| English Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. | 1So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. |
| 2Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— | 2Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, |
| 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. | 3now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. Living Stones for God’s House |
| 4As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, | 4You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. |
| 5you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. | 5And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. |
| 6For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” | 6As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” |
| 7So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” | 7Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.” |
| 8and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. | 8And, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. |
| 9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. | 9But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful 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. | 10“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” |
| 11Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. | 11Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. |
| 12Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. | 12Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. Respecting People in Authority |
| 13Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, | 13For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, |
| 14or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. | 14or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right. |
| 15For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. | 15It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. |
| 16Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. | 16For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. |
| 17Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. | 17Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king. Slaves |
| 18Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. | 18You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. |
| 19For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. | 19For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. |
| 20For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. | 20Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. |
| 21For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. | 21For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. |
| 22He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. | 22He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. |
| 23When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. | 23He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. |
| 24He 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. | 24He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. |
| 25For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. | 25Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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