1 Peter 2:4-25 — Legacy Standard Bible

⁴And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been ^arejected by men, but is ¹choice and precious in the sight of God, ⁵^ayou also, as living stones, ¹are being built up as a ^bspiritual house for a holy ^cpriesthood, to ^doffer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶For this is contained in ¹Scripture: “^aBehold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a ^bprecious corner stone,And he who believes upon ²Him will not be put to shame.”

⁷^aThis precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve, “^bThe stone which the builders ^crejected,This has become the chief corner stone,”

⁸and, “^aA stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” ^bThey stumble because they are disobedient to the word, ^cand to this stumbling they were also appointed.

⁹But you are ^aa chosen family, a royal ^bpriesthood, a ^choly nation, ^da people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you ^eout of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰^afor you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

¹¹^aBeloved, ^bI urge you as ^csojourners and exiles to abstain from ^dfleshly lusts which wage ^ewar against the soul, ¹²^aby keeping your conduct excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing which they ^bslander you as evildoers, they may ¹because of your good works, as they observe them, ^cglorify God ^din the day of ²visitation.

Be Subject to Authority

¹³^aBe subject for the sake of the Lord to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, ¹⁴or to governors as sent ¹by him ^afor the punishment of evildoers and the ^bpraise of those who do good. ¹⁵For ¹^,^asuch is the will of God that by doing good you may ^bsilence the ignorance of foolish men. ¹⁶Act as ^afree people, and ¹do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as ^bslaves of God. ¹⁷^aHonor all people, ^blove the ¹brethren, ^cfear God, ^dhonor the ²king.

¹⁸^aServants, be subject to your masters with all fear, not only to those who are good and ^bconsiderate, but also to those who are ¹crooked. ¹⁹For this finds ¹favor, if for the sake of ^aconscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unrighteously. ²⁰For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure? But if ^awhen you do good and suffer for it, you endure, this finds favor with God.

Christ, Our Example

²¹For to this ^ayou have been called, ^bsince Christ also suffered for you, leaving you ^can example that you should follow in His steps, ²²who ^adid no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth; ²³who being ^areviled, was not reviling in return; while suffering, He was uttering no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously. ²⁴Who Himself ¹^,^abore our sins in His body on the ^btree, so that ^chaving died to ²sin, we might live to righteousness; ^dby His ³wounds you were ^ehealed. ²⁵For you were ^acontinually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the ^bShepherd and Overseer of your souls.