1 Peter 1:22–2:10

²²Having purified your souls by obedience to the truth to unfeigned brotherly love, love one another out of a pure heart fervently; ²³being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the living and abiding word of God.

²⁴Because all flesh is as grass, and all its glory as the flower of grass. The grass has withered and its flower has fallen; ²⁵but the word of the Lord abides for eternity. But this is the word which in the glad tidings is preached to you.

Chapter 2

¹Laying aside therefore all malice and all guile and hypocrisies and envyings and all evil speakings, ²as newborn babes desire earnestly the pure mental milk of the word, that by it ye may grow up to salvation, ³if indeed ye have tasted that the Lord is good.

⁴To whom coming, a living stone, cast away indeed as worthless by men, but with God chosen, precious, ⁵yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. ⁶Because it is contained in the scripture: Behold, I lay in Zion a corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believes on him shall not be put to shame. ⁷To you therefore who believe is the preciousness; but to the disobedient, the stone which the builders cast away as worthless, this is become head of the corner, ⁸and a stone of stumbling and rock of offence; who stumble at the word, being disobedient to which also they have been appointed. ⁹But ye are a chosen race, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a people for a possession, that ye might set forth the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness to his wonderful light; ¹⁰who once were not a people, but now God’s people; who were not enjoying mercy, but now have found mercy.