To grow you must eat

1So then, laying aside all malignity ³⁹—even all deceit and play-actings and envies, yes all malicious speaking—

2crave the pure spiritual ‘milk’, ⁴⁰like newborn babies do, so that by it you may grow into salvation, ⁴¹

3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is benevolent.

4Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected indeed by men but chosen by God, precious—

5you also, as living stones, are being built ⁴²into a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁴³

The Chief Cornerstone

6That is why the Scripture contains: “Attention, I am laying in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen, precious, and the one who rests his trust upon Him will absolutely not be humiliated.” ⁴⁴

7So then, this recompense is for you who believe, but to those who disobey, ⁴⁵“the stone that the builders rejected is just the one that became the chief cornerstone,” ⁴⁶

8also “a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”; ⁴⁷being disobedient to the Word, they stumble, to which, indeed, they were appointed. ⁴⁸

A royal priesthood

9But you are a chosen family, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a private-property people, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

10who formerly were not a people but now are God's people, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. ⁴⁹

11Dear ones, I urge you to abstain from the lusts of the flesh, that war against the soul, ⁵⁰

12keeping your way of life among the nations praiseworthy (you being foreigners and sojourners), so that wherein they speak against you as evildoers, in spite of the praiseworthy deeds they have observed, ⁵¹they may glorify God in the day of visitation. ⁵²

Respect civil authority

13Therefore subordinate yourselves to every human institution because of the Lord, whether to a king, as being in authority,

14or to governors, as being sent by him, both for punishment of evildoers and for praise of good-doers. ⁵³

15Because such is the will of God, to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good:

16as free (not using the freedom as a cover for evil), yet as slaves of God.

17Respect everyone; ⁵⁴love the brotherhood; fear God; honor the king.

A word for servants

18Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unscrupulous. ⁵⁵

19For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God someone endures grief, suffering unjustly.

20For what credit is it if upon sinning and being beaten you endure patiently? But if upon doing good and suffering you endure patiently, this is commendable before God.

21Now you have been called to this, really, because Christ also suffered in our behalf, leaving you ⁵⁶an example that you should follow in His footsteps:

22who did not commit sin, neither was deceit found in His mouth;

23who being reviled did not revile in return, suffering did not threaten but committed it to Him who judges righteously;

24who Himself bore our sins in His own body ⁵⁷on the tree, so that we, having died to those sins, ⁵⁸might live for the ⁵⁹righteousness; by whose wound ⁶⁰you were healed.

25Yes, you were like straying sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of our ⁶¹souls.