Bondservants and Masters

^5 (A)Bondservants,^[a] obey your earthly masters^[b] with fear and trembling, ^(B)with a sincere heart, ^(C)as you would Christ, ⁶ not by the way of eye-service, as ^(D)people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, ⁷ rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, ^8 (E)knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, ^(F)whether he is a bondservant or is free. ⁹ Masters, do the same to them, ^(G)and stop your threatening, knowing that ^(H)he who is both their Master^[c] and yours is in heaven, and that ^(I)there is no partiality with him.

²² Bondservants, obey ^(A)in everything those who are your earthly masters,^[a] not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. ^23 (B)Whatever you do, work heartily, ^(C)as for the Lord and not for men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord ^(D)you will receive the inheritance as your reward. ^(E)You are serving the Lord Christ. ²⁵ For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

6 ^(A)Let all who are under a yoke as bondservants^[a] regard their own masters as worthy of all honor, ^(B)so that the name of God and the teaching may not be reviled. ² Those who have believing masters must not be disrespectful on the ground that they are ^(C)brothers; rather they must serve all the better since those who benefit by their good service are believers and beloved.

False Teachers and True Contentment

^(D)Teach and urge these things.

^9 (A)Bondservants^[a] are to be submissive to their own masters ^(B)in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, ¹⁰ not pilfering, ^(C)but showing all good faith, ^(D)so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.