Believers should set aside malice and deceit, and instead desire spiritual nourishment, approaching Jesus as a living stone and building their lives upon him. Those who believe in Jesus will not be confounded, but to those who do not believe, he is a stone of offense. Believers are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation, called to announce God's virtues and live good lives among the Gentiles. They should be subject to authority, honor everyone, and love brotherhood, even if it means enduring sorrows and suffering injustice, as Christ did, who left an example for believers to follow.
1 Therefore, set aside all malice and all deceitfulness, as well as falseness and envy and every detraction 2 Like newborn infants, desire the milk of reasonableness without guile, so that by this you may increase unto salvation 3 if it is true that you have tasted that the Lord is sweet 4 And approaching him as if he were a living stone, rejected by men, certainly, but elect and honored by God 5 be also yourselves like living stones, built upon him, a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, so as to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ 6 Because of this, Scripture asserts: "Behold, I am setting in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious. And whoever will have believed in him will not be confounded. 7 Therefore, to you who believe, he is honor. But to those who do not believe, the stone which the builders have rejected, the same has been made into the head of the corner 8 and a stone of offense, and a rock of scandal, to those who are offended by the Word; neither do they believe, though they also have been built upon him 9 But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, an acquired people, so that you may announce the virtues of him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light 10 Though in past times you were not a people, yet now you are the people of God. Though you had not obtained mercy, yet now you have obtained mercy 11 Most beloved, I beg you, as new arrivals and sojourners, to abstain from carnal desires, which battle against the soul 12 Keep your behavior among the Gentiles to what is good, so that, when they slander you as if you were evildoers, they may, by the good works that are seen in you, glorify God on the day of visitation 13 Therefore, be subject to every human creature because of God, whether it is to the king as preeminent 14 or to leaders as having been sent from him for vindication over evildoers, it is truly for the praise of what is good 15 For such is the will of God, that by doing good you may bring about the silence of imprudent and ignorant men 16 in an open manner, and not as if cloaking malice with liberty, but like servants of God 17 Honor everyone. Love brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king 18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and meek, but also to the unruly 19 For this is grace: when, because of God, a man willingly endures sorrows, suffering injustice 20 For what glory is there, if you sin and then suffer a beating? But if you do well and suffer patiently, this is grace with God 21 For you have been called to this because Christ also suffered for us, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in his footsteps 22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth 23 And when evil was spoken against him, he did not speak evil. When he suffered, he did not threaten. Then he handed himself over to him who judged him unjustly 24 He himself bore our sins in his body upon the tree, so that we, having died to sin, would live for justice. By his wounds, you have been healed 25 For you were like wandering sheep. But now you have been turned back toward the Pastor and the Bishop of your souls