⁵ he saved us,^(A) not because of righteous things we had done,^(B) but because of his mercy.^(C) He saved us through the washing^(D) of rebirth and renewal^(E) by the Holy Spirit,

²⁰ to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently^(A) in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.^(B) In it only a few people, eight in all,^(C) were saved^(D) through water,

²¹ and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you^(A) also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience^(B) toward God.^[a] It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,^(C)