1 Peter 2:4–12

⁴Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and ⁵like living stones let yourselves be built^k into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.^{* 6}For it stands in scripture:

“See, I am laying in Zion a stone,

a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”^*

⁷This honor, then, is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,^l

“The stone that the builders rejected

has become the very head of the corner,”^*

⁸and

“A stone that makes them stumble

and a rock that makes them fall.”

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.^*

⁹But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people,^m in order that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.^*

¹⁰Once you were not a people,

but now you are God’s people;

once you had not received mercy,

but now you have received mercy.^*

Live as Servants of God

¹¹Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul.^{n* 12}Conduct yourselves honorably among the gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.^o*