1 Peter 2:9 (DBY)

Passage

But *ye* [are] a chosen race, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a people for a possession, that ye might set forth the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness to his wonderful light;

Nearby Context

1 Peter 2:7 To you therefore who believe [is] the preciousness; but to the disobedient, the stone which the builders cast away as worthless, this is become head of [the] corner,

1 Peter 2:8 and a stone of stumbling and rock of offence; [who] stumble at the word, being disobedient to which also they have been appointed.

1 Peter 2:9 But *ye* [are] a chosen race, a kingly priesthood, a holy nation, a people for a possession, that ye might set forth the excellencies of him who has called you out of darkness to his wonderful light;

1 Peter 2:10 who once [were] not a people, but now God's people; who were not enjoying mercy, but now have found mercy.

1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I exhort [you], as strangers and sojourners, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "light", "darkness", "chosen", "race", "kingly", "priesthood", and "holy". It is saying that the contrast between light and darkness marks a real divide in how people respond to God's work.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "and a stone of stumbling and rock..." into verse 10's "who once were not a people but...", so "called" and "light" belong inside that flow. In 1 Peter context, the local focus is hope in suffering, holy conduct, submission, and grace.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "called" and "light" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.