1 Peter 3:8-4:6

English Standard Version

Suffering for Righteousness' Sake

⁸Finally, all of you, ^(A)have unity of mind, sympathy, ^(B)brotherly love, ^(C)a tender heart, and ^(D)a humble mind. ⁹^(E)Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, ^(F)bless, for ^(G)to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. ¹⁰For

^(H)“Whoever desires to love life
    and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
    and his lips from speaking deceit;
¹¹let him turn away from evil and do good;
    let him seek peace and pursue it.
¹²For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

¹³Now ^(I)who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? ¹⁴^(J)But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. ^(K)Have no fear of them, ^(L)nor be troubled, ¹⁵but ^(M)in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, ^(N)always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and ^(O)respect, ¹⁶^(P)having a good conscience, so that, ^(Q)when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷For ^(R)it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.

¹⁸For Christ also ^(S)suffered^[a] ^(T)once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, ^(U)that he might bring us to God, being put to death ^(V)in the flesh but made alive ^(W)in the spirit, ¹⁹in which^[b] he went and ^(X)proclaimed^[c] to the spirits in prison, ²⁰because^[d] they formerly did not obey, ^(Y)when God's patience waited in the days of Noah, ^(Z)while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, ^(AA)eight persons, were brought safely through water. ²¹Baptism, which corresponds to this, ^(AB)now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but ^(AC)as an appeal to God for a good conscience, ^(AD)through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²²who has gone into heaven and ^(AE)is at the right hand of God, ^(AF)with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.

Stewards of God's Grace

4 Since therefore ^(AG)Christ suffered in the flesh,^[e] ^(AH)arm yourselves with the same way of thinking, for ^(AI)whoever has suffered in the flesh ^(AJ)has ceased from sin, ²^(AK)so as to live for ^(AL)the rest of the time in the flesh ^(AM)no longer for human passions but ^(AN)for the will of God. ³For the time that is past ^(AO)suffices ^(AP)for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry. ⁴With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of ^(AQ)debauchery, and ^(AR)they malign you; ⁵but they will give account to him who is ready ^(AS)to judge the living and the dead. ⁶For this is why ^(AT)the gospel was preached even to those who are dead, that though judged in the flesh the way people are, they might live in the spirit the way God does.