1 Peter 3-5

I Peter 3

¹Wives, be ruled by your husbands; so that even if some of them give no attention to the word, their hearts may be changed by the behaviour of their wives,

²When they see your holy behaviour in the fear of God.

³Do not let your ornaments be those of the body such as dressing of the hair, or putting on of jewels of gold or fair clothing;

⁴But let them be those of the unseen man of the heart, the ever-shining ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great price in the eyes of God.

⁵And these were the ornaments of the holy women of the past, whose hope was in God, being ruled by their husbands:

⁶As Sarah was ruled by Abraham, naming him lord; whose children you are if you do well, and are not put in fear by any danger.

⁷And you husbands, give thought to your way of life with your wives, giving honour to the woman who is the feebler vessel, but who has an equal part in the heritage of the grace of life; so that you may not be kept from prayer.

⁸Last of all, see that you are all in agreement; feeling for one another, loving one another like brothers, full of pity, without pride:

⁹Not giving back evil for evil, or curse for curse, but in place of cursing, blessing; because this is the purpose of God for you that you may have a heritage of blessing.

¹⁰For it is said, Let the man who has a love of life, desiring to see good days, keep his tongue from evil and his lips from words of deceit:

¹¹And let him be turned from evil and do good; searching for peace and going after it with all his heart.

¹²For the eyes of the Lord are on the upright, and his ears are open to their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

¹³Who will do you any damage if you keep your minds fixed on what is good?

¹⁴But you are happy if you undergo pain because of righteousness; have no part in their fear and do not be troubled;

¹⁵But give honour to Christ in your hearts as your Lord; and be ready at any time when you are questioned about the hope which is in you, to give an answer in the fear of the Lord and without pride;

¹⁶Being conscious that you have done no wrong; so that those who say evil things about your good way of life as Christians may be put to shame.

¹⁷Because if it is God's purpose for you to undergo pain, it is better to do so for well-doing than for evil-doing.

¹⁸Because Christ once went through pain for sins, the upright one taking the place of sinners, so that through him we might come back to God; being put to death in the flesh, but given life in the Spirit;

¹⁹By whom he went to the spirits in prison, preaching to those

²⁰Who, in the days of Noah, went against God's orders; but God in his mercy kept back the punishment, while Noah got ready the ark, in which a small number, that is to say eight persons, got salvation through water:

²¹And baptism, of which this is an image, now gives you salvation, not by washing clean the flesh, but by making you free from the sense of sin before God, through the coming again of Jesus Christ from the dead;

²²Who has gone into heaven, and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been put under his rule.

I Peter 4

¹So that as Jesus was put to death in the flesh, do you yourselves be of the same mind; for the death of the flesh puts an end to sin;

²So that you may give the rest of your lives in the flesh, not to the desires of men, but to the purpose of God.

³Because for long enough, in times past, we have been living after the way of the Gentiles, given up to the desires of the flesh, to drinking and feasting and loose behaviour and unclean worship of images;

⁴And they are wondering that you no longer go with them in this violent wasting of life, and are saying evil things of you:

⁵But they will have to give an account of themselves to him who is ready to be the judge of the living and the dead.

⁶For this was the reason why the good news of Jesus was given even to the dead, so that they might be judged as men in the flesh, but might be living before God in the spirit.

⁷But the end of all things is near: so be serious in your behaviour and keep on the watch with prayer;

⁸And most of all be warm in your love for one another; because in love there is forgiveness for sins without number:

⁹Keep open house for all with a glad heart;

¹⁰Making distribution among one another of whatever has been given to you, like true servants of the unmeasured grace of God;

¹¹If anyone has anything to say, let it be as the words of God; if anyone has the desire to be the servant of others, let him do it in the strength which is given by God; so that in all things God may have the glory through Jesus Christ, whose are the glory and the power for ever.

¹²Dear brothers, do not be surprised, as if it was something strange, if your faith is tested as by fire:

¹³But be glad that you are given a part in the pains of Christ; so that at the revelation of his glory you may have great joy.

¹⁴If men say evil things of you because of the name of Christ, happy are you; for the Spirit of glory and of God is resting on you.

¹⁵Let no one among you undergo punishment as a taker of life, or as a thief, or as an evil-doer, or as one who is over-interested in other men's business;

¹⁶But if he undergoes punishment as a Christian, that is no shame to him; let him give glory to God in this name.

¹⁷For the time has come for the judging, starting with the church of God; but if it makes a start with us, what will be the end of those who are not under the rule of God?

¹⁸And if it is hard for even the good man to get salvation, what chance has the man without religion or the sinner?

¹⁹For this reason let those who by the purpose of God undergo punishment, keep on in well-doing and put their souls into the safe hands of their Maker.

I Peter 5

¹I who am myself one of the rulers of the church, and a witness of the death of Christ, having my part in the coming glory, send this serious request to the chief men among you:

²Keep watch over the flock of God which is in your care, using your authority, not as forced to do so, but gladly; and not for unclean profit but with a ready mind;

³Not as lords over God's heritage, but making yourselves examples to the flock.

⁴And at the coming of the chief Keeper of the sheep, you will be given the eternal crown of glory.

⁵And in the same way, let the younger men be ruled by the older ones. Let all of you put away pride and make yourselves ready to be servants: for God is a hater of pride, but he gives grace to those who make themselves low.

⁶For this cause make yourselves low under the strong hand of God, so that when the time comes you may be lifted up;

⁷Putting all your troubles on him, for he takes care of you.

⁸Be serious and keep watch; the Evil One, who is against you, goes about like a lion with open mouth in search of food;

⁹Do not give way to him but be strong in your faith, in the knowledge that your brothers who are in the world undergo the same troubles.

¹⁰And after you have undergone pain for a little time, the God of all grace who has given you a part in his eternal glory through Christ Jesus, will himself give you strength and support, and make you complete in every good thing;

¹¹His is the power for ever. So be it.

¹²I have sent you this short letter by Silvanus, a true brother, in my opinion; comforting you and witnessing that this is the true grace of God; keep to it.

¹³She who is in Babylon, who has a part with you in the purpose of God, sends you her love; and so does my son Mark.

¹⁴Give one another the kiss of love. Peace be to you all in Christ.