¹Putting away therefore all wickedness , all deceit , hypocrisies , envies , and all evil speaking,

²as newborn babies , long for the pure spiritual milk , that with it you may grow,

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

⁴Come to him , a living stone , rejected indeed by men , but chosen by God , precious .

⁵You also as living stones are built up as a spiritual house , to be a holy priesthood , to offer up spiritual sacrifices , acceptable to God through Yeshua the Messiah .

⁶Because it is contained in Scripture ,

“Behold , I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen and precious .

He who believes in him will not be disappointed .”

⁷For you who believe therefore is the honour , but for those who are disobedient,

“The stone which the builders rejected

has become the chief cornerstone ,”

⁸and ,

“a stumbling stone and a rock of offence .”

For they stumble at the word , being disobedient, to which also they were appointed .

⁹But you are a chosen race , a royal priesthood , a holy nation , a people for God ’s own possession , that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light .

¹⁰In the past , you were not a people , but now are God ’s people , who had not obtained mercy , but now have obtained mercy .

¹¹Beloved, I beg you as foreigners and pilgrims to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul ,

¹²having good behaviour amongst the nations , so in that of which they speak against you as evildoers , they may see your good works and glorify God in the day of visitation .

¹³Therefore subject yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord ’s sake : whether to the king , as supreme ,

¹⁴or to governors , as sent by him for vengeance on evildoers and for praise to those who do well .

¹⁵For this is the will of God , that by well-doing you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men .

¹⁶Live as free people , yet not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness , but as bondservants of God .

¹⁷Honour all men . Love the brotherhood. Fear God . Honour the king .

¹⁸Servants , be in subjection to your masters with all respect , not only to the good and gentle , but also to the wicked .

¹⁹For it is commendable if someone endures pain , suffering unjustly, because of conscience towards God .

²⁰For what glory is it if , when you sin, you patiently endure beating? But if when you do well , you patiently endure suffering , this is commendable with God .

²¹For you were called to this , because Messiah also suffered for us , leaving you an example , that you should follow his steps ,[#2:21 TR reads “us” instead of “you”]

²²who didn’t sin, “neither was deceit found in his mouth .”[#Isaiah 53:9]

²³When he was cursed, he didn’t curse back. When he suffered , he didn’t threaten, but committed himself to him who judges righteously .

²⁴He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree , that we , having died to sins, might live to righteousness . You were healed by his wounds .[#2:24 or, stripes]

²⁵For you were going astray like sheep ; but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls .[#2:25 “Overseer” is from the Greek ἐπίσκοπον, which can mean overseer, curator, guardian, or superintendent.]