1. Putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,
2. as newborn babes, long for the spiritual milk which is without guile, that ye may grow thereby unto salvation;
3. if ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious:
4. unto whom coming, a living stone, rejected indeed of men, but with God elect, precious,
5. ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6. Because it is contained in scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: And he that believeth on him shall not be put to shame.
7. For you therefore which believe is the preciousness: but for such as disbelieve, The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner;
8. and, A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence; for they stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
9. But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, that ye may shew forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:
10. which in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
11. Beloved, I beseech you as sojourners and pilgrims, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;