1. Stop being hateful! Stop trying to fool people, and start being sincere. Don't be jealous or say cruel things about others.
2. Be like newborn babies who are thirsty for the pure spiritual milk that will help you grow and be saved.
3. You have already found out how good the Lord really is.
4. Come to Jesus Christ. He is the living stone that people have rejected, but which God has chosen and highly honoured.
5. And now you are living stones that are being used to build a spiritual house. You are also a group of holy priests, and with the help of Jesus Christ you will offer sacrifices that please God.
6. It is just as God says in the Scriptures,“Look! I am placing in Ziona choice and preciouscornerstone.No one who has faithin that onewill be disappointed.”
7. You are followers of the Lord, and that stone is precious to you. But it isn't precious to those who refuse to follow him. They are the builders who tossed aside the stone that turned out to be the most important one of all.
8. They disobeyed the message and stumbled and fell over that stone, because they were doomed.
9. But you are God's chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things that he has done. The Scriptures say,
10. “Once you were nobody.Now you are God's people.At one time no onehad pity on you.Now God has treated youwith kindness.”
11. Dear friends, you are foreigners and strangers on this earth. So I beg you not to surrender to those desires that fight against you.
12. Always let others see you behaving properly, even though they may still accuse you of doing wrong. Then on the day of judgment, they will honour God by telling the good things they saw you do.
13. The Lord wants you to obey all human authorities, especially the Emperor, who rules over everyone.
14. You must also obey governors, because they are sent by the Emperor to punish criminals and to praise good citizens.
15. God wants you to silence stupid and ignorant people by doing right.