodness of the Lord.

4 to whom ye have come, because he is a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but with God elect and precious.

Come to Him, the ever-living Stone, rejected indeed by men as worthless, but in God's esteem chosen and held in honour.

5 And ye also, as living stones, are builded and become spiritual temples, and holy priests, for the offering of spiritual sacrifices, acceptable before God, through Jesus the Messiah.

And be yourselves also like living stones that are being built up into a spiritual house, to become a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

6 For it is said in the scripture, Behold, in Zion I lay a chosen and precious stone, for the head of the corner; and whoever believeth in him, will not be ashamed.

For it is contained in Scripture, "See, I am placing on Mount Zion a Cornerstone, chosen, and held in honour, and he whose faith rests on Him shall never have reason to feel ashamed."

7 On you therefore who believe, is this honor conferred: but to them who believe not,

To you believers, therefore, that honour belongs; but for unbelievers-- "A Stone which the builders rejected has been made the Cornerstone,"

8 he is a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence. And they stumble at it, because they believe not the word: whereto they were appointed.

and "a Stone for the foot to strike against, and a Rock to stumble over." Their foot strikes against it because they are disobedient to God's Message, and to this they were appointed.

9 But ye are an elect race, officiating as priests of the kingdom; a holy people, a redeemed congregation; that ye should proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness to his precious light:

But you are a chosen race, a priesthood of kingly lineage, a holy nation, a people belonging specially to God, that you may make known the perfections of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.

10 who formerly were not accounted a people, but now are the people of God; and also, there were once no mercies on you, but now mercies are poured out upon you.

Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. Once you had not found mercy, but now you have.

11 My beloved, I entreat you as strangers and pilgrims, separate yourselves from all lusts of the body; for they war against the soul.

Dear friends, I entreat you as pilgrims and foreigners not to indulge the cravings of your lower natures: for all such cravings wage war upon the soul.

12 And let your behavior be decorous before all men; so that they who utter evil speeches against you, may see your good actions, and may praise God in the day of trial.

Live honourable lives among the Gentiles, in order that, although they now speak against you as evil-doers, they may yet witness your good conduct, and may glorify God on the day of reward and retribution.

13 And be ye submissive to all the sons of men, for God's sake; to kings, on account of their authority;

Submit, for the Lord's sake, to every authority set up by man, whether it be to the Emperor as supreme ruler,

14 and to judges, because they are sent by him for the punishment of offenders, and for the praise of them that do well.

or to provincial Governors as sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers and the encouragement of those who do what is right.

15 For so is the pleasure of God, that by your good deeds ye may stop the mouth of the foolish, who know not God:

For it is God's will that by doing what is right you should thus silence the ignorant talk of foolish persons.

16 as free men, yet not like men who make their freedom a cloak for their wickedness, but as the servants of God.

Be free men, and yet do not make your freedom an excuse for base conduct, but be God's bondservants.

17 Honor all men; love your brethren; fear God; and honor kings.

Honour every one. Love the brotherhood, fear God, honour the Emperor.

18 And those among you who are servants, be subject to your masters, with reverence; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh and morose.

Household servants, be submissive to your masters, and show them the utmost respect--not only if they are kind and thoughtful, but also if they are unreasonable.

19 For there is favor before God for them who, for the sake of a good conscience, endure sorrows that come upon them wrongfully.

For it is an acceptable thing with God, if, from a sense of duty to Him, a man patiently submits to wrong, when treated unjustly.

20 But they who endure afflictions on account of their offences, what praise have they? But if, when ye do well, they vex you, and ye endure it; then great is your praise with God.

If you do wrong and receive a blow for it, what credit is there in your bearing it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you bear it patiently, this is an acceptable thing with God.

21 For unto this were ye called; because the Messiah also died for us, and left us this pattern, that ye should walk in his steps.

And it is to this you were called; because Christ also suffered on your behalf, leaving you an example so that you should follow in His steps.

22 He did no sin; neither was guile found in his mouth.

He never sinned, and no deceitful language was ever heard from His mouth.

23 When he was reviled, be reviled not; and he suffered and threatened not, but committed his cause to the Judge of righteousness.

When He was reviled, He did not answer with reviling; when He suffered He uttered no threats, but left His wrongs in the hands of the righteous Judge.

24 And he took away all our sins, and, in his body, lifted them to the cross; that we, when dead to sin, might live by his righteousness: for by his wounds, ye are healed.

The burden of our sins He Himself carried in His own body to the Cross and bore it there, so that we, having died so far as our sins are concerned, may live righteous lives. By His wounds yours have been healed.

25 For ye, once went astray, like sheep; but ye have now returned to the Shepherd and Curator of your souls.

For you were straying like lost sheep, but now you have come back to the Shepherd and Protector of your souls.