¹Likewise you wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if any are disobedient to the word, they will be gained without a word through the conduct of the wives,

²having witnessed your pure conduct in respect.

³Your adorning should not be the outward braiding of hair and putting around of gold or the putting on of garments,

⁴but the hidden man of the heart, in the imperishable gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth before God.

⁵For in this way formerly also the holy women, those hoping in God, were adorning themselves, being subject to their own husbands;

⁶as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, of whom you have become children, doing good and not fearing not one consternation.

⁷You husbands likewise, dwelling with them according to knowledge, as with a weaker female vessel, rendering honor, since they are also joint-heirs of the favor of life, so that your prayers are not impeded.

⁸Now the end: all be single-minded, sympathetic, loving as brothers, tender-hearted, humble,

⁹not repaying evil for evil or insult for insult, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that to this you were called, so that you may inherit blessing.

¹⁰For he who is desiring to love life and to see good days should keep his tongue from evil and his lips not to speak deceit.

¹¹He should turn away also from evil and he should do good; he should seek wholeness and he should pursue it.

¹²Because the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears toward their prayer; however the face of the Lord is against those doing evil.

¹³And who is he who will harm you, if you shall be zealous for that which is good?

¹⁴But if even you would suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed. And you shall not be afraid of their threats, neither shall you be troubled;

¹⁵however sanctify the Lord, the Anointed One, in your hearts, ready always for a defense to everyone who is asking you an account concerning the hope in you,

¹⁶yet with gentleness and fear, having a good conscience, so that in this in which you are spoken against as to evildoers, those who revile your good manner of life in the Anointed One may be ashamed.

¹⁷For it is better, doing good, if one would desire the will of God, to suffer than doing evil;

¹⁸because also the Anointed One once suffered for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that he may bring you to God, having been put to death indeed in the flesh, however having been made alive in the spirit,

¹⁹in which also, having gone, he preached to the spirits in prison,

²⁰having disobeyed at one time, when the longsuffering of God was expecting in the days of Noah, when the ark is being prepared, in which few — that is, eight persons — were saved through water;

²¹which also now prefigures you, saving immersion, not a putting away of the filth of flesh, but the demand of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus the Anointed One,

²²who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, when messengers and authorities and powers were being subjected to him.