1 Peter 2

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

Having put aside, then, all evil, 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 babies, desire the reasonable, unspoiled milk, so that you may grow up to salvation,

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

if [it] so be [that] you 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—having indeed been disapproved of by men, but with God—choice [and] 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.

and you yourselves are built up as living stones [into] a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through 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."

For this reason, also, it is contained in the Writing: “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, choice, precious, and he who is believing on Him may 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, then, who are believing—the preciousness; but to the unbelieving, [the] stone that the builders disapproved of—this One has become the 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 a rock of offense—who are stumbling at the word, being unbelieving—to which they were also set.

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 you [are] a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people acquired, that you may show forth the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into 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 [were] once not a people, but [are] now the people of God; who had not found 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 call on [you], as strangers and sojourners, to keep from the fleshly desires that 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 behavior right among the nations, so that whenever they speak against you as evildoers, seeing [your] good works, they may glorify God in [the] day of inspection.

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

Be subject, then, to every human creation, because of the LORD, whether to a king, as the highest,

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.

whether to governors, as to those sent through him, for punishment, indeed, of evildoers, and a praise of those doing good;

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, doing good, to put to silence the ignorance of the foolish 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 having freedom as the cloak of evil, but as servants of God;

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

give honor to all; love the brotherhood; fear God; honor 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 in all fear to the masters, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the crooked;

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] grace: if anyone endures sorrows because of conscience toward God, suffering unrighteously;

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 renown [is it], if sinning and being battered, you endure [it]? But if, doing good and suffering [for it], you endure, this [is] grace 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 you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving to you an example, that you may follow His steps,

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

who did not commit sin, nor 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 being reviled—was not reviling again, suffering—was not threatening, and was committing Himself to Him who is judging 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 that having died to sins, we may live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed;

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

for you were as sheep going astray, but now you turned back to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.