¹So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.²Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation--³if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.⁴As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,⁵you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

⁶For it stands in Scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."

⁷So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,"

⁸and "A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense."They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.⁹But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.¹⁰Once 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 as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.¹²Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.¹³Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,¹⁴or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.¹⁵For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.¹⁶Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

¹⁷Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.¹⁸Servants, 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, 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 if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.²¹For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.²²He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.²³When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.²⁴He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.²⁵For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.