1 Peter 2
New King James Version
Our Inheritance Through Christ’s Blood
2 Therefore, (A)laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2 (B)as newborn babes, desire the pure (C)milk of the word, that you may grow [a]thereby, 3 if indeed you have (D)tasted that the Lord is gracious.
The Chosen Stone and His Chosen People(E)
4 Coming to Him as to a living stone, (F)rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, 5 you 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. 6 Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture,
(G)“Behold, I lay in Zion
A chief cornerstone, elect, precious,
And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.”
7 Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who [b]are disobedient,
(H)“The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone,”
8 and
(I)“A stone of stumbling
And a rock of offense.”
(J)They stumble, being disobedient to the word, (K)to which they also were appointed.
9 But 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 (L)darkness into His marvelous light; 10 (M)who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy.
Living Before the World
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts (N)which war against the soul, 12 (O)having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, (P)they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
Submission to Government(Q)
13 (R)Therefore submit yourselves to every [c]ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— 16 (S)as free, yet not (T)using liberty as a cloak for [d]vice, but as bondservants of God. 17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear (U)God. Honor the king.
Submission to Masters(V)
18 (W)Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. 19 For this is (X)commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For (Y)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. 21 For (Z)to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for [e]us, (AA)leaving [f]us an example, that you should follow His steps:
22 “Who(AB) committed no sin,
Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
23 (AC)who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but (AD)committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; 24 (AE)who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, (AF)that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—(AG)by whose [g]stripes you were healed. 25 For (AH)you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned (AI)to the Shepherd and [h]Overseer of your souls.
Footnotes
- 1 Peter 2:2 NU adds up to salvation
- 1 Peter 2:7 NU disbelieve
- 1 Peter 2:13 institution
- 1 Peter 2:16 wickedness
- 1 Peter 2:21 NU you
- 1 Peter 2:21 NU, M you
- 1 Peter 2:24 wounds
- 1 Peter 2:25 Gr. Episkopos
1 Peter 2
Amplified Bible
As Newborn Babes
2 So put aside every trace of malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander and hateful speech; 2 like newborn babies [you should] long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may be nurtured and grow in respect to salvation [its ultimate fulfillment], 3 if in fact you have [already] tasted [a]the goodness and gracious kindness of the Lord.(A)
As Living Stones
4 Come to Him [the risen Lord] as to a living Stone which men rejected and threw away, but which is choice and precious in the sight of God.(B) 5 You [believers], like living stones, are [b]being built up into a spiritual house for a holy and dedicated priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in Scripture:
“Behold, I am laying in Zion a chosen stone, a precious (honored) Cornerstone,
And he who believes in Him [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] will never be disappointed [in his expectations].”(C)
7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe [in Him as God’s only Son—the Source of salvation]; but for those who disbelieve,
“The [very] stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief Cornerstone,”(D)
8 and,
“A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”;
for they stumble because they disobey the word [of God], and to this they [who reject Him as Savior] were also appointed.(E)
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special] people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.(F) 10 Once you were not a people [at all], but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.(G)
11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers [in this world] to abstain from the sensual urges [those dishonorable desires] that wage war against the soul. 12 Keep your behavior excellent among the [unsaved] Gentiles [conduct yourself honorably, with graciousness and integrity], so that [c]for whatever reason they may slander you as evildoers, yet by observing your good deeds they may [instead come to] glorify God [d]in the day of visitation [when He looks upon them with mercy].
Honor Authority
13 Submit yourselves to [the authority of] every human institution for the sake of the Lord [to honor His name], whether it is to a king as one in a position of power, 14 or to governors as sent by him to bring punishment to those who do wrong, and to praise and encourage those who do right. 15 For it is the will of God that by doing right you may silence (muzzle, gag) the [culpable] ignorance and irresponsible criticisms of foolish people. 16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover or pretext for evil, but [use it and live] as bond-servants of God. 17 Show respect for all people [treat them honorably], love the brotherhood [of believers], fear God, honor the king.
18 [e]Servants, be submissive to your masters with all [proper] respect, not only to those who are good and kind, but also to those who are unreasonable. 19 For this finds favor, if a person endures the sorrow of suffering unjustly because of an [f]awareness of [the will of] God. 20 After all, what kind of credit is there if, when you do wrong and are punished for it, you endure it patiently? But if when you do what is right and patiently bear [undeserved] suffering, this finds favor with God.
Christ Is Our Example
21 For [as a believer] you have been called for this purpose, since Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you may follow in His footsteps. 22 He committed no sin, nor was deceit ever found in His mouth.(H) 23 While being reviled and insulted, He did not revile or insult in return; while suffering, He made no threats [of vengeance], but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges fairly. 24 He personally carried our sins in His body on the [g]cross [willingly offering Himself on it, as on an altar of sacrifice], so that we might die to sin [becoming immune from the penalty and power of sin] and live for righteousness; for by His wounds you [who believe] have been [h]healed. 25 For you were continually wandering like [so many] sheep, but now you have come back to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.(I)
Footnotes
- 1 Peter 2:3 Lit that the Lord is kind.
- 1 Peter 2:5 Or are to be built.
- 1 Peter 2:12 Lit in that which.
- 1 Peter 2:12 Another view interprets this as the day when the wicked are judged by God.
- 1 Peter 2:18 The Greek refers to household servants who may have been well-educated and managed the estate.
- 1 Peter 2:19 Lit conscience toward.
- 1 Peter 2:24 Lit wood.
- 1 Peter 2:24 Generally regarded as a reference to being spiritually healed from the illness of sin; however, many also consider physical healing to be included in Christ’s atoning death.
1 Peter 2
New Living Translation
2 So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. 2 Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, 3 now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.
Living Stones for God’s House
4 You 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.
5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests.[a] Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 6 As the Scriptures say,
“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,[b]
chosen for great honor,
and anyone who trusts in him
will never be disgraced.”[c]
7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him.[d] But for those who reject him,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.”[e]
8 And,
“He is the stone that makes people stumble,
the rock that makes them fall.”[f]
They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.
9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[g] 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.
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.”[h]
11 Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. 12 Be 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.[i]
Respecting People in Authority
13 For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, 14 or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.
15 It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. 16 For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. 17 Respect everyone, and love the family of believers.[j] Fear God, and respect the king.
Slaves
18 You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect.[k] Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. 19 For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. 20 Of 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.
21 For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered[l] for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.
22 He never sinned,
nor ever deceived anyone.[m]
23 He 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.
24 He 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.
25 Once you were like sheep
who wandered away.
But now you have turned to your Shepherd,
the Guardian of your souls.
Footnotes
- 2:5 Greek holy priesthood.
- 2:6a Greek in Zion.
- 2:6b Isa 28:16 (Greek version).
- 2:7a Or Yes, for you who believe, there is honor.
- 2:7b Ps 118:22.
- 2:8 Isa 8:14.
- 2:9 Greek a royal priesthood.
- 2:10 Hos 1:6, 9; 2:23.
- 2:12 Or on the day of visitation.
- 2:17 Greek love the brotherhood.
- 2:18 Or because you fear God; Greek reads in all fear.
- 2:21 Some manuscripts read died.
- 2:22 Isa 53:9.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. 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.
