1 Peter 1:22–2:10

²²Since you have purified yourselves by your obedience to the truth,^A so that you show sincere brotherly love for each other,^bc from a pure^B heart love one another constantly,^{Cbd 23}because you have been born again^be—not of perishable seed^bf but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God.^{bg 24}For

All flesh is like grass,

and all its glory^bh like a flower of the grass.

The grass withers, and the flower falls,

²⁵but the word of the Lord endures forever.^Dbi

And this word is the gospel that was proclaimed to you.

THE LIVING STONE AND A HOLY PEOPLE

2Therefore, rid yourselves of^a all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.^{b 2}Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word,^Ec so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, ³if you have tasted^d that the Lord is good.^{Fe 4}As you come to him, a living stone—rejected by people but chosen and honored by^G God—⁵you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood^H to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God^f through Jesus Christ. ⁶For it stands in Scripture:

See, I lay a stone in Zion,^g

a chosen and honored^I cornerstone,^h

and the one who believes in him

will never be put to shame.^Ji

⁷So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving,

The stone that the builders rejected—

this one has become the cornerstone,^Kj

⁸and

A stone to stumble over,

and a rock to trip over.^Lk

They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined^l for this.

⁹But you are a chosen race,^MNm a royal priesthood,^On a holy nation,^Po a people for his possession,^Qp so that you may proclaim the praises^RSq of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.^{r 10}Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy,^s but now you have received mercy.