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1 Peter 3:8-16
New King James Version
1 Peter 3:8-16
New King James Version
Called to Blessing
8 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be [a]courteous; 9 (A)not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary (B)blessing, knowing that you were called to this, (C)that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For
(D)“He who would love life
And see good days,
(E)Let him [b]refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
11 Let him (F)turn away from evil and do good;
(G)Let him seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
(H)And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”
Suffering for Right and Wrong
13 (I)And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good? 14 (J)But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. (K)“And do not be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.” 15 But [c]sanctify [d]the Lord God in your hearts, and always (L)be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the (M)hope that is in you, with meekness and fear; 16 (N)having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1 Peter 3:8 NU humble
- 1 Peter 3:10 restrain
- 1 Peter 3:15 set apart
- 1 Peter 3:15 NU Christ as Lord
1 Peter 3:8-16
New International Version
1 Peter 3:8-16
New International Version
Suffering for Doing Good
8 Finally, all of you, be like-minded,(A) be sympathetic, love one another,(B) be compassionate and humble.(C) 9 Do not repay evil with evil(D) or insult with insult.(E) On the contrary, repay evil with blessing,(F) because to this(G) you were called(H) so that you may inherit a blessing.(I) 10 For,
“Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
11 They must turn from evil and do good;
they must seek peace and pursue it.
12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”[a](J)
13 Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?(K) 14 But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.(L) “Do not fear their threats[b]; do not be frightened.”[c](M) 15 But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer(N) to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope(O) that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience,(P) so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.(Q)
Footnotes
- 1 Peter 3:12 Psalm 34:12-16
- 1 Peter 3:14 Or fear what they fear
- 1 Peter 3:14 Isaiah 8:12
New King James Version (NKJV) 
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.