1 Peter 2
1 Therefore, do not act maliciously in any way or deceive others. Do not (be a hypocrite/try to make others think that you have qualities that you do not really have), and do not (envy/be jealous of) others. Do not ever slander anyone.
Therefore put aside all evil, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.
2 Just like newborn babies [long for their mothers’] pure milk [MET], you should long for [God’s] spiritual [truth], so that by learning it you may become [spiritually] mature. [You need to] do this until the day when God [will] free you completely [from all the evil in this world].
As newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk, so that through it you may grow in salvation,
3 [Also, you need to do this] because you have experienced that the Lord [acts in] a good way toward you.
if you have tasted that the Lord is kind.
4 You have come to the Lord Jesus. He is [like an important] stone [MET] [put in the foundation of a building], [but he is] alive, [not lifeless like a stone]. He was rejected by [many] people {[Many] people rejected him}, but God chose him and [considers him] to be very precious.
Come to him who is a living stone that has been rejected by people, but that has been chosen by God as valuable to him.
5 [And like men] build houses with stones [MET], [God] is causing you to be joined together into a group in which [God’s] Spirit [lives], in order that you, because of what Jesus Christ did for us, might, like priests who offer sacrifices, [do things] that are pleasing to God.
You also are like living stones that are being built up to be a spiritual house, in order to be a holy priesthood that offers the spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 [What Isaiah wrote] in the Scriptures [shows us that this is true]. [He wrote these words that God said]: Note this well: I am placing in Jerusalem [MTY] [one who is like] [MET] an extremely valuable [DOU] (stone/cornerstone, the most important stone in the structure of a building), and those who believe in him will never be disappointed.
Scripture contains this: “See, I am laying in Zion a cornerstone, chosen and valuable. Whoever believes in him will not be ashamed.”
7 Therefore, [God will] honor you who believe in [Jesus]. But those who [refuse to] believe in him [are like the builders] that this Scripture [talks about]: The stone that the builders rejected has become (the cornerstone/the most important stone in the foundation of the building).
The honor then is for you who believe. But, “the stone that was rejected by the builders, this has become the head of the corner”—
8 And [it is also written] {[Isaiah wrote]} in the Scriptures: [He will be like] a stone that causes people to stumble, like a rock that people trip over. [Just as people are injured when] they stumble over a rock, people who disobey the message [about Jesus are injured spiritually], and that is what [God] determined would happen to them.
and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they disobey the word—which is what they were appointed to do.
9 But you are people whom God has chosen [to belong to him]. You are [a group that represents God like] priests do, and you rule with God [MET] like kings. You are (a holy group of people/a group of people who are separate from evil). You are people who belong to God. This is in order that you might proclaim the virtues of [God. He has] called you from [your former ways], [when you were ignorant of his truth], into the marvelous [understanding that he gives us] [MET]. [That is, he has called you] out of [spiritual] darkness into [spiritual] light.
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's possession, so that you would announce the wonderful actions of the one who called you out from darkness into his marvelous light.
10 [What the prophet Hosea wrote is true of you] Formerly, you were not a people [who had a relationship with God], But now you are God’s people. At one time [God] had not acted mercifully toward you, But now he has acted mercifully toward you.
Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. You did not receive mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 You people whom I love, I urge you to consider that you are like foreigners [MET, DOU] [whose real home is in heaven]. As a result, avoid doing the things that your self-directed nature desires, because those desires (fight against/always oppose) your souls.
Beloved, I call on you as foreigners and exiles to abstain from fleshly desires, which make war against your soul.
12 Keep conducting your lives in a good way among those who do not know God. [If you do that], although they may accuse you, saying that you are people who do evil things, they will see your good behavior, and at the time when God comes [to judge people], they will (give honor to him/say that what he does is right).
You should have good behavior among the Gentiles, so that, if they speak about you as having done evil things, they may observe your good works and praise God on the day of his coming.
13 For the sake of the Lord [Jesus], submit yourselves to every human authority. That includes submitting yourselves to the king, who is the most important authority,
Obey every human authority for the Lord's sake. Obey both the king as supreme,
14 and to governors, who are sent by the king {whom the king sends} to punish those who do what is wrong and to commend/honor those who do what is right.
and also the governors, who are sent to punish evildoers and to praise those who do good.
15 What God wants is that by your doing [only] what is good you will cause foolish people who do not know [God] to be unable to say things ([to condemn you/to show you why you should be punished]).
For this is God's will, that in doing good you silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.
16 Conduct your lives as though you were free [from having to obey authorities], but do not think “Because I am free from having to obey authorities, I can do evil things.” Instead, act as servants of God [should].
As free people, do not use your freedom as a covering for wickedness, but be like servants of God.
17 Act respectfully toward everyone. Love all your fellow believers. Revere God, and honor the king.
Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
18 You slaves [who are believers], submit yourselves to your masters and completely respect them. Submit yourselves not only to those who [act in a] good and kind [DOU] way towards you, but also submit yourselves to those who [act in a] harsh way [towards you].
Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect. Be subject not only to the good and gentle masters, but also to the malicious ones.
19 You should do that because God is pleased with those who, knowing that he is aware of what is happening to them, endure the pain that they suffer [because of being treated unjustly by their masters] {[their masters have treated them unjustly]}.
For it is praiseworthy if anyone endures pain while suffering injustice because of his awareness of God.
20 God will certainly not [RHQ] be pleased with you if you do something that is wrong and as a result you are beaten {someone beats you}! But if, instead of doing something that is wrong, you do what is good, and as a result of that, you suffer for doing something that is good, and you endure that suffering, God will (commend/be pleased with) you.
For how much credit is there if you sin and then endure while being punished? But if you have done good and then you suffer while being punished, this is worthy of praise from God.
21 One of the reasons why God chose you is that you would [suffer]. When Christ suffered for you, he became an example for you, in order that you would (imitate what/do like) he did.
For it is to this that you were called, because Christ also suffered for you. He left an example for you to follow in his steps.
22 [Remember how Christ conducted himself]: He never sinned, And he never said [MTY] anything to deceive people.
“He committed no sin, neither was any deceit found in his mouth.”
23 When people insulted him, he did not insult them in return. When people caused him to suffer, he did not threaten (to get revenge/to cause them to suffer). Instead, he decided to let God, who always judges justly, prove that he (was innocent/had done nothing that is wrong) (OR, he left his case in the hands of God, who always judges justly).
When he was reviled, he did not revile back. When he suffered, he did not threaten back, but he gave himself to the one who judges justly.
24 He himself endured physically the punishment for our sins when he died on the cross, in order that we would stop sinning (OR, no longer respond to sinful desires) and start living righteous lives. It is because he was wounded {they wounded him} that your [souls have been saved] [MET] [from being sinful, as people’s bodies] are healed [from being sick].
He himself carried our sins in his body to the tree, so that we would have no more part in sin, and so that we would live for righteousness. By his bruises you have been healed.
25 Truly you were like sheep that had gone astray [SIM], but now you have returned to [Jesus], who cares for your souls [as] a shepherd [cares for his sheep] [MET].
All of you had been wandering away like lost sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.
