The grass withered, and its flower fell off;
25But the word of the Lord abides forever.
And this is the word which was preached to you.
II. Laying aside therefore all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envyings, and all backbitings, 2as newborn babes, long for the spiritual, unadulterated milk, that ye thereby may grow unto salvation; 3if indeed ye tasted that the Lord is gracious; 4to whom coming, a living stone, disallowed indeed by men, but with God chosen, honored, 5ye yourselves also, as living stones, are built up[5] a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6Because it is contained in the Scripture: Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner-stone, chosen, honored; and he that believes on him shall not be put to shame.
7To you therefore who believe is the honor; but to the disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is become the head of the corner, 8and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, who stumble, being disobedient to the word; to which they were also appointed.
9But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for a possession; that ye should show forth the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light; 10who once were not a people, but are now the people of God; who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.
11Beloved, I exhort you as sojourners and strangers, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; 12having your deportment honorable among the Gentiles; that, wherein they speak against you as evil-doers, they may from your good works, beholding them, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13Submit yourselves to every human institution, for the Lord's sake; whether to the king, as pre-eminent, 14or to governors as being sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers, and the praise of those who do well. 15For so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of the foolish men; 16as free, and as not having your freedom for a vail of wickedness, but as God's servants.
17Honor all men; love the brotherhood; fear God; honor the king; 18ye servants, being in subjection to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and reasonable, but also to the perverse. 19For this is acceptable, if a man for conscience toward God[19] endures griefs, suffering wrongfully. 20For what glory is it, if when ye are beaten for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? But if when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 21For to this ye were called; because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that ye should follow his steps; 22who committed no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth; 23who when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, threatened not; but committed it to him who judges righteously; 24who himself bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, having died to our sins, should live to righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed. 25For ye were going astray like sheep; but have returned now unto the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
III. In like manner, ye wives, being in subjection to your own husbands; that even if any obey not the word, they may without the word be won by the deportment of their wives, 2when they behold your chaste deportment coupled with fear. 3Whose adorning, let it not be the outward one of braiding the hair, and of wearing golden ornaments, or of putting on apparel; 4but the hidden man of the heart, in that which is imperishable of the meek and quiet spirit, which in the sight of God is of great price. 5For so in the old time the holy women also, who hoped in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands, 6(as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord; of whom ye became children,) doing good, and fearing no alarm.