I Peter 3

¹Again, those of you who are married women should accept the authority of your husbands, so that if any of them reject the message they may be won over without a message by the conduct of their wives,

²as they see your pure, reverent conduct.

³Yours should be, not the external adornment of the arrangement of the hair, the wearing of jewelry, or the putting on of dresses,

⁴but the inner life with the imperishable beauty of a quiet and gentle spirit; for this is very precious in God’s sight.

⁵It was by this that the holy women of old, who rested their hopes on God, adorned themselves; submitting to their husbands,

⁶as Sarah did, who obeyed Abraham, and called him master. And you are her true children, as long as you live good lives, and let nothing terrify you.

⁷Again, those of you who are married men should live considerately with your wives, showing them respect not only because they are not as phsyically strong as you but also becuase they share with you in the gift of life. Then you will be able to pray without hindrance.

⁸Lastly, you should all be united, sympathetic, full of love for each other, kind-hearted, humble-minded;

⁹never returning evil for evil, or abuse for abuse, but, on the contrary, blessing. It was to this that you were called – to obtain a blessing!

¹⁰‘The person who wants to enjoy life and see happy days – they should keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful words,

¹¹they should turn from evil and do good, They should seek for peace and follow after it;

¹²For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their prayers, but the face of the Lord is set against those who do wrong.’ Titleless Section Break

¹³Who, indeed, is there to harm you, if you prove yourselves to be eager for what is good?

¹⁴Even if you should suffer for righteousness, count yourselves blessed! ‘Do not let people terrify you, or allow yourselves to be dismayed.’

¹⁵Revere the Christ as Lord in your hearts; always ready to give an answer to anyone who asks your reason for the hope that you cherish, but giving it with courtesy and respect,

¹⁶and keeping your consciences clear, so that, whenever you are maligned, those who vilify your good and Christian conduct may be put to shame.

¹⁷It is better that you should suffer, if that should be God’s will, for doing right, than for doing wrong.

¹⁸For Christ himself died to atone for sins once for all – the good on behalf of the bad – that he might bring you to God; his body being put to death, but his spirit entering on new life.

¹⁹And it was then that he went and preached to the imprisoned spirits,

²⁰who once were disobedient, at the time when God patiently waited, in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared; in which some few lives, eight in all, were saved by means of water.

²¹And baptism, which this foreshadowed, now saves you – not the mere cleansing of the body, but the search of a clear conscience after God – through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

²²who has gone into heaven, and is at God’s right hand, where angels and archangels and the powers of heaven now yield submission to him.

I Peter 3

¹In like manner also, let wives be subject to their husbands: that, if any believe not the word, they may be won without the word, by the conversation of the wives,

²Considering your chaste conversation with fear.

³Whose adorning, let it not be the outward plaiting of the hair, or the wearing of gold, or the putting on of apparel:

⁴But the hidden man of the heart, in the incorruptibility of a quiet and a meek spirit which is rich in the sight of God.

⁵For after this manner heretofore, the holy women also who trusted in God adorned themselves, being in subjection to their own husbands:

⁶As Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters you are, doing well and not fearing any disturbance.

⁷Ye husbands, likewise dwelling with them according to knowledge, giving honour to the female as to the weaker vessel and as to the co-heirs of the grace of life: that your prayers be not hindered.

⁸And in fine, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, being lovers of the brotherhood, merciful, modest, humble:

⁹Not rendering evil for evil, nor railing for railing, but contrariwise, blessing: for unto this are you called, that you may inherit a blessing.

¹⁰For he that will love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile.

¹¹Let him decline from evil and do good: Let him seek after peace and pursue it:

¹²Because the eyes of the Lord are upon the just, and his ears unto their prayers but the countenance of the Lord upon them that do evil things.

¹³And who is he that can hurt you, if you be zealous of good?

¹⁴But if also you suffer any thing for justice' sake, blessed are ye. And be not afraid of their fear: and be not troubled.

¹⁵But sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, being ready always to satisfy every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you.

¹⁶But with modesty and fear, having a good conscience: that whereas they speak evil of you, they may be ashamed who falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

¹⁷For it is better doing well (if such be the will of God) to suffer than doing ill.

¹⁸Because Christ also died once for our sins, the just for the unjust: that he might offer us to God, being put to death indeed in the flesh, but enlivened in the spirit,

¹⁹In which also coming he preached to those spirits that were in prison:

²⁰Which had been some time incredulous, when they waited for the patience of God in the days of Noe, when the ark was a building: wherein a few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water.

²¹Whereunto baptism, being of the like form, now saveth you also: not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but, the examination of a good conscience towards God by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

²²Who is on the right hand of God, swallowing down death that we might be made heirs of life everlasting: being gone into heaven, the angels and powers and virtues being made subject to him.