1 Peter 2

English Standard Version

A Living Stone and a Holy People

2 ^(A)So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ²^(B)Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual ^(C)milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— ³if indeed you have ^(D)tasted that the Lord is good.

⁴As you come to him, a living stone ^(E)rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, ⁵^(F)you yourselves like living stones are being built up as ^(G)a spiritual house, to be ^(H)a holy priesthood, ^(I)to offer spiritual sacrifices ^(J)acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶For it stands in Scripture:

^(K)“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
^(L)and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

⁷So the honor is for you who ^(M)believe, but for those who ^(N)do not believe,

^(O)“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”^[a]

⁸and

^(P)“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, ^(Q)as they were destined to do.

⁹But you are ^(R)a chosen race, ^(S)a royal ^(T)priesthood, ^(U)a holy nation, ^(V)a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you ^(W)out of darkness into ^(X)his marvelous light. ¹⁰^(Y)Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹Beloved, I urge you ^(Z)as sojourners and exiles ^(AA)to abstain from the passions of the flesh, ^(AB)which wage war against your soul. ¹²^(AC)Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, ^(AD)they may see your good deeds and glorify God on ^(AE)the day of visitation.

Submission to Authority

¹³^(AF)Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution,^[b] whether it be to the emperor^[c] as supreme, ¹⁴or to governors as sent by him ^(AG)to punish those who do evil and ^(AH)to praise those who do good. ¹⁵For this is the will of God, ^(AI)that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. ¹⁶^(AJ)Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but ^(AK)living as servants^[d] of God. ¹⁷^(AL)Honor everyone. ^(AM)Love the brotherhood. ^(AN)Fear God. Honor the emperor.

¹⁸^(AO)Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. ¹⁹For this is a gracious thing, when, ^(AP)mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. ²⁰For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But ^(AQ)if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. ²¹For ^(AR)to this you have been called, ^(AS)because Christ also suffered for you, ^(AT)leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. ²²^(AU)He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. ²³^(AV)When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, ^(AW)but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. ²⁴^(AX)He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we ^(AY)might die to sin and ^(AZ)live to righteousness. ^(BA)By his wounds you have been healed. ²⁵For ^(BB)you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to ^(BC)the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

Footnotes

1 Peter 2:7 Greek the head of the corner
1 Peter 2:13 Or every institution ordained for people
1 Peter 2:13 Or king; also verse 17
1 Peter 2:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface