the Spirit of messiah within them foretold all the suffering of messiah and his after-glory, and they pondered when or how this was to come;

come to him then ??come to that living Stone which men have rejected and God holds choice and precious,

come and, like living stones yourselves, be built into a spiritual house, to form a consecrated priesthood for the offering of those spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Conduct yourselves properly before pagans; so that for all their slander of you as bad characters, they may come to glorify God when you are put upon your trial, by what they see of your good deeds.

You were astray like sheep, but you have come back now to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.

Christ himself died for sins, once for all, a just man for unjust men, that he might bring us near to God; in the flesh he was put to death but he came to life in the Spirit.

Beloved, do not be surprised at the ordeal that has come to test you, as though some foreign experience befell you.