| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, | 1So get rid of all evil and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. |
| 2as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, | 2And yearn like newborn infants for pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up to salvation, |
| 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. | 3if you have experienced the Lord's kindness. |
| 4Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, | 4So as you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but chosen and priceless 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 yourselves, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood and to offer spiritual sacrifices that are 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 says in scripture, "Look, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and priceless cornerstone, and whoever 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,” | 7So you who believe see his value, but for those who do not believe, the stone that 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 stumbling-stone and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. |
| 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 race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may proclaim the virtues of the one 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. | 10You once were not a people, but now you are God's people. You were shown no mercy, but now you have received mercy. |
| 11Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, | 11Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to keep away from fleshly desires that do battle against the 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. | 12and maintain good conduct among the non-Christians, so that though they now malign you as wrongdoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God when he appears. |
| 13Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, | 13Be subject to every human institution for the Lord's sake, whether to a king as supreme |
| 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 he commissions to punish wrongdoers and praise those who do good. |
| 15For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men— | 15For God wants you to silence the ignorance of foolish people by doing good. |
| 16as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. | 16Live as free people, not using your freedom as a pretext for evil, but as God's slaves. |
| 17Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. | 17Honor all people, love the family 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. | 18Slaves, be subject to your masters with all reverence, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are perverse. |
| 19For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. | 19For this finds God's favor, if because of conscience toward God someone endures hardships in suffering unjustly. |
| 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. | 20For what credit is it if you sin and are mistreated and endure it? But if you do good and suffer and so endure, this finds favor with 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, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving an example for you to follow in his steps. |
| 22“Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; | 22He committed no sin nor was deceit 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 he was maligned, he did not answer back; when he suffered, he threatened no retaliation, but committed himself to God 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, that we may cease from sinning and live for righteousness. By his wounds you were healed. |
| 25For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. | 25For you were going astray like sheep but now you have turned back to the shepherd and guardian of your souls. |
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