1 Peter 2:11–25

Living Before the World

¹¹Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts ^mwhich war against the soul, ¹²ⁿhaving your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, ^othey may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

Submission to Government

^13pTherefore submit yourselves to every ³ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, ¹⁴or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. ¹⁵For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men—^16qas free, yet not ^rusing liberty as a cloak for ⁴vice, but as bondservants of God. ¹⁷Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear ^sGod. Honor the king.

Submission to Masters

^18tServants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh. ¹⁹For this is ^ucommendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. ²⁰For ^vwhat credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. ²¹For ^wto this you were called, because Christ also suffered for ⁵us, ^xleaving ⁶us an example, that you should follow His steps:

²²“Who ^ycommitted no sin,

Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;

^23zwho, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but ^acommitted Himself to Him who judges righteously; ^24bwho Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, ^cthat we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—^dby whose ⁷stripes you were healed. ²⁵For ^eyou were like sheep going astray, but have now returned ^fto the Shepherd and ⁸Overseer of your souls.