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¹ Wherefore lay asyde all maliciousnesse, and all guile, and faynednesse, and enuie, and all backbityng,² And as newe borne babes, desire ye ye milke of the worde, which is without deceipt: that ye may growe therby [vnto saluatio]³ If so be that ye haue tasted howe gratious the Lorde is:

⁴ To whom ye come, as vnto a lyuyng stone, disalowed of men, but chosen of God and precious:⁵ And ye as lyuely stones, be you made a spirituall house, an holy priesthood, for to offer vp spirituall sacrifices, acceptable to God by Iesus Christe.⁶ Wherefore it is conteyned also in the scripture: beholde, I put in Sion a stone to be laide in the chiefe corner, elect and precious, and he that beleueth on hym, shall not be confounded.⁷ Unto you therfore which beleue, he is precious: but vnto them whiche beleue not, the stone which the buylders refused, the same is made the head of the corner:⁸ And a stone that men stumble at, and a rocke wherat they be offended, whiche stumble at the worde, and beyng disobedient, vnto the whiche thing they were euen ordeyned.⁹ But ye are a chosen generation, a royall priesthood, an holy nation, a peculier people: that ye should shewe foorth the vertues of hym that called you out of darknesse into his marueylous lyght.¹⁰ Which in time past were not a people, but are nowe the people of God: which sometime had not obteyned mercy, but nowe haue obteyned mercy. ¹¹ Dearely beloued, I beseche you as straugers and pilgrimes, abstaine from fleshly lustes, whiche fight agaynst the soule:¹² And see that ye haue honest conuersation among the gentiles: that where as they backbite you as euyll doers, they may by your good workes whiche they shall see, prayse God in the day of visitation.

¹³ Submit your selues therfore vnto al maner ordinaunce of ma for the Lordes sake: whether it be vnto the king, as hauyng the preeminence:¹⁴ Other vnto rulers, as vnto them that are sent of hym for the punyshment of euyll doers, but for the laude of them that do well.¹⁵ For so is the wyll of God, that with well doyng, ye may stoppe the mouthes of foolishe and ignoraunt men:¹⁶ As free, and not as hauyng the libertie for a cloke of maliciousnes, but euen as the seruauntes of God.¹⁷ Honour all men. Loue brotherly felowship. Feare God. Honour the kyng.¹⁸ Seruauntes, obey your maisters with all feare, not only yf they be good & curteous, but also though they be frowarde.¹⁹ For it is thanke worthy, yf a man for coscience toward god, endure griefe, and suffer wrong vndeserued.²⁰ For what prayse is it, yf when ye be buffeted for your faultes, ye take it paciently? But yf when ye do well ye suffer wrong, & take it paciently, then is there thanke with God.²¹ For herevnto veryly were ye called, for Christe also suffered for vs, leauyng vs an ensample, that ye should folowe his steppes.²² Which did no sinne, neyther was there guyle founde in his mouth.²³ Whiche when he was reuiled, reuiled not agayne: when he suffred, he threatned not, but committed the vengeaunce to him that iudgeth righteously.²⁴ Which his owne selfe bare our sinnes in his body on the tree, that we beyng deliuered from sinne, shoulde liue vnto ryghteousnes: By whose strypes ye were healed.²⁵ For ye were as sheepe goyng astray: but are nowe turned vnto the sheephearde and Byshop of your soules.