1 So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure uspiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— 3 if indeed you have vtasted that the Lord is good.
4 As you come to him, a living stone wrejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being xbuilt up as a spiritual yhouse, to be a holy zpriesthood, to offer aspiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:
b“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a ccornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
7 So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe,
d“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone,”1
8 and
e“A stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were fdestined to do.
9 But you are ga chosen race, ha royal priesthood, a holy nation, ia people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you jout of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 kOnce you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11 Beloved, I urge you as lsojourners and mexiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, nwhich wage war against your soul. 12 Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and oglorify God on the day of visitation.
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