7. So you who believe see his value, but for those who do not believe, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,
8. and a stumbling-stone and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
9. But 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.
10. You once were not a people, but now you are God’s people. You were shown no mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11. Dear friends, I urge you as foreigners and exiles to keep away from fleshly desires that do battle against the soul,
12. and 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.