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1So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.[#Eph. 4:22, 25, 31; Col. 3:8]
2Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—[#Matt. 18:3; #1 Cor. 3:2; Heb. 5:12, 13]
3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.[#Ps. 34:8; Heb. 6:5]
4As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,[#6, 7]
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.[#Eph. 2:20-22; 1 Cor. 3:9; #Heb. 3:4, 6; #9; #Isa. 56:7; Mal. 1:11; Rom. 12:1; Heb. 13:15; #Rom. 15:16; Phil. 4:18]
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.”
7So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,[#2 Cor. 2:16; #2 Cor. 2:16]
“The stone that the builders rejected
has 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.
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.[#Deut. 10:15; Isa. 43:20; #Ex. 19:6; Rev. 1:6; 5:10; #Isa. 61:6; 66:21; #Deut. 7:6; #Ex. 19:5; Deut. 7:6; Isa. 43:21; Mal. 3:17; #Isa. 42:16; #Ps. 36:9]
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.[#Hos. 1:6, 9, 10; 2:23; Rom. 9:25, 26; 10:19]
11Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.[#Lev. 25:23; #Rom. 13:14; Gal. 5:24; #James 4:1]
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.[#3:16; 2 Cor. 8:21; Phil. 2:15; Titus 2:8; #Matt. 5:16; 2 Cor. 9:13; Gal. 1:24; #Isa. 10:3; Luke 19:44]
13Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,[#Rom. 13:1; Titus 3:1; #2:13 Or every institution ordained for people; #2:13 Or king ; also verse 17]
14or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.[#Rom. 13:4; #Rom. 13:3]
15For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.[#12]
16Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.[#James 1:25; #1 Cor. 7:22; Rom. 6:22; #2:16 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word , see Preface]
17Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.[#Rom. 12:10; 13:7; #Heb. 13:1; #Prov. 24:21]
18Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.[#Eph. 6:5; Col. 3:22; 1 Tim. 6:1; Titus 2:9]
19For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.[#3:14, 17; 4:16]
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.[#3:17, 18; 4:13, 16]
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.[#3:9; Acts 14:22; #20; #Matt. 11:29]
22He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.[#Isa. 53:9; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; 1 John 3:5]
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.[#3:9; Isa. 53:7; Heb. 12:3; #Luke 23:46]
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.[#Isa. 53:4, 11; Matt. 8:17; Heb. 9:28; #Rom. 6:2, 11; 7:4, 6; Col. 2:20; 3:3; #Rom. 6:13; #Isa. 53:5]
25For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.[#Isa. 53:6; Ps. 119:176; Ezek. 34:6; Luke 15:4; #John 10:11]