1 Peter 3

New King James Version

Submission to Husbands

3 Wives, likewise, be ^(A)submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, ^(B)they, without a word, may ^(C)be won by the conduct of their wives, ²^(D)when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. ³^(E)Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— ⁴rather let it be ^(F)the hidden person of the heart, with the ^[a]incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. ⁵For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, ⁶as Sarah obeyed Abraham, ^(G)calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

A Word to Husbands

⁷^(H)Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, ^(I)as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, ^(J)that your prayers may not be hindered.

Called to Blessing

⁸Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be ^[b]courteous; ⁹^(K)not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary ^(L)blessing, knowing that you were called to this, ^(M)that you may inherit a blessing. ¹⁰For

^(N)“He who would love life
And see good days,
^(O)Let him ^[c]refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
¹¹Let him ^(P)turn away from evil and do good;
^(Q)Let him seek peace and pursue it.
¹²For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
^(R)And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Suffering for Right and Wrong

¹³^(S)And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? ¹⁴^(T)But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. ^(U)“And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” ¹⁵But ^[d]sanctify ^[e]the Lord God in your hearts, and always ^(V)be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the ^(W)hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; ¹⁶^(X)having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. ¹⁷For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Christ’s Suffering and Ours

¹⁸For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring ^[f]us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, ¹⁹by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, ²⁰who formerly were disobedient, ^[g]when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. ²¹^(Y)There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism ^(Z)(not the removal of the filth of the flesh, ^(AA)but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²²who has gone into heaven and ^(AB)is at the right hand of God, ^(AC)angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.

Footnotes

1 Peter 3:4 imperishable
1 Peter 3:8 NU humble
1 Peter 3:10 restrain
1 Peter 3:15 set apart
1 Peter 3:15 NU Christ as Lord
1 Peter 3:18 NU, M you
1 Peter 3:20 NU, M when the longsuffering of God waited patiently

1 Peter 3

The Message

Cultivate Inner Beauty

3 ^1-4The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty. What matters is not your outer appearance—the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes—but your inner disposition.

^4-6Cultivate inner beauty, the gentle, gracious kind that God delights in. The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands. Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as “my dear husband.” You’ll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.

⁷The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God’s grace, you’re equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don’t run aground.

Suffering for Doing Good

^8-12Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble. That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless—that’s your job, to bless. You’ll be a blessing and also get a blessing.

Whoever wants to embrace life
    and see the day fill up with good,
Here’s what you do:
    Say nothing evil or hurtful;
Snub evil and cultivate good;
    run after peace for all you’re worth.
God looks on all this with approval,
    listening and responding well to what he’s asked;
But he turns his back
    on those who do evil things.

^13-18If with heart and soul you’re doing good, do you think you can be stopped? Even if you suffer for it, you’re still better off. Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. That’s what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others’ sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all—was put to death and then made alive—to bring us to God.

^19-22He went and proclaimed God’s salvation to earlier generations who ended up in the prison of judgment because they wouldn’t listen. You know, even though God waited patiently all the days that Noah built his ship, only a few were saved then, eight to be exact—saved from the water by the water. The waters of baptism do that for you, not by washing away dirt from your skin but by presenting you through Jesus’ resurrection before God with a clear conscience. Jesus has the last word on everything and everyone, from angels to armies. He’s standing right alongside God, and what he says goes.

New King James Version (NKJV)

The Message (MSG)

1 Peter 3 New King James Version