| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, | 1Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander. |
| 2as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, | 2Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, |
| 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. | 3now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. |
| 4Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, | 4As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight, |
| 5you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. | 5you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. |
| 6Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” | 6For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” |
| 7Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” | 7To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” |
| 8and “A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. | 8and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed. |
| 9But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; | 9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. |
| 10who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. | 10Once 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. |
| 11Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, | 11Beloved, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from the desires of the flesh, which war against your soul. |
| 12having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. | 12Conduct yourselves with such honor among the Gentiles that, though they slander you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day He visits us. |
| 13Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, | 13Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to the king as the supreme authority, |
| 14or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. | 14or to governors as those sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. |
| 15For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— | 15For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorance of foolish men. |
| 16as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. | 16Live in freedom, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. |
| 17Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. | 17Treat everyone with high regard: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king. |
| 18Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. | 18Servants, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but even to those who are unreasonable. |
| 19For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. | 19For if anyone endures the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God, this is to be commended. |
| 20For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. | 20How is it to your credit if you are beaten for doing wrong and you endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. |
| 21For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: | 21For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His footsteps: |
| 22“Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; | 22“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.” |
| 23who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; | 23When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly. |
| 24who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed. | 24He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. “By His stripes you are healed.” |
| 25For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. | 25For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. |
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