1 Peter 2:1-12 - Chosen As Living Stones

¹ Therefore, put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. ² Like newborn babes, long for the pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, ³ for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. ⁴ As you come to him, the living Stone rejected by men but chosen and precious in the sight of God ⁵ you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in scripture: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame."

⁷ To you therefore who believe, this is precious, but for those who do not believe, "The very stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,"

⁸ and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall;" they stumble because they disobey the wordas they were desstined to do.

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

¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against your soul. ¹² Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that in case they speak against you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.