But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.

and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.

For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps,

like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,

And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is choice and precious in the sight of God,

you also, 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.

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority,

Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander,

who committed no sin, nor was any deceit found in His mouth;

Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable.

For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men.

or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right.

For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God.

Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

For this is contained in Scripture:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone,
And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
“The stone which the builders rejected,
This became the very corner stone,”

For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a person bears up under sorrows when suffering unjustly.

and while being reviled, He did not revile in return; while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously;

and,
“A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense”;
for they stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this doom they were also appointed.

Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.

for 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.