2Therefore, rid yourselves of^a all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.^b ²Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word,^E^c so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, ³if you have tasted^d that the Lord is good.^F^e ⁴As 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,^K^j

⁸and

A stone to stumble over,

and a rock to trip over.^L^k

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

⁹But you are a chosen race,^M^N^m a royal priesthood,^Oⁿ a holy nation,^P^o a people for his possession,^Q^p so that you may proclaim the praises^R^S^q of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.^r ¹⁰Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy,^s but now you have received mercy.

A CALL TO GOOD WORKS

¹¹Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles^t to abstain^u from sinful^v desires that wage war against the soul.^w ¹²Conduct^x yourselves honorably among the Gentiles,^A so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits.^y

¹³Submit^z to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the emperor^B as the supreme authority^aa ¹⁴or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. ¹⁵For it is God’s will^ab that you silence the ignorance^ac of foolish people by doing good. ¹⁶Submit as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil,^ad but as God’s slaves.^ae ¹⁷Honor everyone. Love^af the brothers and sisters.^ag Fear God.^ah Honor the emperor.

Read in Logos

1 Peter 2:16: Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.

Footnotes

EOr desire pure spiritual milk
GOr precious to
HOr you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood
IOr precious
MOr generation, or nation
ROr the mighty deeds
AOr among the nations, or among the pagans
BOr king

Cross references

a Rm 13:12
b 2Co 12:20
c 1Co 3:2; 9:7; Heb 5:12–13
d Heb 6:4–5
F Ps 34:8
e Ps 34:8; Ti 3:4
f Rm 12:1; Heb 13:15
g Ps 9:11; Heb 12:22
h Eph 2:20
J Is 28:16
i Is 28:16; Rm 9:33; 10:11
K Ps 118:22
j Ps 118:22; Mt 21:42; Lk 20:17; Ac 4:11
L Is 8:14
k Is 8:14; Rm 9:33; 14:20
l Ac 2:23; 4:27–28; Rm 9:22; 11:7; Jd 4
N Dt 7:6; 10:15; Is 43:20
m Dt 7:6; 10:15; Is 43:20
O Ex 19:6; 23:22 ; Is 61:6
n Is 61:6; Rv 1:6; 5:10; 20:6
P Ex 19:6; 23:22
o Ex 19:6
Q Ex 19:5; 23:22 ; Dt 4:20; 7:6; Is 43:21
p Ex 34:9; Dt 7:6; Ps 33:12; Is 43:21; Ti 2:14
S Is 42:12; 43:21
q Is 42:12; 43:21
r Is 9:2; Ac 26:18; Eph 5:8; Col 1:12–13
s Mt 5:7; Mk 5:19; Lk 1:50
t 1Pt 1:1
u 1Tm 4:3
v Rm 7:23; Php 3:3
w Gl 5:17; Jms 4:1
x 2Pt 3:11
y Is 10:3; Jr 6:15; 8:12; 10:15; Lk 1:68; 7:16; 19:44
z Rm 13:1–7; Ti 3:1
aa Rm 13:1
ab Gl 1:4; Eph 1:9
ac 1Pt 3:16
ad 1Co 14:20
ae Rm 1:1; Ti 1:1; Rv 2:20
af Rv 12:11
ag Heb 13:1; 1Pt 5:9
ah Pr 1:7; 24:21; Ac 10:2; Rv 14:7