The Right Way to Live

3 Remind the believers to ·yield to the authority of [submit/be subject to] rulers and ·government leaders [authorities], to obey them, to be ready to do ·good [whatever is good; ^Levery good work], ² to ·speak no evil about anyone [slander no one], to ·live in peace [avoid fighting], and to be gentle and ·polite [considerate; courteous] to all people.

³ In the past we also were foolish. We did not obey, we were ·wrong [mislead; deceived], and we were slaves to ·many things our bodies wanted and enjoyed [^Lvarious passions and pleasures]. We spent our lives doing evil and being ·jealous [envious]. People hated us, and we hated each other. ⁴ But when the kindness and ·love [love of humanity] of God our Savior ·was shown [appeared; was revealed], ⁵ he saved us because of his mercy. It was not because of ·good deeds we did to be right with him [or righteous deeds we did]. He saved us through the washing ·that made us new people [^Lof new-birth/regeneration and renewal] ·through [by] the Holy Spirit. ⁶ God poured out ·richly [generously; abundantly] upon us that Holy Spirit through Jesus Christ our Savior. ⁷ Being [^L…so that having been] ·made right with God [justified; declared righteous] by his grace, we could ·have the hope of receiving [^Lbecome heirs with the hope/expectation of] ·the life that never ends [eternal life].