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19 In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison,[a] 20 who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water.(A) 21 This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God[b] for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,(B) 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 3:19 The spirits in prison: it is not clear just who these spirits are. They may be the spirits of the sinners who died in the flood, or angelic powers, hostile to God, who have been overcome by Christ (cf. 1 Pt 3:22; Gn 6:4; Enoch 6–36, especially 21:6; 2 Enoch 7:1–5).
  2. 3:21 Appeal to God: this could also be translated “pledge,” that is, a promise on the part of Christians to live with a good conscience before God, or a pledge from God of forgiveness and therefore a good conscience for us.