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2: 12.

evil doers, they may by your noble deeds which they look at, praise God in the day of visitation.

Be subject to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake; whether to the king as supreme or to governors as sent by him for vengeance on evil doers and for praise to those who do well: (for thus it is the will of God that by well doing you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men) as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of baseness but as slaves of God.

Honor everybody.

Love the brotherhood.

Fear God.

Honor the king.

Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters,

With all fear.

Not only to the good and gentle,

But also to the crooked.

For this is thankworthy,

If through consciousness of God,

Any one endures griefs, suffering wrongfully.

For what praise is it,

If, when you are at fault and are cuffed,

You shall take it patiently?

But if, when you do well and suffer for it,
You take it patiently,

This is thankworthy with God.

2.20.

For to this you were called,

Because Christ also suffered for you

Leaving you an example,

That you should follow his steps.

Who did not sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.

Who when he was reviled, did not revile again.

When he suffered he did not threaten,

But committed himself to him who judges impartially :

Who his own self bore our sins.

In his body on the tree,

That we having died to sins

Might live to right doing.

By whose stripes you were cured.

For you were like sheep going astray,

But are now returned

To the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

In the same way, wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands, that if any do not obey the word they may without a word be gained by the behavior of their wives, as they watch your chaste behavior coupled with reverence. And your adorning, let it not be the outward adorning of plaiting the hair and of wearing jewels of gold, or of putting on clothes, but let it be the hidden

3:4.

man of the heart in the incorruptible clothes of the meek and quiet spirit which is of great value in the sight of God. For it was in this way the holy women also who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, submitting themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you became her daughters by doing good and not being afraid.

Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives according to knowledge, giving honor to the woman as to the weaker vessel, as being also joint heirs of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be cut off.

Finally, all of you be likeminded,

Sympathetic,

Loving like brothers,

Tenderhearted,

Humbleminded,

Not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling,

But on the contrary, blessing,

For to this you were called,

That you should inherit a blessing.

For he who wishes to love life

And see good days,

Let him refrain his tongue from evil
And his lips that they speak no guile;
Let him turn away from evil and do good,

3: II.

Let him seek peace and pursue it.

For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous

And his ears listen to their prayers.

But the face of the Lord is against the evil-doers.

And who is he who will harm you, if you become zealous for the good? But even if you should suffer for thinking and doing what is right, blessed are you. And fear not their fear nor be troubled, but hallow Christ in your hearts as Lord, always ready with an answer for everybody who asks you a reason concerning the hope which is in you, yet with meekness and fear, having a good conscience, that in what you are spoken against, they may be put to shame who revile your noble conduct in Christ. For it is better, if the will of God is such, that you suffer for well-doing than for evil-doing. Because Christ also died for sins once, the good for the bad— that he might bring you to God, being put to death in the flesh, but endued with life in the spirit. And in this also he went and preached to the spirits in prison, who were once disobedient when the long-suffering of God was waiting in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which few, that is eight souls were saved by means of the water. The counterpart of which now saves you,-baptism,-not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the appeal of a

good conscience toward God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven, angels and authorities and powers being made subject to him.

Since then Christ suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same thought; for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the desires of men, but to the will of God.

For the past time was enough in which to do the will of the heathen and to walk in

lasciviousness,

desires,

wine-bibbings,
revellings,

carousings,

and abominable idolatries.

Because you have thus walked they think it strange that you no longer run with them into the same flood of self-abandonment, speaking evil of you. And they will give account to him who is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For, for this purpose was the good news preached even to the dead, that they may be judged indeed in the flesh as men are judged but may live in the spirit as God lives.

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