1 Peter 2–5

The Living Stone and a Holy People

2So rid yourselves of ^zall malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. ^a2Like newborn infants, desire the pure spiritual milk, ^bso that you may grow by it for your salvation, ^c3since you have tasted ^dthat the Lord is good. ^ef4Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God— ⁵you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God ^gthrough Jesus Christ. ⁶For it is contained in Scripture:

Look! I lay a stone in Zion, ^h

a chosen and honored ⁱ cornerstone, ^jk

and the one who believes in Him

will never be put to shame! ^lmn

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

The stone that the builders rejected—

this One has become the cornerstone, ^op

⁸and

A stone to stumble over, ^q

and a rock to trip over. ^rst

They stumble because they disobey the message; they were destined ^ufor this.

⁹But you are a chosen race, ^vwxa royal priesthood, ^yz

a holy nation, ^aba people for His possession, ^cd

so that you may proclaim the praises ^efg

of the One who called you out of darkness

into His marvelous light. ^h

¹⁰Once you were not a people,

but now you are God’s people;

you had not received mercy, ⁱ

but now you have received mercy.

A Call to Good Works

¹¹Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and temporary residents ^jto abstain ^kfrom fleshly ^ldesires that war against you. ^mn12Conduct ^oyourselves honorably among the Gentiles, ^pso that in a case where they speak against you as those who do what is evil, they will, by observing your good works, glorify God on the day of visitation. ^qr

¹³Submit ^sto every human authority ^tbecause of the Lord, whether to the Emperor ^uas the supreme authority ^v14or 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 ^wthat you silence the ignorance ^xof foolish people by doing good. ¹⁶As God’s slaves, ^ylive as free people, but don’t use your freedom as a way to conceal evil. ^z17Honor everyone. Love ^athe brotherhood. ^bFear God. ^cHonor the Emperor. ^d

Submission of Slaves to Masters

¹⁸Household slaves, submit with all fear ^eto your masters, ^fnot only to the good and gentle but also to the cruel. ^gh19For it brings favor ⁱif, mindful of God’s will, ^jksomeone endures grief from suffering unjustly. ²⁰For what credit is there if you sin and are punished, and you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer, ^lif you endure it, this brings favor with God.

²¹For you were called to this,

because Christ also suffered ^mfor you,

leaving you an example, ⁿ

so that you should follow ^oin His steps.

²²He did not commit sin, ^p

and no deceit ^qwas found in His mouth; ^rs

²³when He was reviled,

He did not revile in return;

when He was suffering,

He did not threaten

but entrusted Himself to the One who judges ^tjustly.

²⁴He Himself bore our sins ^u

in His body ^von the tree, ^w

so that, having died to sins, ^x

we might live for righteousness; ^y

you have been healed by His wounds. ^za

²⁵For you were like sheep going astray, ^bc

but you have now returned

to the Shepherd ^dand Guardian ^eof your souls.

Wives and Husbands

3In the same way, wives, ^fsubmit yourselves to your own husbands so that, even if some disobey the Christian message, ^gthey may be won over ^hiwithout a message by the way their wives live ^j2when they observe your pure, reverent lives. ^k3Your beauty should not consist of outward things like elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold ornaments ^lor fine clothes. ^m4Instead, it should consist of what is inside ⁿthe heart ^owith the imperishable quality of a gentle ^pand quiet ^qspirit, which is very valuable in God’s eyes. ⁵For in the past, the holy ^rwomen who put their hope ^sin God also beautified themselves in this way, submitting to their own husbands, ⁶just as Sarah ^tobeyed Abraham, calling him lord. You have become her children when you do what is good and are not frightened by anything alarming. ^u

⁷Husbands, ^vin the same way, live with your wives with an understanding of their weaker nature ^wxyet showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.

Do No Evil

⁸Now finally, all of you should be like-minded and sympathetic, should love believers, ^yzand be compassionate ^aand humble, ^b9not paying back evil for evil ^cor insult for insult but, on the contrary, giving a blessing, ^dsince you were called for this, so that you can inherit a blessing.

¹⁰For the ^eone who wants to love life

and to see good days

must keep his tongue from evil ^f

and his lips from speaking deceit, ^g

¹¹and he must turn away ^hfrom evil

and do what is good.

He must seek peace ⁱand pursue it,

¹²because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous

and His ears are open to their request.

But the face of the Lord is against

those who do what is evil. ^j

Undeserved Suffering

¹³And who will harm ^kyou if you are deeply committed to what is good? ^l14But even if you should suffer for righteousness, ^myou are blessed. Do not fear what they fear ⁿ or be disturbed, ^op15but honor ^qthe Messiah ^ras Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason ^sfor the hope that is in you. ^t16However, do this with gentleness and respect, keeping your conscience clear, ^uvwso that when you are accused, ^xthose who denounce your Christian life ^ywill be put to shame. ¹⁷For it is better to suffer ^zfor doing good, if that should be God’s will, ^athan for doing evil.

¹⁸For Christ also suffered ^bfor sins once for all, ^cd

the righteous for the unrighteous, ^e

that He might bring you ^fto God, ^g

after being put to death in the fleshly realm ^hi

but made alive in the spiritual realm. ^j

¹⁹In that state ^kHe also went and made a proclamation to the spirits ^lin prison ^m20who in the past were disobedient, when God patiently waited in the days of Noah ⁿwhile an ark was being prepared. In it a few—that is, eight people ^op—were saved through water. ²¹Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you (not the removal of the filth of the flesh, ^qbut the pledge ^rof a good conscience toward God) through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. ^s22Now that He has gone into heaven, ^tHe is at God’s right hand ^uwith angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him. ^v

Following Christ

4Therefore, since Christ suffered ^win the flesh, ^xequip ^yyourselves also with the same resolve ^z—because the one who suffered in the flesh has finished ^awith sin ^b— ²in order to live the remaining time in the flesh, no longer for human desires, ^cbut for God’s will. ^d3For there has already been enough time spent in doing what the pagans choose to do: ^ecarrying on in unrestrained behavior, evil desires, ^fdrunkenness, orgies, ^gcarousing, and lawless idolatry. ⁴So they are surprised that you don’t plunge with them into the same flood ^hof wild living—and they slander you. ⁵They will give an account to the One who stands ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁱ⁶For this reason the gospel was also preached to those who are now dead, ^jso that, although they might be judged by men in the fleshly ^krealm, ^lthey might live ^mby God in the spiritual realm. ⁿ

End-Time Ethics

⁷Now the end of all things is near; ^otherefore, be serious and disciplined ^pfor prayer. ⁸Above all, maintain an intense love ^qfor each other, since love covers a multitude of sins. ^rs9Be hospitable ^tto one another without complaining. ¹⁰Based on the gift each one has received, use it to serve others, ^uas good managers of the varied grace of God. ¹¹If anyone speaks, it should be as one who speaks God’s words; if anyone serves, it should be from the strength God provides, ^vso that God may be glorified through Jesus Christ in everything. To Him belong the glory and the power forever and ever. Amen.

Christian Suffering

¹²Dear friends, don’t be surprised when the fiery ordeal ^wcomes among you to test you as if something unusual were happening to you. ^x13Instead, rejoice as you share in the sufferings of the Messiah, ^yso that you may also rejoice with great joy at the revelation ^zof His glory. ¹⁴If you are ridiculed for the name of Christ, ^ayou are blessed, because the Spirit ^bof glory and of God rests on you. ^c15None of you, however, should suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or a meddler. ^d16But if anyone suffers as a “Christian,” he should not be ashamed but should glorify God in having that name. ¹⁷For the time has come for judgment ^eto begin with God’s household, ^fand if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?

¹⁸And if a righteous person is saved with difficulty,

what will become of the ungodly and the sinner? ^gh

¹⁹So those who suffer according to God’s will should, while doing what is good, entrust themselves ⁱto a faithful Creator.

About the Elders

5Therefore, as a fellow elder and witness ^jto the sufferings of the Messiah and also a participant in the glory about to be revealed, ^kI exhort the elders among you: ²Shepherd God’s flock among you, ^lnot overseeing ^mout of compulsion but freely, according to God’s will; ⁿnot for the money but eagerly; ³not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. ⁴And when the chief Shepherd ^oappears, you will receive the unfading crown ^pof glory.

⁵In the same way, you younger men, be subject to the elders. And all of you clothe yourselves with ^qhumility toward one another, because

God resists the proud

but gives grace to the humble. ^rs

⁶Humble ^tyourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand ^uof God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, ^v7casting all your care on Him, because He cares about you. ^w

Conclusion

⁸Be serious! ^xBe alert! ^yYour adversary the Devil ^zis prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. ⁹Resist him ^aand be firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.

¹⁰Now the God of all grace, who called…