1 Therefore, do not act maliciously in any way or deceive others. Do not ◄be a hypocrite/try to make others think that you have qualities that you do not really have►, and do not ◄envy/be jealous of► others. Do not ever slander anyone. 2 Just like newborn babies long for their mothers' pure milk [MET], you should long for God's spiritual truth, so that by learning it you may become spiritually mature. You need to do this until the day when God will free you completely from all the evil in this world. 3  Also, you need to do this because you have experienced that the Lord acts in a good way toward you.

4 You have come to the Lord Jesus. He is like an important stone [MET] put in the foundation of a building, but he is living, not lifeless like a stone. He was rejected by many people { Many people rejected him}, but God chose him and considers him to be very precious. 5  And like men build houses with stones [MET], God is causing you to be joined together into a group in which God's Spirit lives, in order that you, because of what Jesus Christ did for us, might, like priests who offer sacrifices, do deeds that are pleasing to God. 6  What Isaiah wrote in the Scriptures shows us that this is true. He wrote these words that God said,

7 Therefore, God will honor you who believe in Jesus. But those who refuse to believe in him are like the builders that this Scripture talks about,

8 And it is also written { Isaiah wrote} in the Scriptures:

Just as people are injured when they stumble over a rock,

9 But you are people whom God has chosen to belong to him. You are a group that represents God like priests do, and you rule with God [MET] like kings. You are ◄a holy group of people/a group of people who are separate from evil►. You are people who belong to God. This is in order that you might proclaim the virtues of God. He has called you from your former ways, when you were ignorant of his truth, into the marvelous understanding that he gives us [MET]. That is, he has called you out of spiritual darkness into spiritual light. 10  What the prophet Hosea wrote is true of you,

11 You people whom I love, I urge you to consider that you are like foreigners [MET, DOU] whose real home is in heaven. As a result, avoid doing the things that your self-directed nature desires, because those desires ◄fight against/always oppose► your souls. 12 Keep conducting your lives in a good way among those who do not know God. If you do that, although they may accuse you, saying that you are people who do what is evil, they will see your good behavior, and at the time when God comes to judge people, they will ◄give honor to him/say that what he does is right►.

13 For the sake of the Lord Jesus, submit yourselves to every human authority. That includes submitting yourselves to the king, who is the most important authority, 14 and to governors, who are sent by the king {whom the king sends} to punish those who do what is wrong and to commend/honor those who do what is right. 15 What God wants is that by your doing only what is good you will cause that foolish people who do not know God will be unable to say things ◄ to condemn you/to show you why you should be punished►. 16 Conduct your lives as though you were free from having to obey authorities, but do not think ‘Because I am free from having to obey authorities, I can do what is evil.’ Instead, act as servants of God should. 17 Act respectfully toward everyone. Love all your fellow believers. Revere God, and honor the king.

18 You slaves who are believers, submit yourselves to your masters and completely respect them. Submit yourselves not only to those who act in a good and kind [DOU] way towards you, but also submit yourselves to those who act in a harsh way towards you. 19 You should do that because God is pleased with those who, knowing that he is aware of what is happening to them, endure the pain that they suffer because of being treated unjustly by their masters { their masters have treated them unjustly}. 20 God will certainly not [RHQ] be pleased with you if you do something that is wrong and as a result you are beaten {someone beats you}! But if, instead of doing wrong, you do what is good, and as a result of that, you suffer for doing what is good, and you endure that suffering, God will ◄commend/be pleased with► you. 21 One of the reasons why God chose you is that you would suffer. When Christ suffered for you he became an example for you, in order that you would ◄imitate what/do like► he did. 22  Remember how Christ conducted himself,

It is because he was wounded {they wounded him} that your souls have been saved [MET] from being sinful, as people's bodies are healed from being sick. 25 Truly you were like sheep that had gone astray [SIM], but now you have returned to Jesus, who cares for your souls as a shepherd cares for his sheep [MET].