1 Peter 3
Modern English Version
Wives and Husbands
3 Likewise you wives, be submissive to your own husbands, so that if any do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 as they see the purity and reverence of your lives. 3 Do not let your adorning be the outward adorning of braiding the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine clothing. 4 But let it be the hidden nature of the heart, that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. 5 For in this manner, in the old times, the holy women, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, 6 even as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. You are her children as long as you do right and are not afraid with any terror.
7 Likewise, you husbands, live considerately with your wives, giving honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they too are also heirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
Suffering for Righteousness’ Sake
8 Finally, be all of one mind, be loving toward one another, be gracious, and be kind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil, or curse for curse, but on the contrary, bless, knowing that to this you are called, so that you may receive a blessing. 10 For
“He who would love life
and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil,
and his lips from speaking deceit.
11 Let him turn away from evil and do good;
let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
and His ears are open to their prayers;
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”[a]
13 Who is he who will harm you if you follow that which is good? 14 But even if you suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. “Do not be afraid of their terror, do not be troubled.”[b] 15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts. Always be ready to give an answer to every man who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you, with gentleness and fear. 16 Have a good conscience so that evildoers who speak evil of you and falsely accuse your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed. 17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, that you suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 18 For Christ also has once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but made alive by the Spirit, 19 by whom He also went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who in times past were disobedient, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 Figuratively this is like baptism, which also saves us now. It is not washing off the dirt from the body, but a response to God from a good conscience through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels and authorities and powers being made subject to Him.
Footnotes
1 Peter 3
Living Bible
3 1-2 Wives, fit in with your husbands’ plans; for then if they refuse to listen when you talk to them about the Lord, they will be won by your respectful, pure behavior. Your godly lives will speak to them better than any words.
3 Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty that depends on jewelry, or beautiful clothes, or hair arrangement. 4 Be beautiful inside, in your hearts, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit that is so precious to God. 5 That kind of deep beauty was seen in the saintly women of old, who trusted God and fitted in with their husbands’ plans.
6 Sarah, for instance, obeyed her husband Abraham, honoring him as head of the house. And if you do the same, you will be following in her steps like good daughters and doing what is right; then you will not need to fear offending your husbands.[a]
7 You husbands must be careful of your wives, being thoughtful of their needs and honoring them as the weaker sex. Remember that you and your wife are partners in receiving God’s blessings, and if you don’t treat her as you should, your prayers will not get ready answers.
8 And now this word to all of you: You should be like one big happy family, full of sympathy toward each other, loving one another with tender hearts and humble minds. 9 Don’t repay evil for evil. Don’t snap back at those who say unkind things about you. Instead, pray for God’s help for them, for we are to be kind to others, and God will bless us for it.
10 If you want a happy, good life, keep control of your tongue, and guard your lips from telling lies. 11 Turn away from evil and do good. Try to live in peace even if you must run after it to catch and hold it! 12 For the Lord is watching his children, listening to their prayers; but the Lord’s face is hard against those who do evil.
13 Usually no one will hurt you for wanting to do good. 14 But even if they should, you are to be envied, for God will reward you for it. 15 Quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord, and if anybody asks why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way.
16 Do what is right; then if men speak against you, calling you evil names, they will become ashamed of themselves for falsely accusing you when you have only done what is good. 17 Remember, if God wants you to suffer, it is better to suffer for doing good than for doing wrong!
18 Christ also suffered. He died once for the sins of all us guilty sinners although he himself was innocent of any sin at any time, that he might bring us safely home to God. But though his body died, his spirit lived on, 19 and it was in the spirit that he visited the spirits in prison and preached to them— 20 spirits of those who, long before in the days of Noah, had refused to listen to God, though he waited patiently for them while Noah was building the ark. Yet only eight persons were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. 21 (That, by the way, is what baptism pictures for us: In baptism we show that we have been saved from death and doom by the resurrection of Christ;[b] not because our bodies are washed clean by the water but because in being baptized we are turning to God and asking him to cleanse our hearts from sin.) 22 And now Christ is in heaven, sitting in the place of honor next to God the Father, with all the angels and powers of heaven bowing before him and obeying him.
Footnotes
- 1 Peter 3:6 offending your husbands, implied.
- 1 Peter 3:21 In baptism we show that we have been saved from death and doom by the resurrection of Christ, or “Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you through the resurrection.”
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.