Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks

⁸ And finally, being all of one mind, having fellow-feeling, loving as brethren, compassionate, courteous,

⁹ not giving back evil for evil, or railing for railing, and on the contrary, blessing, having known that to this ye were called, that a blessing ye may inherit;

¹⁰ for `he who is willing to love life, and to see good days, let him guard his tongue from evil, and his lips -- not to speak guile;

¹¹ let him turn aside from evil, and do good, let him seek peace and pursue it;

¹² because the eyes of the Lord [are] upon the righteous, and His ears -- to their supplication, and the face of the Lord [is] upon those doing evil;'

¹³ and who [is] he who will be doing you evil, if of Him who is good ye may become imitators?

¹⁴ but if ye also should suffer because of righteousness, happy [are ye]! and of their fear be not afraid, nor be troubled,

¹⁵ and the Lord God sanctify in your hearts. And [be] ready always for defence to every one who is asking of you an account concerning the hope that [is] in you, with meekness and fear;

¹⁶ having a good conscience, that in that in which they speak against you as evil-doers, they may be ashamed who are traducing your good behaviour in Christ;

¹⁷ for [it is] better doing good, if the will of God will it, to suffer, than doing evil;

¹⁸ because also Christ once for sin did suffer -- righteous for unrighteous -- that he might lead us to God, having been put to death indeed, in the flesh, and having been made alive in the spirit,

¹⁹ in which also to the spirits in prison having gone he did preach,

²⁰ who sometime disbelieved, when once the long-suffering of God did wait, in days of Noah -- an ark being preparing -- in which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water;

²¹ also to which an antitype doth now save us -- baptism, (not a putting away of the filth of flesh, but the question of a good conscience in regard to God,) through the rising again of Jesus Christ,

²² who is at the right hand of God, having gone on to heaven -- messengers, and authorities, and powers, having been subjected to him.

4 Christ, then, having suffered for us in the flesh, ye also with the same mind arm yourselves, because he who did suffer in the flesh hath done with sin,

² no more in the desires of men, but in the will of God, to live the rest of the time in the flesh;

³ for sufficient to us [is] the past time of life the will of the nations to have wrought, having walked in lasciviousnesses, desires, excesses of wines, revelings, drinking-bouts, and unlawful idolatries,

⁴ in which they think it strange -- your not running with them to the same excess of dissoluteness, speaking evil,

⁵ who shall give an account to Him who is ready to judge living and dead,

⁶ for for this also to dead men was good news proclaimed, that they may be judged, indeed, according to men in the flesh, and may live according to God in the spirit.

⁷ And of all things the end hath come nigh; be sober-minded, then, and watch unto the prayers,

⁸ and, before all things, to one another having the earnest love, because the love shall cover a multitude of sins;

⁹ hospitable to one another, without murmuring;

¹⁰ each, according as he received a gift, to one another ministering it, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God;

¹¹ if any one doth speak -- `as oracles of God;' if any one doth minister -- `as of the ability which God doth supply;' that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom is the glory and the power -- to the ages of the ages. Amen.

¹² Beloved, think it not strange at the fiery suffering among you that is coming to try you, as if a strange thing were happening to you,

¹³ but, according as ye have fellowship with the sufferings of the Christ, rejoice ye, that also in the revelation of his glory ye may rejoice -- exulting;

¹⁴ if ye be reproached in the name of Christ -- happy [are ye], because the Spirit of glory and of God upon you doth rest; in regard, indeed, to them, he is evil-spoken of, and in regard to you, he is glorified;

¹⁵ for let none of you suffer as a murderer, or thief, or evil-doer, or as an inspector into other men's matters;

¹⁶ and if as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; and let him glorify God in this respect;

¹⁷ because it is the time of the beginning of the judgment from the house of God, and if first from us, what the end of those disobedient to the good news of God?

¹⁸ And if the righteous man is scarcely saved, the ungodly and sinner -- where shall he appear?

¹⁹ so that also those suffering according to the will of god, as to a stedfast Creator, let them commit their own souls in good doing.

5 Elders who [are] among you, I exhort, who [am] a fellow-elder, and a witness of the sufferings of the Christ, and of the glory about to be revealed a partaker,

² feed the flock of God that [is] among you, overseeing not constrainedly, but willingly, neither for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind,

³ neither as exercising lordship over the heritages, but patterns becoming of the flock,

⁴ and at the manifestation of the chief Shepherd, ye shall receive the unfading crown of glory.

⁵ In like manner, ye younger, be subject to elders, and all to one another subjecting yourselves; with humble-mindedness clothe yourselves, because God the proud doth resist, but to the humble He doth give grace;

⁶ be humbled, then, under the powerful hand of God, that you He may exalt in good time,

⁷ all your care having cast upon Him, because He careth for you.

⁸ Be sober, vigilant, because your opponent the devil, as a roaring lion, doth walk about, seeking whom he may swallow up,

⁹ whom resist, stedfast in the faith, having known the same sufferings to your brotherhood in the world to be accomplished.

¹⁰ And the God of all grace, who did call you to His age-during glory in Christ Jesus, having suffered a little, Himself make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle [you];

¹¹ to Him [is] the glory, and the power -- to the ages and the ages! Amen.

¹² Through Silvanus, to you the faithful brother, as I reckon, through few [words] I did write, exhorting and testifying this to be the true grace of God in which ye have stood.

¹³ Salute you doth the [assembly] in Babylon jointly elected, and Markus my son.

¹⁴ Salute ye one another in a kiss of love; peace to you all who [are] in Christ Jesus! Amen.