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A Living Stone and a Holy People

^1 (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— ³ if indeed you have ^(d)tasted that the Lord is good.

⁴ As 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. ⁶ For it stands in Scripture:

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

⁸ and

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

⁹ But 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.

¹¹ Beloved, 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, ¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him ^(ag)to punish those who do evil and ^(ah)to praise those who do good. ¹⁵ For 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. ¹⁹ For this is a gracious thing, when, ^(ap)mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. ²⁰ For 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. ²¹ For ^(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. ²⁵ For ^(bb)you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to ^(bc)the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.