1 Peter 2–5

2So get rid of every kind of evil. Stop telling lies. Don’t pretend to be something you are not. Stop wanting what others have. Don’t speak against each other.

²Like babies that were just born, you should long for the pure milk of God’s word. It will help you grow up as believers. ³You can do it now that you have tasted how good the Lord is.

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

⁴Christ is the living Stone. People did not accept him. But God chose him. God places the highest value on him.

⁵You also are like living stones. As you come to him you are being built into a house for worship. There you will be holy priests. You will offer spiritual sacrifices. God will accept them because of what Jesus Christ has done.

⁶In Scripture it says,

“Look! I am placing a stone in Zion.

It is a chosen and very valuable stone.

It is the most important stone in the building.

The one who trusts in him

will never be put to shame.”

⁷The stone is very valuable to you who believe. But to people who do not believe,

“The stone the builders did not accept

has become the most important stone of all.”

⁸And,

“It is a stone that causes people to trip.

It is a rock that makes them fall.”

They trip and fall because they do not obey the message. That is also what God planned for them.

⁹But God chose you to be his people. You are royal priests. You are a holy nation. You are a people who belong to God. All of this is so that you can sing his praises. He brought you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰Once you were not a people. But now you are the people of God. Once you had not received mercy. But now you have received mercy.

¹¹Dear friends, you are outsiders and strangers in this world. So I’m asking you not to give in to your sinful longings. They fight against your soul. ¹²People who don’t believe might say you are doing wrong. But lead good lives among them. Then they will see your good works. And they will give glory to God on the day he comes to judge.

Obey Your Rulers and Masters

¹³Follow the lead of every human authority. Do it because the Lord wants you to. Obey the king. He is the highest authority. ¹⁴Obey the governors. The king sends them to punish those who do wrong. He also sends them to praise those who do right. ¹⁵By doing good you will put a stop to the talk of foolish people. They don’t know what they are saying. God wants you to stop them.

¹⁶Live like free people. But don’t use your freedom to cover up evil. Live like people who serve God. ¹⁷Show proper respect to everyone. Love the community of believers. Have respect for God. Honor the king.

¹⁸Slaves, obey your masters with all the respect you should give them. Obey not only those who are good and kind. Obey also those who are not kind. ¹⁹Suppose a person suffers pain unfairly because he wants to obey God. That is worthy of praise. ²⁰But suppose you receive a beating for doing wrong, and you put up with it. Will anyone honor you for that? Of course not. But suppose you suffer for doing good, and you put up with it. God will praise you for that.

²¹Christ suffered for you. He left you an example. He expects you to follow in his steps. You too were chosen to suffer. ²²Scripture says,

“He didn’t commit any sin.

No lies ever came out of his mouth.”

²³People shouted at him and made fun of him. But he didn’t do the same back to them. He suffered. But he didn’t say that bad things would happen to them. Instead, he trusted in the One who judges fairly.

²⁴He himself carried our sins in his body on the cross. He did it so that we would die as far as sins are concerned. Then we would lead godly lives. His wounds have made you whole.

²⁵You were like sheep who were wandering away. But now you have returned to the Shepherd. He is the Leader of your souls.

Wives and Husbands

3Wives, follow the lead of your husbands. Suppose some of them don’t believe God’s word. Then let them be won to Christ without words by seeing how their wives behave. ²Let them see how pure you are. Let them see that your lives are full of respect for God.

³Braiding your hair doesn’t make you beautiful. Wearing gold jewelry or fine clothes doesn’t make you beautiful. ⁴Instead, your beauty comes from inside you. It is the beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. Beauty like that doesn’t fade away. God places great value on it.

⁵This is how the holy women of the past used to make themselves beautiful. They put their hope in God. And they followed the lead of their own husbands.

⁶Sarah was like that. She obeyed Abraham. She called him her master. Do you want to be like her? Then do what is right. And don’t give in to fear.

⁷Husbands, take good care of your wives. They are weaker than you. So treat them with respect. Honor them as those who will share with you the gracious gift of life. Then nothing will stand in the way of your prayers.

Suffering for Doing Good

⁸Finally, I want all of you to live together in peace. Be understanding. Love one another like members of the same family. Be kind and tender. Don’t be proud. ⁹Don’t pay back evil with evil. Don’t pay back unkind words with unkind words. Instead, pay them back with kind words. That’s what you have been chosen to do. You can receive a blessing by doing it.

¹⁰Scripture says,

“Do you want to love life

and see good days?

Then keep your tongues from speaking evil.

Keep your lips from telling lies.

¹¹Turn away from evil, and do good.

Look for peace, and go after it.

¹²The Lord’s eyes look with favor on those who are godly.

His ears are open to their prayers.

But the Lord doesn’t look with favor on those who do evil.”

¹³Who is going to hurt you if you really want to do good? ¹⁴But suppose you suffer for doing what is right. Then you will be blessed. Scripture also says, “Don’t fear what others fear. Don’t be afraid.”

¹⁵But make sure in your hearts that Christ is Lord. Always be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks you about the hope you have. Be ready to give the reason for it. But do it gently and with respect.

¹⁶Live so that you don’t have to feel you’ve done anything wrong. Some people may say evil things about your good conduct as believers in Christ. If they do, they will be put to shame for speaking like that about you. ¹⁷It is better to suffer for doing good than for doing evil if that’s what God wants.

¹⁸Christ died for sins once and for all time. The One who did what is right died for those who don’t do right. He died to bring you to God. His body was put to death. But the Holy Spirit brought him back to life.

¹⁹By means of the Spirit, Christ went and preached to the spirits in prison. ²⁰Long ago they did not obey. God was patient while Noah was building the ark. He waited, but only a few people went into the ark. A total of eight were saved by means of water.

²¹The water of the flood is a picture of the baptism that now saves you also. The baptism I’m talking about has nothing to do with removing dirt from your body. Instead, it promises God that you will keep a clear sense of what is right and wrong.

Jesus Christ has saved you by rising from the dead. ²²He has gone into heaven. He is at God’s right hand. Angels, authorities and powers are under his control.

Living for God

4Christ suffered in his body. So get ready as a soldier does. Prepare yourselves to think in the same way Christ did. Do it because those who have suffered in their bodies are finished with sin. ²As a result, they don’t live the rest of their lives on earth controlled by evil human longings. Instead, they live to do what God wants.

³You have spent enough time in the past doing what ungodly people choose to do. You lived a wild life. You longed for evil things. You got drunk. You went to wild parties. You worshiped statues of gods. The Lord hates that.

⁴Ungodly people think that it’s strange when you no longer join them in what they do. They want you to rush into the same flood of wasteful living. So they say bad things about you.

⁵But they will have to explain their actions to God. He is ready to judge the living and the dead. ⁶That’s why the good news was preached even to people who are now dead. Human judges said they were guilty as far as their bodies were concerned. But God set their spirits free to live as he wanted them to.

⁷The end of all things is near. So keep a clear mind. Control yourselves. Then you can pray. ⁸Most of all, love one another deeply. Love erases many sins by forgiving them. ⁹Welcome others into your homes without complaining.

¹⁰God’s gifts of grace come in many forms. Each of you has received a gift in order to serve others. You should use it faithfully. ¹¹If you speak, you should do it like one speaking God’s very words. If you serve, you should do it with the strength God provides. Then in all things God will be praised through Jesus Christ.

Give him the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

Suffering for Being a Christian

¹²Dear friends, don’t be surprised by the painful suffering you are going through. Don’t feel as if something strange were happening to you. ¹³Be joyful that you are taking part in Christ’s sufferings. Then you will be filled with joy when Christ returns in glory.

¹⁴Suppose people make fun of you because you believe in Christ. Then you are blessed, because God’s Spirit rests on you. He is the Spirit of glory. ¹⁵Suppose you suffer. Then it shouldn’t be because you are a murderer or a thief. It shouldn’t be because you do evil things. It shouldn’t be because you poke your nose into other people’s business. ¹⁶But suppose you suffer for being a Christian. Then don’t be ashamed. Instead, praise God because you are known by that name.

¹⁷It is time for people to be judged. It will begin with the family of God. And since it begins with us, what will happen to people who don’t obey God’s good news? ¹⁸Scripture says,

“Suppose it is hard for godly people to be saved.

Then what will happen to ungodly people and sinners?”

¹⁹Some people will suffer because God has planned it that way. They should commit themselves to their faithful Creator. And…