| New King James Version | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, | 1Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. |
| 2as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, | 2Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, so that you may grow up into your salvation, |
| 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. | 3if you have tasted that the Lord is good. |
| 4Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, | 4As you come to him, a living stone--rejected by people but chosen and honored by God-- |
| 5you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. | 5you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. |
| 6Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” | 6For it stands in Scripture: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame. |
| 7Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” | 7So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving, The stone that the builders rejected--this one has become the cornerstone, |
| 8and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. | 8and A stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this. |
| 9But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; | 9But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. |
| 10who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. | 10Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. |
| 11Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, | 11Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul. |
| 12having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. | 12Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits. |
| 13Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, | 13Submit to every human authority because of the Lord, whether to the emperor as the supreme authority |
| 14or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. | 14or to governors as those sent out by him to punish those who do what is evil and to praise those who do what is good. |
| 15For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— | 15For it is God's will that you silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. |
| 16as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. | 16Submit as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but as God's slaves. |
| 17Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. | 17Honor everyone. Love the brothers and sisters. Fear God. Honor the emperor. |
| 18Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. | 18Household slaves, submit to your masters with all reverence not only to the good and gentle ones but also to the cruel. |
| 19For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. | 19For it brings favor if, because of a consciousness of God, someone endures grief from suffering unjustly. |
| 20For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. | 20For what credit is there if when you do wrong and are beaten, you endure it? But when you do what is good and suffer, if you endure it, this brings favor with God. |
| 21For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: | 21For you were called to this, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. |
| 22“Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; | 22He did not commit sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth; |
| 23who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; | 23when he was insulted, he did not insult in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly. |
| 24who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. | 24He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree; so that, having died to sins, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. |
| 25For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. | 25For you were like sheep going astray, but you have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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