The Living Stone and a Holy People
1 So rid yourselves ofall malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.
2 Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk,so that you may grow by it for your salvation,
3 since you have tastedthat the Lord is good.
4 Coming to Him, a living stone — rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God —
5 you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to Godthrough Jesus Christ.
6 For it is contained in Scripture:
Look! I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and honoredcornerstone,
and the one who believes in Him
will never be put to shame!
7 So honor will come to you who believe, but for the unbelieving,
The stone that the builders rejected —
this One has become the cornerstone,
8 and
A stone to stumble over,
and a rock to trip over.
They stumble because they disobey the message; they were destinedfor this.
9 But you are a chosen race,a royal priesthood,
a holy nation,a people for His possession,
so that you may proclaim the praises
of the One who called you out of darkness
into His marvelous light.
10 Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people;
you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.
A Call to Good Works
11 Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and temporary residentsto abstainfrom fleshlydesires that war against you.
12 Conductyourselves honorably among the Gentiles,so that in a case where they speak against you as those who do what is evil, they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day of visitation.
13 Submitto every human authoritybecause of the Lord, whether to the Emperoras the supreme authority
14 or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good.
15 For it is God’s willthat you silence the ignoranceof foolish people by doing good.
16 As God’s slaves,live as free people, but don’t use your freedom as a way to conceal evil.
17 Honor everyone. Lovethe brotherhood.Fear God.Honor the Emperor.
Submission of Slaves to Masters
18 Household slaves, submit with all fearto your masters,not only to the good and gentle but also to the cruel.
19 For it brings favorif, mindful of God’s will,someone endures grief from suffering unjustly.
20 For what credit is there if you sin and are punished, and you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer,if you endure it, this brings favor with God.
21 For you were called to this,
because Christ also sufferedfor you,
leaving you an example,
so that you should followin His steps.
22 He did not commit sin,
and no deceitwas found in His mouth;
23 when He was reviled,
He did not revile in return;
when He was suffering,
He did not threaten
but entrusted Himself to the One who judgesjustly.
24 He Himself bore our sins
in His bodyon the tree,
so that, having died to sins,
we might live for righteousness;
you have been healed by His wounds.
25 For you were like sheep going astray,
but you have now returned
to the Shepherdand Guardianof your souls.
—https://api-cdn.youversionapi.com/audio-bible-youversionapi/17/32k/1PE/2-2148bb5cebea5963c99766b7e4e1cd61.mp3?version_id=72—