Living Godly Lives in a Pagan Society

11 Dear friends,(A) I urge you, as foreigners and exiles,(B) to abstain from sinful desires,(C) which wage war against your soul.(D) 12 Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds(E) and glorify God(F) on the day he visits us.

13 Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority:(G) whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, 14 or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong(H) and to commend those who do right.(I) 15 For it is God’s will(J) that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.(K) 16 Live as free people,(L) but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil;(M) live as God’s slaves.(N) 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers,(O) fear God, honor the emperor.(P)

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11 (A)Beloved, (B)I urge you as (C)foreigners and strangers to abstain from (D)fleshly lusts, which wage (E)war against the soul. 12 (F)Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they (G)slander you as evildoers, they may [a]because of your good deeds, as they observe them, (H)glorify God (I)on the day of [b]visitation.

Honor Authority

13 (J)Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, 14 or to governors as sent [c]by him (K)for the punishment of evildoers and the (L)praise of those who do right. 15 For [d](M)such is the will of God, that by doing right you (N)silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Act as (O)free people, and [e]do not use your freedom as a [f]covering for evil, but use it as (P)bond-servants of God. 17 (Q)Honor all people, (R)love the brotherhood, (S)fear God, (T)honor the [g]king.

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Peter 2:12 Or as a result of
  2. 1 Peter 2:12 I.e., Christ’s coming again in judgment
  3. 1 Peter 2:14 Lit through
  4. 1 Peter 2:15 Lit so
  5. 1 Peter 2:16 Lit not having
  6. 1 Peter 2:16 I.e., a way to conceal
  7. 1 Peter 2:17 Or emperor