1 Peter 2:11–25

¹¹Beloved, I exhort you, as strangers and sojourners, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; ¹²having your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that as to that in which they speak against you as evildoers, they may through your good works, themselves witnessing them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

¹³Be in subjection therefore to every human institution for the Lord’s sake; whether to the king as supreme, ¹⁴or to rulers as sent by him, for vengeance on evildoers, and praise to them that do well. ¹⁵Because so is the will of God, that by well-doing ye put to silence the ignorance of senseless men; ¹⁶as free, and not as having liberty as a cloak of malice, but as God’s bondmen. ¹⁷Shew honour to all, love the brotherhood, fear God, honour the king. ¹⁸Servants, be subject with all fear to your masters, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the ill-tempered. ¹⁹For this is acceptable, if one, for conscience sake towards God, endure griefs, suffering unjustly. ²⁰For what glory is it, if sinning and being buffeted ye shall bear it? but if, doing good and suffering, ye shall bear it, this is acceptable with God. ²¹For to this have ye been called; for Christ also has suffered for you, leaving you a model that ye should follow in his steps: ²²who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth; ²³who, when reviled, reviled not again; when suffering, threatened not; but gave himself over into the hands of him who judges righteously; ²⁴who himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, in order that, being dead to sins, we may live to righteousness: by whose stripes ye have been healed. ²⁵For ye were going astray as sheep, but have now returned to the shepherd and overseer of your souls.