1 Peter 2

2 ¹ So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ² Like newborn infants, crave the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow up into salvation ³ —now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. ^a a v3 Peter takes the psalm's words "taste and see that the Lord is good" and applies them to Jesus — the One readers have come to and found good. ⁴ As you come to him, the living stone—rejected by people but chosen and precious in our Father's sight ⁵ —you also, like living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to our Father through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For Scripture says: "Look, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame."

⁷ So the honor is for you who believe; but for those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,"

⁸ And, "a stone that causes stumbling and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the word—which is what they were destined for.

⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to our Father, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are our Father's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. ^b b v10 Peter draws on Hosea: those who were once "not a people" are now claimed as our Father's own — the outsider brought home and shown mercy.

¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. ¹² Live such good lives among the nations that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify our Father on the day he visits us.

¹³ For the Lord's sake submit yourselves to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, ¹⁴ or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. ¹⁵ For it is our Father's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. ¹⁶ Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of our Father. ¹⁷ Respect everyone, love the family of believers, fear our Father, honor the emperor.

¹⁸ Servants, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are harsh. ¹⁹ For it is commendable if someone bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because they are mindful of our Father. ²⁰ For what credit is it if you endure a beating for doing wrong? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before our Father.

²¹ This is what you were called to, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps. ²² "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. ²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats, but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. ²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. ^c c v24 'The tree' means the cross — Peter echoes the Old Testament picture of bearing a curse by hanging on wood (Deuteronomy 21:23). ²⁵ For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.