1 Peter 2

A Living Stone and a Holy People

1 j So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 k Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual l milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation - 3 if indeed you have m tasted that the Lord is good.

4 As you come to him, a living stone n rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 o you yourselves like living stones are being built up as p a spiritual house, to be q a holy priesthood, r to offer spiritual sacrifices s acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

6 For it stands in Scripture:
t "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
u and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."

7 So the honor is for you who v believe, but for those who v do not believe,
w "The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone," 1

8 and
x "A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense."
They stumble because they disobey the word, y as they were destined to do.

9 But you are z a chosen race, a a royal b priesthood, c a holy nation, d a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you e out of darkness into f his marvelous light. 10 g Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11 Beloved, I urge you h as sojourners and exiles i to abstain from the passions of the flesh, j which wage war against your soul. 12 k Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, l they may see your good deeds and glorify God on m the day of visitation.

Submission to Authority

13 n Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, 2 whether it be to the emperor 3 as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him o to punish those who do evil and p to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, q that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 r Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but s living as servants 4 of God. 17 t Honor everyone. u Love the brotherhood. v Fear God. Honor the emperor.

18 w Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, x mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But y if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. 21 For z to this you have been called, y because Christ also suffered for you, a leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. 22 b He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 c When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, d but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 e He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we f might die to sin and g live to righteousness. h By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For i you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to j the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

  1. Cross References
    Ephesians 4:22
    To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires.
    Ephesians 4:25
    Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
    Ephesians 4:31
    Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
    Colossians 3:8
    But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
  2. Cross References
    Matthew 18:3
    And said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
  3. Cross References
    1 Corinthians 3:2
    I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready.
    Hebrews 5:12 - 13
    For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food.
  4. Cross References
    Psalms 34:8
    Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
    Hebrews 6:5
    And have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come.
  5. Cross References
    1 Peter 2:6 - 7
    For 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.
  6. Cross References
    Ephesians 2:20 - 22
    Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.
    1 Corinthians 3:9
    For we are God's fellow workers. You are God's field, God's building.
  7. Cross References
    Hebrews 3:4
    (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.)
    Hebrews 3:6
    But Christ is faithful over God's house as a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope.
  8. Cross References
    1 Peter 2:9
    But 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.
  9. Cross References
    Isaiah 56:7
    These I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.
    Malachi 1:11
    For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the Lord of hosts.
    Romans 12:1
    I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
    Hebrews 13:15
    Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
  10. Cross References
    Romans 15:16
    To be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
    Philippians 4:18
    I have received full payment, and more. I am well supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.
  11. Cross References
    Isaiah 28:16
    Therefore thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste.
  12. Cross References
    Romans 9:33
    As it is written, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.
    Romans 10:11
    For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.
  13. Cross References
    Isaiah 28:16
    Therefore thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste.
  14. Cross References
    2 Corinthians 2:16
    To one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
  15. Cross References
    2 Corinthians 2:16
    To one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?
  16. Cross References
    Psalms 118:22
    The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
  17. Cross References
    Psalms 118:22
    The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
  18. Cross References
    Romans 9:33
    As it is written, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.
    Isaiah 8:14
    And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
  19. Cross References
    Romans 9:22
    What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction.
    Jude 1:4
    For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
  20. Cross References
    Isaiah 8:14
    And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
  21. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 10:15
    Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day.
    Isaiah 43:20
    The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people.
  22. Cross References
    Exodus 19:6
    And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.
    Revelation 1:6
    And made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
    Revelation 5:10
    And you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.
  23. Cross References
    Isaiah 61:6
    But you shall be called the priests of the Lord ; they shall speak of you as the ministers of our God; you shall eat the wealth of the nations, and in their glory you shall boast.
    Isaiah 66:21
    And some of them also I will take for priests and for Levites, says the Lord.
  24. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 7:6
    For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
  25. Cross References
    Exodus 19:5
    Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine.
    Deuteronomy 7:6
    For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.
    Isaiah 43:21
    The people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.
    Malachi 3:17
    They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him.
  26. Cross References
    Isaiah 42:16
    And I will lead the blind in a way that they do not know, in paths that they have not known I will guide them. I will turn the darkness before them into light, the rough places into level ground. These are the things I do, and I do not forsake them.
    Acts 26:18
    To open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.
  27. Cross References
    Psalms 36:9
    For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
  28. Cross References
    Hosea 1:6
    She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, "Call her name No Mercy, for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all.
    Hosea 1:9 - 10
    And the Lord said, "Call his name Not My People, for you are not my people, and I am not your God.
    Hosea 2:23
    And I will sow her for myself in the land. And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, 'You are my people'; and he shall say, 'You are my God.'
    Romans 9:25 - 26
    As indeed he says in Hosea, "Those who were not my people I will call 'my people,' and her who was not beloved I will call 'beloved.'
    Romans 10:19
    But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, "I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.
  29. Cross References
    Leviticus 25:23
    The land shall not be sold in perpetuity, for the land is mine. For you are strangers and sojourners with me.
  30. Cross References
    Romans 13:14
    But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
    Galatians 5:24
    And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
  31. Cross References
    James 4:1
    What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions are at war within you?
  32. Cross References
    1 Peter 3:16
    Having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame.
    2 Corinthians 8:21
    For we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the sight of man.
    Philippians 2:15
    That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
    Titus 2:8
    And sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.
  33. Cross References
    Matthew 5:16
    In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
    2 Corinthians 9:13
    By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others.
    Galatians 1:24
    And they glorified God because of me.
  34. Cross References
    Isaiah 10:3
    What will you do on the day of punishment, in the ruin that will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?
    Luke 19:44
    And tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.
  35. Cross References
    Romans 13:1
    Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
    Titus 3:1
    Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work.
  36. Cross References
    Romans 13:4
    For he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.
  37. Cross References
    Romans 13:3
    For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval.
  38. Cross References
    1 Peter 2:12
    Keep 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.
  39. Cross References
    James 1:25
    But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
  40. Cross References
    1 Corinthians 7:22
    For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ.
    Romans 6:22
    But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life.
  41. Cross References
    Romans 12:10
    Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.
    Romans 13:7
    Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
  42. Cross References
    Hebrews 13:1
    Let brotherly love continue.
  43. Cross References
    Proverbs 24:21
    My son, fear the Lord and the king, and do not join with those who do otherwise.
  44. Cross References
    Ephesians 6:5
    Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ.
    Colossians 3:22
    Slaves, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.
    1 Timothy 6:1
    Let all who are under a yoke as slaves regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled.
    Titus 2:9
    Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative.
  45. Cross References
    1 Peter 3:14
    But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled.
    1 Peter 3:17
    For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.
    1 Peter 4:16
    Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.
  46. Cross References
    1 Peter 3:17 - 18
    For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.
    1 Peter 4:13
    But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.
    1 Peter 4:16
    Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name.
  47. Cross References
    1 Peter 3:9
    Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
    Acts 14:22
    Strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.
  48. Cross References
    1 Peter 2:20
    For 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.
  49. Cross References
    Matthew 11:29
    Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
  50. Cross References
    Isaiah 53:9
    And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
    2 Corinthians 5:21
    For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
    Hebrews 4:15
    For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
    1 John 3:5
    You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.
  51. Cross References
    1 Peter 3:9
    Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
    Isaiah 53:7
    He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.
    Hebrews 12:3
    Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.
  52. Cross References
    Luke 23:46
    Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last.
  53. Cross References
    Isaiah 53:4
    Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
    Isaiah 53:11
    Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
    Matthew 8:17
    This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: "He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.
    Hebrews 9:28
    So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
  54. Cross References
    Romans 6:2
    By no means! How can we who died to sin still l...
    Romans 6:11
    So you also must consider yourselves dead to si...
    Romans 7:4
    Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to th...
    Romans 7:6
    But now we are released from the law, having di...
    Colossians 2:20
    If with Christ you died to the elemental spirit...
    Colossians 3:3
    For you have died, and your life is hidden with...
  55. Cross References
    Romans 6:13
    Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.
  56. Cross References
    Isaiah 53:5
    But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.
  57. Cross References
    Isaiah 53:6
    All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned - every one - to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
    Psalms 119:176
    I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek your servant, for I do not forget your commandments.
    Ezekiel 34:6
    My sheep were scattered; they wandered over all the mountains and on every high hill. My sheep were scattered over all the face of the earth, with none to search or seek for them.
    Luke 15:4
    What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?
  58. Cross References
    John 10:11
    I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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