Midday Devotion

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.
¹ Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!
² O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
³ But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him.
⁴ Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
⁵ Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.
⁶ There are many who say, “Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O LORD!”
⁷ You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound.
⁸ In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety. (ESV)

A Prayer of David.
¹ Incline your ear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy.
² Preserve my life, for I am godly; save your servant, who trusts in you—you are my God.
³ Be gracious to me, O Lord, for to you do I cry all the day.
⁴ Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
⁵ For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.
⁶ Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace.
⁷ In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me.
⁸ There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours.
⁹ All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name.
¹⁰ For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.
¹¹ Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.
¹² I give thanks to you, O Lord my God, with my whole heart, and I will glorify your name forever.
¹³ For great is your steadfast love toward me; you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.
¹⁴ O God, insolent men have risen up against me; a band of ruthless men seeks my life, and they do not set you before them.
¹⁵ But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.
¹⁶ Turn to me and be gracious to me; give your strength to your servant, and save the son of your maidservant.
¹⁷ Show me a sign of your favor, that those who hate me may see and be put to shame because you, LORD, have helped me and comforted me. (ESV)

A Song of Praise. Of David.
¹ I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.
² Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.
³ Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
⁴ One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.
⁵ On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
⁶ They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.
⁷ They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
⁸ The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹ The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
¹⁰ All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you!
¹¹ They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,
¹² to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.]
¹⁴ The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵ The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
¹⁶ You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
¹⁷ The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.
¹⁸ The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
¹⁹ He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.
²⁰ The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
²¹ My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

¹ Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
² I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
³ Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
⁴ When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.
⁵ Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
⁶ who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;
⁷ who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;
⁸ the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
⁹ The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
¹⁰ The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD! (ESV)

¹ “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
² Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
³ Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.
⁴ Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.
⁵ I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
⁶ If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
⁷ If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
⁸ By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
⁹ As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. (ESV)

¹ Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’”
² But Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and moreover, I will not let Israel go.”
³ Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
⁴ But the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people away from their work? Get back to your burdens.”
⁵ And Pharaoh said, “Behold, the people of the land are now many, and you make them rest from their burdens!”
⁶ The same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their foremen,
⁷ “You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as in the past; let them go and gather straw for themselves.
⁸ But the number of bricks that they made in the past you shall impose on them, you shall by no means reduce it, for they are idle. Therefore they cry, ‘Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.’
⁹ Let heavier work be laid on the men that they may labor at it and pay no regard to lying words.”
¹⁰ So the taskmasters and the foremen of the people went out and said to the people, “Thus says Pharaoh, ‘I will not give you straw.
¹¹ Go and get your straw yourselves wherever you can find it, but your work will not be reduced in the least.’”
¹² So the people were scattered throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw.
¹³ The taskmasters were urgent, saying, “Complete your work, your daily task each day, as when there was straw.”
¹⁴ And the foremen of the people of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not done all your task of making bricks today and yesterday, as in the past?”
¹⁵ Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you treat your servants like this?
¹⁶ No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.”
¹⁷ But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’
¹⁸ Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.”
¹⁹ The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.”
²⁰ They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh;
²¹ and they said to them, “The LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
²² Then Moses turned to the LORD and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me?
²³ For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”
¹ But the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” (ESV)

³³ And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
³⁴ And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
³⁵ And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”
³⁶ And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.”
³⁷ And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.
³⁸ And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
³⁹ And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
⁴⁰ There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.
⁴¹ When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.
⁴² And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
⁴⁴ Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead.
⁴⁵ And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph.
⁴⁶ And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
⁴⁷ Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. (ESV)

²¹ So Balaam rose in the morning and saddled his donkey and went with the princes of Moab.
²² But God’s anger was kindled because he went, and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him.
²³ And the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road.
²⁴ Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side.
²⁵ And when the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he struck her again.
²⁶ Then the angel of the LORD went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left.
²⁷ When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
²⁸ Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
²⁹ And Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.”
³⁰ And the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?” And he said, “No.”
³¹ Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face.
³² And the angel of the LORD said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me.
³³ The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.”
³⁴ Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.”
³⁵ And the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.
³⁶ When Balak heard that Balaam had come, he went out to meet him at the city of Moab, on the border formed by the Arnon, at the extremity of the border.
³⁷ And Balak said to Balaam, “Did I not send to you to call you? Why did you not come to me? Am I not able to honor you?”
³⁸ Balaam said to Balak, “Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power of my own to speak anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that must I speak.”
³⁹ Then Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth.
⁴⁰ And Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent for Balaam and for the princes who were with him.
⁴¹ And in the morning Balak took Balaam and brought him up to Bamoth-baal, and from there he saw a fraction of the people.

¹ And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”
² Balak did as Balaam had said. And Balak and Balaam offered on each altar a bull and a ram.
³ And Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell you.” And he went to a bare height,
⁴ and God met Balaam. And Balaam said to him, “I have arranged the seven altars and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.”
⁵ And the LORD put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”
⁶ And he returned to him, and behold, he and all the princes of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering.
⁷ And Balaam took up his discourse and said, “From Aram Balak has brought me, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains: ‘Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, denounce Israel!’
⁸ How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?
⁹ For from the top of the crags I see him, from the hills I behold him; behold, a people dwelling alone, and not counting itself among the nations!
¹⁰ Who can count the dust of Jacob or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the upright, and let my end be like his!”
¹¹ And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.”
¹² And he answered and said, “Must I not take care to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?”
¹³ And Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there.”
¹⁴ And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
¹⁵ Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering, while I meet the LORD over there.”
¹⁶ And the LORD met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak.”
¹⁷ And he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the LORD spoken?”
¹⁸ And Balaam took up his discourse and said, “Rise, Balak, and hear; give ear to me, O son of Zippor:
¹⁹ God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
²⁰ Behold, I received a command to bless: he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.
²¹ He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob, nor has he seen trouble in Israel. The LORD their God is with them, and the shout of a king is among them.
²² God brings them out of Egypt and is for them like the horns of the wild ox.
²³ For there is no enchantment against Jacob, no divination against Israel; now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What has God wrought!’
²⁴ Behold, a people! As a lioness it rises up and as a lion it lifts itself; it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.”
²⁵ And Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all.”
²⁶ But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the LORD says, that I must do’?” (ESV)

³⁷ “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
³⁸ give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
³⁹ He also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?
⁴⁰ A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
⁴¹ Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
⁴² How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.
⁴³ “For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,
⁴⁴ for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.
⁴⁵ The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
⁴⁶ “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
⁴⁷ Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:
⁴⁸ he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
⁴⁹ But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

¹ After he had finished all his sayings in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum.
² Now a centurion had a servant who was sick and at the point of death, who was highly valued by him.
³ When the centurion heard about Jesus, he sent to him elders of the Jews, asking him to come and heal his servant.
⁴ And when they came to Jesus, they pleaded with him earnestly, saying, “He is worthy to have you do this for him,
⁵ for he loves our nation, and he is the one who built us our synagogue.”
⁶ And Jesus went with them. When he was not far from the house, the centurion sent friends, saying to him, “Lord, do not trouble yourself, for I am not worthy to have you come under my roof.
⁷ Therefore I did not presume to come to you. But say the word, and let my servant be healed.
⁸ For I too am a man set under authority, with soldiers under me: and I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
⁹ When Jesus heard these things, he marveled at him, and turning to the crowd that followed him, said, “I tell you, not even in Israel have I found such faith.”
¹⁰ And when those who had been sent returned to the house, they found the servant well. (ESV)

³² The wicked watches for the righteous and seeks to put him to death.
³³ The LORD will not abandon him to his power or let him be condemned when he is brought to trial.
³⁴ Wait for the LORD and keep his way, and he will exalt you to inherit the land; you will look on when the wicked are cut off.
³⁵ I have seen a wicked, ruthless man, spreading himself like a green laurel tree.
³⁶ But he passed away, and behold, he was no more; though I sought him, he could not be found.
³⁷ Mark the blameless and behold the upright, for there is a future for the man of peace.
³⁸ But transgressors shall be altogether destroyed; the future of the wicked shall be cut off.
³⁹ The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.
⁴⁰ The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. (ESV)

¹ Let brotherly love continue.
² Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
³ Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.
⁴ Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.
⁵ Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
⁶ So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”
⁷ Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
⁸ Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
⁹ Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them.
¹⁰ We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat.
¹¹ For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp.
¹² So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood.
¹³ Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.
¹⁴ For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.
¹⁵ Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
¹⁶ Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
¹⁷ Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
¹⁸ Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things.
¹⁹ I urge you the more earnestly to do this in order that I may be restored to you the sooner.
²⁰ Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,
²¹ equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
²² I appeal to you, brothers, bear with my word of exhortation, for I have written to you briefly.
²³ You should know that our brother Timothy has been released, with whom I shall see you if he comes soon.
²⁴ Greet all your leaders and all the saints. Those who come from Italy send you greetings.
²⁵ Grace be with all of you.

¹ Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,
² according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in the sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and for sprinkling with his blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.
³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
⁴ to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,
⁵ who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
⁶ In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
⁷ so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,
⁹ obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
¹⁰ Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully,
¹¹ inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.
¹² It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.
¹³ Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,
¹⁵ but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,
¹⁶ since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”
¹⁷ And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,
¹⁸ knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold,
¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.
²⁰ He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you
²¹ who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
²² Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,
²³ since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;
²⁴ for “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls,
²⁵ but the word of the Lord remains forever.” And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
¹ So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
² Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.
⁴ As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,
⁵ you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
⁶ For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”
⁷ So the honor is for you who believe, but for those who do not believe, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”
⁸ and “A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense.” 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 for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
¹¹ Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul.
¹² Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation.
¹³ Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,
¹⁴ or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.
¹⁵ For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.
¹⁶ Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.
¹⁷ Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
¹⁸ Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.
¹⁹ For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly.
²⁰ For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
²¹ For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.
²² He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.
²³ When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly.
²⁴ He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
²⁵ For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
¹ Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,
² when they see your respectful and pure conduct. (ESV)