New Revised Standard NRS
The Message Bible MSG
1 Wives, in the same way, accept the authority of your husbands, so that, even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives' conduct,
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The same goes for you wives: Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated
2 when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.
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by your life of holy beauty.
3 Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing;
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What matters is not your outer appearance - the styling of your hair, the jewelry you wear, the cut of your clothes -
4 rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God's sight.
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but your inner disposition.
5 It was in this way long ago that the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by accepting the authority of their husbands.
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The holy women of old were beautiful before God that way, and were good, loyal wives to their husbands.
6 Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her daughters as long as you do what is good and never let fears alarm you.
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Sarah, for instance, taking care of Abraham, would address him as "my dear husband." You'll be true daughters of Sarah if you do the same, unanxious and unintimidated.
7 Husbands, in the same way, show consideration for your wives in your life together, paying honor to the woman as the weaker sex, since they too are also heirs of the gracious gift of life—so that nothing may hinder your prayers.
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The same goes for you husbands: Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God's grace, you're equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don't run aground. Suffering for Doing Good
8 Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind.
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Summing up: Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble.
9 Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing.
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That goes for all of you, no exceptions. No retaliation. No sharp-tongued sarcasm. Instead, bless - that's your job, to bless. You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.
10 For "Those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit;
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Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, Here's what you do: Say nothing evil or hurtful;
11 let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it.
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Snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you're worth.
12 For 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."
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God looks on all this with approval, listening and responding well to what he's asked; But he turns his back on those who do evil things.
13 Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?
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If with heart and soul you're doing good, do you think you can be stopped?
14 But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated,
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Even if you suffer for it, you're still better off. Don't give the opposition a second thought.
15 but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you;
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Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy.
16 yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.
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Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They'll end up realizing that they're the ones who need a bath.
17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God's will, than to suffer for doing evil.
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It's better to suffer for doing good, if that's what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad.
18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit,
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That's what Christ did definitively: suffered because of others' sins, the Righteous One for the unrighteous ones. He went through it all - was put to death and then made alive - to bring us to God.
19 in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison,
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He went and proclaimed God's salvation to earlier generations who ended up in the prison of judgment
20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.
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because they wouldn't listen. You know, even though God waited patiently all the days that Noah built his ship, only a few were saved then, eight to be exact - saved from the water by the water.
21 And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you—not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
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The waters of baptism do that for you, not by washing away dirt from your skin but by presenting you through Jesus' resurrection before God with a clear conscience.
22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.
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Jesus has the last word on everything and everyone, from angels to armies. He's standing right alongside God, and what he says goes.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.