1 Peter 3

¹Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word through the conduct of their wives,

²as they observe your pure conduct in fear.

³whose adorning let it not be the outward — braiding of hair and putting on of gold jewelry or clothing garments —

⁴but the hidden person of the heart, in the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is before God of great price.

⁵For in this way also the holy women who hoped in God formerly used to adorn themselves, being subject to their own husbands;

⁶as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose children you have become by doing good and fearing no intimidation.

⁷Husbands, likewise, dwelling with them according to knowledge, as with a weaker vessel, the female, rendering honor as also being joint heirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.

⁸Finally, all of you be like-minded, sympathetic, loving as brothers, tender-hearted, humble-minded,

⁹not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that for this you were called, so that you may inherit blessing.

¹⁰For 'he who would love life and see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit.'

¹¹let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

¹²For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears toward their prayer; but the face of the Lord is against those doing evil.

¹³And who is the one who will harm you if you become zealots for what is good?

¹⁴But even if you should suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear their intimidation, nor be troubled;

¹⁵but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready for a defense to everyone who asks you for an account of the hope that is in you,

¹⁶having a good conscience, so that in the very thing in which you are spoken against, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.

¹⁷For it is better, if the will of God should will it, to suffer while doing good than while doing evil.

¹⁸because Christ also once suffered for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that he might bring you to God, having been put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit;

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

²⁰having disobeyed at one time, when the longsuffering of God was waiting in the days of Noah while the ark was being constructed, into which a few — that is, eight souls — were saved through water;

²¹Baptism, which corresponds to this, also now saves you — not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but the pledge of a good conscience toward God — through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

²²who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, with angels and authorities and powers having been subjected to him.