A Living Stone and a Holy People
1 1So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.
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2Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual
3milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation--
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if indeed you have
4tasted that the Lord is good.
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As you come to him, a living stone
5rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,
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6you yourselves like living stones are being built up as
7a spiritual house, to be
8a holy priesthood,
9to offer spiritual sacrifices
10acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
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For it stands in Scripture:
11"Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious,
12and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."
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So the honor is for you who
13believe, but for those who
14do not believe,
15"The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,"
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and
16"A stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense. "They stumble because they disobey the word,
17as they were destined to do.
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But you are
18a chosen race,
19a royal
20priesthood,
21a holy nation,
22a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you
23out of darkness into
24his marvelous light.