| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, | 1So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and all unkind speech. |
| 2as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, | 2Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, |
| 3if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious. | 3now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness. Living Stones for God’s House |
| 4Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, | 4You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. |
| 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. | 5And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. |
| 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.” | 6As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” |
| 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,” | 7Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him, “The stone that the builders rejected has now 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, “He is the stone that makes people stumble, the rock that makes them fall.” They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them. |
| 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 not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. |
| 10who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. | 10“Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.” |
| 11Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, | 11Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. |
| 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. | 12Be careful to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God when he judges the world. Respecting People in Authority |
| 13Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, | 13For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, |
| 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 the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor 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— | 15It is God’s will that your honorable lives should silence those ignorant people who make foolish accusations against you. |
| 16as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God. | 16For you are free, yet you are God’s slaves, so don’t use your freedom as an excuse to do evil. |
| 17Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king. | 17Respect everyone, and love the family of believers. Fear God, and respect the king. Slaves |
| 18Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. | 18You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel. |
| 19For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. | 19For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. |
| 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. | 20Of course, you get no credit for being patient if you are beaten for doing wrong. But if you suffer for doing good and endure it patiently, God is pleased with you. |
| 21For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: | 21For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps. |
| 22“Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; | 22He never sinned, nor ever deceived anyone. |
| 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; | 23He did not retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he suffered. He left his case in the hands of God, who always judges fairly. |
| 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 personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. |
| 25For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. | 25Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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