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1 Peter 3:10-4:6
New King James Version
1 Peter 3:10-4:6
New King James Version
10 For
(A)“He who would love life
And see good days,
(B)Let him [a]refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
11 Let him (C)turn away from evil and do good;
(D)Let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
(E)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 (F)And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 (G)But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. (H)“And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 15 But [b]sanctify [c]the Lord God in your hearts, and always (I)be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the (J)hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 (K)having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Christ’s Suffering and Ours
18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring [d]us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who formerly were disobedient, [e]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 (L)There is also an antitype which now saves us—baptism (M)(not the removal of the filth of the flesh, (N)but the answer of a good conscience toward God), through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and (O)is at the right hand of God, (P)angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him.
Christ’s Example to Be Followed
4 Therefore, since Christ suffered [f]for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, 2 that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh for the lusts of men, (Q)but for the will of God. 3 For we have spent enough of our past [g]lifetime in doing the will of the Gentiles—when we walked in lewdness, lusts, drunkenness, revelries, drinking parties, and abominable idolatries. 4 In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you. 5 They will give an account to Him who is ready (R)to judge the living and the dead. 6 For this reason (S)the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but (T)live according to God in the spirit.
Footnotes
- 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 4:1 NU omits for us
- 1 Peter 4:3 NU time
1 Peter 3:10-4:6
New International Version
1 Peter 3:10-4:6
New International Version
10 For,
“Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good;
they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”[a](A)
13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?(B) 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.(C) “Do not fear their threats[b]; do not be frightened.”[c](D) 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer(E) to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope(F) that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience,(G) so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.(H) 17 For it is better, if it is God’s will,(I) to suffer for doing good(J) than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also suffered once(K) for sins,(L) the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.(M) He was put to death in the body(N) but made alive in the Spirit.(O) 19 After being made alive,[d] he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits(P)— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently(Q) in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.(R) In it only a few people, eight in all,(S) were saved(T) through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you(U) also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience(V) toward God.[e] It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,(W) 22 who has gone into heaven(X) and is at God’s right hand(Y)—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.(Z)
Living for God
4 Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body,(AA) arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin.(AB) 2 As a result, they do not live the rest of their earthly lives for evil human desires,(AC) but rather for the will of God. 3 For you have spent enough time in the past(AD) doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.(AE) 4 They are surprised that you do not join them in their reckless, wild living, and they heap abuse on you.(AF) 5 But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.(AG) 6 For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead,(AH) so that they might be judged according to human standards in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.
Footnotes
- 1 Peter 3:12 Psalm 34:12-16
- 1 Peter 3:14 Or fear what they fear
- 1 Peter 3:14 Isaiah 8:12
- 1 Peter 3:19 Or but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which also
- 1 Peter 3:21 Or but an appeal to God for a clear conscience
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.