1 Peter 2

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 Rid yourselves, then, of al spite, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and carping criticism.	1 Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, insincerity, envy, and all slander;
2 Like new-born babies al your longing should be for milk -- the unadulterated spiritual milk -- which willhelp you to grow up to salvation,	2 like newborn infants, long for pure spiritual milk so that through it you may grow into salvation,
3 at any rate if you have tasted that the Lord is good .	3 for you have tasted that the Lord is good.
4 He is the living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen by God and precious to him; set yourselvesclose to him	4 Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God,
5 so that you, too, may be living stones making a spiritual house as a holy priesthood to offer the spiritualsacrifices made acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.	5 and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6 As scripture says: Now I am laying a stone in Zion, a chosen, precious cornerstone and no one whorelies on this wil be brought to disgrace.	6 For it says in scripture: "Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a cornerstone, chosen and precious, and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame."
7 To you believers it brings honour. But for unbelievers, it is rather a stone which the builders rejectedthat became a cornerstone,	7 Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith: "The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,"
8 a stumbling stone, a rock to trip people up. They stumble over it because they do not believe in theWord; it was the fate in store for them.	8 and "A stone that will make people stumble, and a rock that will make them fall." They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny.
9 But you are a chosen race, a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, a people to be a personal possession tosing the praises of God who cal ed you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.	9 But you are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises" of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.
10 Once you were a non-people and now you are the People of God; once you were outside his pity; nowyou have received pity.	10 Once you were "no people" but now you are God's people; you "had not received mercy" but now you have received mercy.
11 I urge you, my dear friends, as strangers and nomads, to keep yourselves free from the disorderednatural inclinations that attack the soul.	11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and sojourners to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against the soul.
12 Always behave honourably among gentiles so that they can see for themselves what moral lives youlead, and when the day of reckoning comes, give thanks to God for the things which now make them denounceyou as criminals.	12 Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that if they speak of you as evildoers, they may observe your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation.
13 For the sake of the Lord, accept the authority of every human institution: the emperor, as the supremeauthority,	13 Be subject to every human institution for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the king as supreme
14 and the governors as commissioned by him to punish criminals and praise those who do good.	14 or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the approval of those who do good.
15 It is God's will that by your good deeds you should silence the ignorant talk of fools.	15 For it is the will of God that by doing good you may silence the ignorance of foolish people.
16 You are slaves of no one except God, so behave like free people, and never use your freedom as acover for wickedness.	16 Be free, yet without using freedom as a pretext for evil, but as slaves of God.
17 Have respect for everyone and love for your fel ow-believers; fear God and honour the emperor.	17 Give honor to all, love the community, fear God, honor the king.
18 Slaves, you should obey your masters respectful y, not only those who are kind and reasonable butalso those who are difficult to please.	18 Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and equitable but also to those who are perverse.
19 You see, there is merit if, in awareness of God, you put up with the pains of undeserved punishment;	19 For whenever anyone bears the pain of unjust suffering because of consciousness of God, that is a grace.
20 but what glory is there in putting up with a beating after you have done something wrong? The merit inthe sight of God is in putting up with it patiently when you are punished for doing your duty.	20 But what credit is there if you are patient when beaten for doing wrong? But if you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God.
21 This, in fact, is what you were called to do, because Christ suffered for you and left an example for youto fol ow in his steps.	21 For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.
22 He had done nothing wrong, and had spoken no deceit.	22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth."
23 He was insulted and did not retaliate with insults; when he was suffering he made no threats but puthis trust in the upright judge.	23 When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly.
24 He was bearing our sins in his own body on the cross, so that we might die to our sins and live foruprightness; through his bruises you have been healed.	24 He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
25 You had gone astray like sheep but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of yoursouls.	25 For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.