Chosen as Living Stones

¹ Therefore, ridding yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,

² like newborn infants long for the unadulterated spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation,

³ if you have tasted that the Lord is kind,¹

1. A quotation from Ps 34:8

⁴ to whom you are drawing near, a living stone rejected by men but chosen and precious in the sight of God.

⁵ And you yourselves, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

⁶ For it stands in scripture, “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”¹

1. A quotation from Isa 28:16

⁷ Therefore the honor is for you who believe, but for those who refuse to believe, “The stone that the builders rejected, this one has become ⌞the cornerstone⌟¹,”

1. Literally “into the head of the corner”

⁸ and “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,”¹ who stumble because they² disobey the word to which also they were consigned.

1. A quotation from Isa 8:14
2. *Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“disobey”) which is understood as causal

⁹ But you are a chosen race,¹ a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s possession, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light,

1. Or “people,” or “generation,” or “nation”

¹⁰ who once were not a people, but now are the people of God, the ones who were not shown mercy, but now are shown mercy.¹

1. This verse contains quotations from Hos 1:6, 9; 2:23

¹¹ Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires which wage war against your¹ soul,

1. *Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun

¹² maintaining your good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in the things in which they slander you as evildoers, by seeing your good deeds they may glorify God on the day of visitation.

Submission to Established Authority

¹³ Subject yourselves to every human authority for the sake of the Lord, whether to a king¹ as having supreme authority,

1. Or “to the emperor”

¹⁴ or to governors as those sent out by him for the punishment of those who do evil and the praise of those who do good.

¹⁵ For the will of God is as follows: by¹ doing good to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

1. *Here “by” is supplied as a component of the participle (“doing good”) which is understood as means

¹⁶ Live as free persons, and not using your¹ freedom as a covering for evil, but as slaves of God.

1. *Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun

¹⁷ Honor all people, love the community of believers, fear God, honor the king.¹

1. Or “the emperor”

¹⁸ Domestic slaves, be subject to your¹ masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unjust.

1. *Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun

¹⁹ For this finds favor, if because of consciousness of God someone endures sorrows while¹ suffering unjustly.

1. *Here “while” is supplied as a component of the participle (“suffering”) which is understood as temporal

²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you¹ sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if you endure when you² do good and suffer for it, this finds favor with God.

1. *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“sin”) which is understood as temporal
2. *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“do good”) which is understood as temporal

²¹ For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his footsteps,

²² who did not commit sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth,¹

1. This verse contains quotations from Isa 53:9

²³ who when he¹ was reviled, did not revile in return; when² suffering, he did not threaten, but entrusted himself to the one who judges justly,

1. *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“was reviled”) which is understood as temporal
2. *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“suffering”) which is understood as temporal

²⁴ who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we may die to sins and live to righteousness, by whose wounds you were healed.

²⁵ For you were going astray like sheep, but you have turned back now to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.