1 Peter 2–5

2Wherefore ^alaying aside all ^bmalice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all ^cevil speakings, ^2dAs newborn babes, desire the ^esincere ^fmilk ^gof the word, that ^hye may grow thereby: ³If so be ye have ⁱtasted that the Lord is ^kgracious. ⁴To whom coming, as unto a living stone, ^ldisallowed indeed of men, but ^lmchosen of God, and ^lprecious, ⁵Ye also, as lively stones, ^||mmare built up ⁿa spiritual house, ^oan holy priesthood, ^pto offer up spiritual sacrifices, ^qacceptable to God ^rby Jesus Christ. ⁶Wherefore also it is contained in ^sthe scripture, ^tBehold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: ^uand ^vhe that believeth on him shall not be confounded. ⁷Unto you therefore which believe ^||he is precious: but unto ^wthem which be disobedient, ^xthe stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, ⁸And ^ya stone of ^zstumbling, and a rock of ^zoffence, even to them which stumble at the word, ^wbeing disobedient: ^awhereunto also they ^bwere appointed. ⁹But ye are ^ca chosen generation, ^da royal priesthood, ^ean holy nation, ^||fa peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the ^||gpraises of ^hhim who hath called you ⁱout of darkness into his marvellous light: ^10kWhich in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

¹¹Dearly beloved, ^lI beseech you ^mas ⁿstrangers and ^opilgrims, ^pabstain from ^qfleshly lusts, ^rwhich war against the soul; ^12sHaving your ^tconversation honest among the Gentiles: that, ^||uwhereas they speak against you as ^wevildoers, they may ^xby your good works, which they shall ^ybehold, ^zglorify God in the day of ^avisitation. ^13bSubmit yourselves to every ordinance of man ^cfor the Lord’s sake: whether it be to the king, as ^bdsupreme; ¹⁴Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him ^efor the punishment of evildoers, and ^ffor the praise of them that do well. ¹⁵For so is ^gthe will of God, that ^hwith well doing ye may ⁱput to silence the ignorance of foolish men: ^16kAs free, and not ^†using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as ^lthe servants of God. ^17||mHonour all men. Love ⁿthe brotherhood. ^oFear God. ^opHonour the king. ^18qServants, ^rbe subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and ^sgentle, but also to the ^tfroward. ¹⁹For this is ^||thankworthy, ^uif a man ^vfor conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. ²⁰For ^wwhat glory is it, if, when ye be ^xbuffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, ^wwhen ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is ^||acceptable with God. ²¹For even ^yhereunto ^zwere ye called: because ^aChrist also suffered ^||for us, ^bleaving us an ^cexample, that ye should follow ^dhis steps: ^22eWho did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: ^23fWho, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but ^||gcommitted himself to him that judgeth righteously: ^24hWho his own self bare our sins in his own body ^||on ⁱthe tree, ^kthat we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: ^lby whose ^mstripes ye were healed. ²⁵For ⁿye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned ^ounto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

3^aLikewise, ^bye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any ^cobey not the word, ^dthey also may without the word be ^ewon by the ^fconversation of the wives; ²While they ^gbehold your chaste ^fconversation coupled with fear. ³Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of ^hplaiting the hair, and of ^hwearing of gold, or of ^hputting on of apparel; ⁴But let it be ⁱthe hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. ⁵For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who ^ktrusted in God, adorned themselves, ^bbeing in subjection unto their own husbands: ⁶Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, ^lcalling him lord: whose ^†daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and ^mare not afraid with any ⁿamazement. ⁷Likewise, ^oye husbands, ^pdwell with them according to ^qknowledge, giving ^rhonour unto the wife, as unto the weaker ^svessel, and as being ^theirs together of the grace of life; ^uthat your prayers be not hindered.

⁸Finally, be ye ^vall of one mind, ^whaving compassion one of another, ^||love as brethren, be ^xpitiful, be courteous: ^9yNot rendering evil for evil, or ^zrailing for railing: but contrariwise ^ablessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, ^bthat ye should inherit a blessing. ¹⁰For ^che that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: ^11dLet him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. ¹²For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and ^ehis ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is ^†against them that do evil. ¹³And ^fwho is he that will harm you, ^dif ye be followers of that which is good? ^14gBut and ^hif ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, ⁱhappy are ye: and ^jbe not afraid of their terror, neither ^kbe troubled; ¹⁵But ^lsanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and ^mbe ready always to give ⁿan answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with ^omeekness and ^||pfear: ^16qHaving ^ra good conscience; ^sthat, whereas they speak evil of you, as of ^sevildoers, they may be ashamed that ^tfalsely accuse your good ^uconversation in Christ. ¹⁷For it is better, if ^vthe will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing. ¹⁸For Christ also hath ^wonce ^xsuffered for sins, ^ythe just for the unjust, ^zthat he might bring us to God, ^abeing put to death ^bin the flesh, but ^cquickened ^dby the Spirit: ¹⁹By which also he went and ^epreached unto the spirits ^fin prison; ²⁰Which sometime were ^gdisobedient, ^hwhen once the ⁱlongsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, ^kwhile the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, ^leight ^msouls ^kwere saved by water. ²¹The like ⁿfigure whereunto even ^obaptism doth also now ^psave us (not the ^qputting away of the filth of the flesh, but ^rthe answer of ^sa good conscience toward God,) ^tby the resurrection of Jesus Christ: ²²Who is gone into heaven, and ^uis on the right hand of God; ^vangels and ^wxyauthorities and ^vwxpowers ^zbeing made subject unto him.

4^aForasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us ^ain the flesh, ^barm yourselves likewise with the same ^cmind: for ^dhe that hath suffered in the flesh ^ehath ceased from sin; ^2fThat he no longer should live ^gthe rest of his time in the flesh to ^hthe lusts of men, but to ⁱthe will of God. ³For the time past of our life ^jmay suffice us ^fkto have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in ^llasciviousness, ^mlusts, excess of wine, ⁿrevellings, banquetings, and ^oabominable ^pidolatries: ⁴Wherein they ^qthink it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of ^rriot, ^sspeaking evil of you: ⁵Who shall ^tgive account to him that is ready ^uto judge the quick and the dead. ⁶For for this cause was the gospel preached also ^vto them that are dead, that they might be judged ^waccording to men in the flesh, but live ^xaccording to God in the spirit.

⁷But ^ythe end of all things is at hand: ^zbe ye therefore sober, and ^awatch ^bunto prayer. ⁸And above all things ^chave ^dfervent charity among yourselves: ^efor ^fcharity ^||shall cover the multitude of sins. ^9gUse hospitality one to another ^hwithout grudging. ¹⁰ⁱAs every man hath received the ^jgift, even so minister the same one to another, as good ^kstewards of ⁱthe manifold grace of God. ¹¹ⁱIf any man speak, let him speak as ^lthe oracles of God; if any man ^mminister, let him do it ⁿas of the ability which God giveth: that ^oGod in all things may be glorified ^pthrough Jesus Christ, ^qto whom be ^rpraise and ^rrdominion for ever and ever. Amen.

¹²Beloved, ^sthink it not strange concerning ^tthe fiery trial ^uwhich is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: ¹³But ^vrejoice, inasmuch as ^wye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, ^xwhen his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy. ¹⁴If ye be ^yreproached ^zfor the name of Christ, ^yahappy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: ^bon their part ^che is evil spoken of, but on your part ^dhe is glorified. ¹⁵But ^alet none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as ^ban evildoer, or as ^ea busybody in other men’s matters. ¹⁶Yet if any man suffer as ^fa Christian, let him not be ashamed; but ^glet him glorify God ^hon this behalf. ¹⁷For the time is come that ⁱjudgment must begin at ^kthe house of God: and ^lif it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that ^mobey not the gospel of God? ¹⁸And ⁿif the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall ^othe ungodly and ^othe sinner appear? ¹⁹Wherefore let them that suffer according to ^pthe will of God ^qcommit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful ^rCreator.

5^aThe elders which are among you I exhort, who am ^balso an elder, and ^ca witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also ^da partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: ^2eFeed the flock of God ^||which is among you, ^ftaking the oversight thereof, ^gnot by constraint, but willingly; ^hnot for filthy lucre, but ⁱof a ready mind; ³Neither as ^||kbeing lords over ^lGod’s heritage, but ^ebeing ^mensamples to the flock. ⁴And when ⁿthe chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall ^oreceive ^pa crown of glory ^qthat fadeth not away. ⁵Likewise, ^rye younger, submit yourselves unto ^athe elder. Yea, ^sall of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with ^sshumility: for ^tGod resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. ^6uHumble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: ^7vCasting all your care upon him; for ^whe careth for you. ^8xBe sober, ^ybe vigilant; because your adversary ^zthe devil, ^aas a roaring lion, ^bwalketh about, seeking whom he may devour: ^9cWhom resist ^dstedfast in the faith, knowing that ^ethe same afflictions…