Living Before God Our Father

¹³ Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ¹⁴ as obedient children, not ^(A)conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; ^15 (B)but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, ¹⁶ because it is written, ^(C)“Be holy, for I am holy.”

¹⁷ And if you call on the Father, who ^(D)without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your ^[a]stay here in fear; ¹⁸ knowing that you were not redeemed with ^[b]corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, ¹⁹ but ^(E)with the precious blood of Christ, ^(F)as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. ^20 (G)He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was ^[c]manifest ^(H)in these last times for you ²¹ who through Him believe in God, ^(I)who raised Him from the dead and ^(J)gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

The Enduring Word

²² Since you ^(K)have purified your souls in obeying the truth ^[d]through the Spirit in ^[e]sincere ^(L)love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, ^23 (M)having been born again, not of ^[f]corruptible seed but ^[g]incorruptible, ^(N)through the word of God which lives and abides ^[h]forever, ²⁴ because

^(Q)Now this is the word which by the gospel was preached to you.

Our Inheritance Through Christ’s Blood

2 Therefore, ^(R)laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, ^2 (S)as newborn babes, desire the pure ^(T)milk of the word, that you may grow ^[k]thereby, ³ if indeed you have ^(U)tasted that the Lord is gracious.

The Chosen Stone and His Chosen People^(V)

⁴ Coming to Him as to a living stone, ^(W)rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, ⁵ you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,

⁷ Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who ^[l]are disobedient,

⁸ and

^(AA)They stumble, being disobedient to the word, ^(AB)to which they also were appointed.

⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of ^(AC)darkness into His marvelous light; ^10 (AD)who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.