1 Peter, 2

1. Rid yourselves, then, of all spite, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and carping criticism.

1. So put away all malice and all guile and insincerity and envy and all slander.

2. Like new-born babies all your longing should be for milk -- the unadulterated spiritual milk -- which will help you to grow up to salvation,

2. Like newborn babes, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation;

3. at any rate if you have tasted that the Lord is good .

3. for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

4. He is the living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen by God and precious to him; set yourselves close to him

4. Come to him, to that living stone, rejected by men but in God's sight chosen and precious;

5. so that you, too, may be living stones making a spiritual house as a holy priesthood to offer the spiritual sacrifices made acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

5. and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

6. As scripture says: Now I am laying a stone in Zion, a chosen, precious cornerstone and no one who relies on this will be brought to disgrace.

6. For it stands in scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame."

7. To you believers it brings honour. But for unbelievers, it is rather a stone which the builders rejected that became a cornerstone,

7. To you therefore who believe, he is precious, but for those who do not believe, "The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner,"

8. a stumbling stone, a rock to trip people up. They stumble over it because they do not believe in the Word; it was the fate in store for them.

8. and "A stone that will make men stumble, a rock that will make them fall"; for they stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

9. But you are a chosen race, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, a people to be a personal possession to sing the praises of God who called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

9. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

10. Once you were a non-people and now you are the People of God; once you were outside his pity; now you have received pity.

10. Once you were no people but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy.

11. I urge you, my dear friends, as strangers and nomads, to keep yourselves free from the disordered natural inclinations that attack the soul.

11. Beloved, I beseech you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh that wage war against your soul.

12. Always behave honourably among gentiles so that they can see for themselves what moral lives you lead, and when the day of reckoning comes, give thanks to God for the things which now make them denounce you as criminals.

12. Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in case they speak against you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.

13. For the sake of the Lord, accept the authority of every human institution: the emperor, as the supreme authority,

13. Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,

14. and the governors as commissioned by him to punish criminals and praise those who do good.

14. or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right.

15. It is God's will that by your good deeds you should silence the ignorant talk of fools.

15. For it is God's will that by doing right you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.

16. You are slaves of no one except God, so behave like free people, and never use your freedom as a cover for wickedness.

16. Live as free men, yet without using your freedom as a pretext for evil; but live as servants of God.

17. Have respect for everyone and love for your fellow-believers; fear God and honour the emperor.

17. Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.

18. Slaves, you should obey your masters respectfully, not only those who are kind and reasonable but also those who are difficult to please.

18. Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to the kind and gentle but also to the overbearing.

19. You see, there is merit if, in awareness of God, you put up with the pains of undeserved punishment;

19. For one is approved if, mindful of God, he endures pain while suffering unjustly.

20. but what glory is there in putting up with a beating after you have done something wrong? The merit in the sight of God is in putting up with it patiently when you are punished for doing your duty.

20. For what credit is it, if when you do wrong and are beaten for it you take it patiently? But if when you do right and suffer for it you take it patiently, you have God's approval.

21. This, in fact, is what you were called to do, because Christ suffered for you and left an example for you to follow in his steps.

21. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

22. He had done nothing wrong, and had spoken no deceit.

22. He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips.

23. He was insulted and did not retaliate with insults; when he was suffering he made no threats but put his trust in the upright judge.

23. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly.

24. He was bearing our sins in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to our sins and live for uprightness; through his bruises you have been healed.

24. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

25. You had gone astray like sheep but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

25. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.