1 Peter 1:22-2:9

English Standard Version

²²Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for ^(A)a sincere brotherly love, ^(B)love one another earnestly from a pure heart, ²³^(C)since you have been born again, ^(D)not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through ^(E)the living and abiding word of God; ²⁴for

^(F)“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
²⁵^(G)but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

And this word ^(H)is the good news that was preached to you.

A Living Stone and a Holy People

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

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

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

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

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

⁸and

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

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

⁹But you are ^(Z)a chosen race, ^(AA)a royal ^(AB)priesthood, ^(AC)a holy nation, ^(AD)a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you ^(AE)out of darkness into ^(AF)his marvelous light.