1 Likewise, wives,kSee Gen. 3:16 be subject to your own husbands, so thatl1 Cor. 7:16 even if some do not obey the word,mMatt. 18:15; 1 Cor. 9:19-22 they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives— 2 when they see yournTitus 2:5 respectful and pure conduct. 3 o1 Tim. 2:9; [Isa. 3:18-23] Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair, the wearing of gold, or the putting on of clothing— 4 but let your adorning bepRom. 2:29; [Rom. 7:22; 2 Cor. 4:16; Eph. 3:16] the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham,qGen. 18:12 calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good andrProv. 3:25 do not fear anything that is frightening.
7 Likewise,sEph. 5:25; Col. 3:19 husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weakertSee 1 Thess. 4:4 vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
8 Finally, all of you,uSee Rom. 12:16 have unity of mind, sympathy,vSee Heb. 13:1 brotherly love,wEph. 4:32 a tender heart, andxSee Eph. 4:2 a humble mind.
9 ych. 2:23; See Rom. 12:17 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary,zLuke 6:28; Rom. 12:14; 1 Cor. 4:12 bless, forach. 2:21 to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.
10 For
bCited from Ps. 34:12-16 “Whoever desires to 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 prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. ”
13 Nowc[Prov. 16:7] who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 dch. 2:19, 20; 4:14, 16; Matt. 5:10 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed.eIsa. 8:12, 13; [ver. 6; Matt. 10:28] Have no fear of them,fJohn 14:1, 27 nor be troubled, 15 butg[Isa. 29:23; Matt. 6:9] in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy,hCol. 4:6; [2 Tim. 2:25] always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; 16 yet do it with gentleness andiSee ch. 1:17 respect,jHeb. 13:18 having a good conscience, so that,kch. 2:12 when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. 17 Forlch. 2:20; [ch. 4:15, 16] it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil.
18 For Christ alsomch. 2:21; 4:1; See Rom. 4:25 sufferednHeb. 9:26, 28 once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous,oRom. 5:2 that he might bring us to God, being put to deathpch. 4:1; Col. 1:22; [2 Cor. 13:4] in the flesh but made aliveqch. 4:6 in the spirit, 19 in which1Or the Spirit, in whom he went andq[See ver. 18 above] proclaimed to the spirits in prison, 20 because1Or when they formerly did not obey,rGen. 6:3, 5, 13, 14 when God's patience waited in the days of Noah,sHeb. 11:7 while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is,tGen. 7:1, 7, 23; 8:18; 2 Pet. 2:5 eight persons, were brought safely through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this,uMark 16:16; Acts 16:33; Rom. 6:3-6; Titus 3:5 now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body butv[Rom. 10:10] as an appeal to God for a good conscience,wch. 1:3 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven andxActs 2:33, 34; Rom. 8:34; Eph. 1:20; Col. 3:1; Heb. 1:3 is at the right hand of God,yRom. 8:38; 1 Cor. 15:24; Eph. 1:21 with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.