1 Peter 2

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

Laying aside therefore all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envyings and all evil speakings,

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

as newborn babes desire earnestly the pure mental milk of the word, that by it ye may grow up to salvation,

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

if indeed ye have tasted that the Lord [is] good.

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

To whom coming, a living stone, cast away indeed as worthless by men, but with God chosen, precious,

5 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.

yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

6 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."

Because it is contained in the scripture: Behold, I lay in Zion a corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believes on him shall not be put to shame.

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

To you therefore who believe [is] the preciousness; but to the disobedient, the stone which the builders cast away as worthless, this is become head of [the] corner,

8 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.

and a stone of stumbling and rock of offence; [who] stumble at the word, being disobedient to which also they have been appointed.

9 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.

But ye [are] a chosen race, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a people for a possession, that ye might set forth the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness to his wonderful light;

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

who once [were] not a people, but now God's people; who were not enjoying mercy, but now have found mercy.

11 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.

Beloved, I exhort [you], as strangers and sojourners, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

12 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.

having your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that [as to that] in which they speak against you as evildoers, they may through [your] good works, [themselves] witnessing [them], glorify God in [the] day of visitation.

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

Be in subjection [therefore] to every human institution for the Lord's sake; whether to [the] king as supreme,

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

or to rulers as sent by him, for vengeance on evildoers, and praise to them that do well.

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

Because so is the will of God, that by well-doing ye put to silence the ignorance of senseless men;

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

as free, and not as having liberty as a cloak of malice, but as God's bondmen.

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

Shew honour to all, love the brotherhood, fear God, honour the king.

18 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.

Servants, [be] subject with all fear to your masters, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the ill-tempered.

19 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.

For this [is] acceptable, if one, for conscience sake towards God, endure griefs, suffering unjustly.

20 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.

For what glory [is it], if sinning and being buffeted ye shall bear [it]? but if, doing good and suffering, ye shall bear [it], this is acceptable with God.

21 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.

For to this have ye been called; for Christ also has suffered for you, leaving you a model that ye should follow in his steps:

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

who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth;

23 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.

who, [when] reviled, reviled not again; [when] suffering, threatened not; but gave [himself] over into the hands of him who judges righteously;

24 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.

who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, in order that, being dead to sins, we may live to righteousness: by whose stripes ye have been healed.

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

For ye were going astray as sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.