Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander. Like newborn infants, desire the pure milk of the word, , so that by it you may grow up into your salvation, if you have tasted that the Lord is good. , As you come to him, a living stone #— #rejected by people but chosen and honored by God #— # you yourselves, as living stones, a spiritual house, are being built to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in Scripture:
See, I lay a stone in Zion,
a chosen and honored cornerstone,
and the one who believes in him
will never be put to shame. ,
So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving,
The stone that the builders rejected —
this one has become the cornerstone, ,
and
A stone to stumble over,
and a rock to trip over. ,
They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this.
But you are a chosen race, , , a royal priesthood, , a holy nation, , a people for his possession, , so that you may proclaim the praises , , of the one who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and exiles to abstain from sinful desires that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that when they slander you as evildoers, they will observe your good works and will glorify God on the day he visits.
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