Chapter 3

¹You married women, in the same way, must be submissive to your husbands, so that any who refuse to believe the message may be won over without argument through the behavior of their wives ²when they see how chaste and submissive you are. ³You must not adopt the external attractions of arranging the hair and wearing jewelry and dress; ⁴yours must be the inner beauty of character, the imperishable attraction of a quiet and gentle spirit, which has great value in the sight of God. ⁵It was in that way in ancient times that those pious women who set their hopes on God made themselves attractive. They were submissive to their husbands, ⁶like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham, and called him Master. You are true daughters of hers, if you do right and are unafraid.

⁷You married men also must be considerate in living with your wives. You must show deference to women as the weaker sex, sharing the gift of life with you, so that there may be nothing to interfere with your prayers.

⁸Finally, you must all be harmonious, sympathizing, loving, tender-hearted, modest, ⁹not returning evil for evil, or abuse for abuse. You must bless people instead. It is for this that you were called—to obtain blessing. ¹⁰For

“Let him who would enjoy life

And see happy days,

Keep his tongue from evil,

And his lips from uttering deceit.

¹¹Let him turn away from evil and do right,

Let him seek peace and go after it.

¹²For the eyes of the Lord are upon upright men,

And his ears are open to their entreaty,

But the Lord’s face is set against men that do wrong.”

¹³And who is there that can hurt you if you are eager to do what is right? ¹⁴Even if you should suffer for uprightness, you are blessed. But do not be afraid of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵but reverence Christ in your hearts as Lord, and always be ready to make your defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that you have. But do so gently and respectfully, ¹⁶and keep your conscience clear, so that those who abuse your upright Christian conduct may be made ashamed of their slanders. ¹⁷For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God’s will, than for doing wrong. ¹⁸For Christ himself died once for all, for sin, an upright man for unrighteous men, to bring us to God, and was physically put to death, but he was made alive in the Spirit. ¹⁹In it Enoch went and preached even to those spirits that were in prison, ²⁰who had once been disobedient, when in Noah’s time God in his patience waited for the ark to be made ready, in which a few people, eight in all, were brought safely through the water. ²¹Baptism, which corresponds to it, now saves you also (not as the mere removing of physical stain, but as the craving for a conscience right with God)—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, ²²who has gone to heaven and is at God’s right hand, with angels, hierarchies, and powers made subject to him.