Putting Away the Old Life

1 Therefore, having put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisies and envies and all slanders,
2 like newborn infants, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in regard to salvation,
3 if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

The Living Stone and the People of God

4 Coming to Him, a living stone, rejected by men, but chosen and precious before God,
5 you yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house, for a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 For it stands in Scripture:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone, chosen, precious;
and the one who believes on Him shall certainly not be put to shame.”
7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who disobey:
“The stone which the builders rejected, this has become the head of the corner,”
8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, to which they also were appointed.

A Chosen People

9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for possession, so that you may declare the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;
10 who once were “not a people,” but now are “God’s people”; who “had not received mercy,” but now have received mercy.

Living Honorably Among the Nations

11 Beloved, I urge you as strangers and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires which wage war against the soul.
12 Keep your conduct excellent among the nations, so that in what they slander you as evildoers, they may, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day of visitation.

Submission for the Lord’s Sake

13 Submit yourselves to every human institution for the Lord’s sake, whether to a king as one in authority,
14 or to governors as those sent by him for punishment of evildoers and praise of those who do good.
15 For this is the will of God: that by doing good you silence the ignorance of foolish people.
16 Live as free people, yet not using your freedom as a covering for evil, but as slaves of God.
17 Honour all; love the brotherhood; fear God; honour the king.

Christ’s Example of Endurance

18 Household servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the crooked.
19 For this is grace, if because of awareness of God someone endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.
20 For what credit is it if when you sin and are beaten you endure? But if when you do good and suffer you endure, this is grace before God.
21 For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving behind for you an example so that you might follow in His steps:
22 “Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
23 who, being reviled, did not revile in return; suffering, He did not threaten, but entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly;
24 who Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that, having died to sins, we might live to righteousness; by whose wound you were healed.
25 For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.