4. Now you are coming to him as to a living stone. Even though this stone was rejected by humans, from God’s perspective it is chosen, valuable.
5. You yourselves are being built like living stones into a spiritual temple. You are being made into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
6. Thus it is written in scripture, Look! I am laying a cornerstone in Zion, chosen, valuable. The person who believes in him will never be shamed.
7. So God honors you who believe. For those who refuse to believe, though, the stone the builders tossed aside has become the capstone.
8. This is a stone that makes people stumble and a rock that makes them fall. Because they refuse to believe in the word, they stumble. Indeed, this is the end to which they were appointed.
9. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s own possession. You have become this people so that you may speak of the wonderful acts of the one who called you out of darkness into his amazing light.
10. Once you weren’t a people, but now you are God’s people. Once you hadn’t received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11. Dear friends, since you are immigrants and strangers in the world, I urge that you avoid worldly desires that wage war against your lives.
12. Live honorably among the unbelievers. Today, they defame you, as if you were doing evil. But in the day when God visits to judge they will glorify him, because they have observed your honorable deeds.
13. For the sake of the Lord submit to every human institution. Do this whether it means submitting to the emperor as supreme ruler,
14. or to governors as those sent by the emperor. They are sent to punish those doing evil and to praise those doing good.
15. Submit to them because it’s God’s will that by doing good you will silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.
16. Do this as God’s slaves, and yet also as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil.
17. Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Have respectful fear of God. Honor the emperor.