⁸And finally, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, showing mutual affection, compassionate, humble, ⁹not repaying evil for evil or insult for insult, but on the other hand blessing others, because for this reason you were called, so that you could inherit a blessing. ¹⁰For

“The one who wants to love life

and see good days

must keep his^* tongue from evil

and his lips must not speak deceit.

¹¹And he must turn away from evil and do good;

he must seek peace and pursue it.

¹²For 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.^c

Suffer for Doing What is Good

¹³And who is the one who will harm you if you are a zealous adherent for what is good? ¹⁴But even if you might suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not be afraid of their intimidation or be disturbed,^d ¹⁵but set Christ apart as Lord in your hearts, always ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you for an accounting concerning the hope that is in you. ¹⁶But do so with courtesy and respect, having a good conscience, so that in the things in which you are slandered, the ones who malign your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷For it is better to suffer for doing good, if God wills it^e, than for doing evil.

¹⁸For Christ also suffered once for sins,

the just for the unjust,

in order that he could bring you to God,

being put to death in the flesh,

but made alive in the spirit,

Read in Logos

1 Peter 3:15: but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect…

Footnotes

*Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
cVerses 10–12 are a quotation from Ps 34:12–16
dThe second half of this verse contains a quotation from Isa 8:12
eLiterally “if the will of God wills”