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

¹ Therefore put away all malice, all deceit, insincerity, jealousy, and slander of every sort. ² Like new-born babes long for the pure spiritual milk to make you grow up into salvation; ³ since you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. ⁴ Come to him then, that living Stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, and precious. ⁵ And yourselves like living stones be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God, through Christ Jesus. ⁶ For, as Scripture says. Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him shall never be put to shame.

⁷ For you, then, that believe, is the preciousness; but for those who do not believe, A stone which the builders rejected, The same has become the head stone of the corner,

⁸ and, A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense. They stumble over it because they are disobeying God's word, and to this they were also appointed.

⁹ But you are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a purchased people, that you may show forth the virtues of Him who has called you out of darkness into his marvelous light??10 you who once were not a people, but now are the people of God; who were once without mercy, but now you have found mercy.

¹¹ I beseech you, beloved, as pilgrims and exiles, to abstain from passions of the flesh that war upon your souls. ¹² Let your manner of life before the Gentiles be honest; so that, although they are now slandering you as evil-doers, they may, by beholding your noble conduct, come to glorify God, in the day of visitation.