Letters to the Churches

The husbands, in like manner, dwelling with them , according to knowledge, as to a weaker vessel--to the wife--imparting honour, as also being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered.

And finally, being all of one mind, having fellow-feeling, loving as brethren, compassionate, courteous,

not giving back evil for evil, or railing for railing, and on the contrary, blessing, having known that to this ye were called, that a blessing ye may inherit;

for `he who is willing to love life, and to see good days, let him guard his tongue from evil, and his lips--not to speak guile;

let him turn aside from evil, and do good, let him seek peace and pursue it;

because the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears--to their supplication, and the face of the Lord is upon those doing evil;'

and who is he who will be doing you evil, if of Him who is good ye may become imitators?

but if ye also should suffer because of righteousness, happy are ye ! and of their fear be not afraid, nor be troubled,

and the Lord God sanctify in your hearts. And be ready always for defence to every one who is asking of you an account concerning the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;

having a good conscience, that in that in which they speak against you as evil-doers, they may be ashamed who are traducing your good behaviour in Christ;

for it is better doing good, if the will of God will it, to suffer, than doing evil;

because also Christ once for sin did suffer--righteous for unrighteous--that he might lead us to God, having been put to death indeed, in the flesh, and having been made alive in the spirit,

in which also to the spirits in prison having gone he did preach,

who sometime disbelieved, when once the long-suffering of God did wait, in days of Noah--an ark being preparing--in which few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water;

also to which an antitype doth now save us--baptism, (not a putting away of the filth of flesh, but the question of a good conscience in regard to God,) through the rising again of Jesus Christ,

who is at the right hand of God, having gone on to heaven--messengers, and authorities, and powers, having been subjected to him.

Christ, then, having suffered for us in the flesh, ye also with the same mind arm yourselves, because he who did suffer in the flesh hath done with sin,

no more in the desires of men, but in the will of God, to live the rest of the time in the flesh;

for sufficient to us is the past time of life the will of the nations to have wrought, having walked in lasciviousnesses, desires, excesses of wines, revellings, drinking-bouts, and unlawful idolatries,

in which they think it strange--your not running with them to the same excess of dissoluteness, speaking evil,

who shall give an account to Him who is ready to judge living and dead,

for for this also to dead men was good news proclaimed, that they may be judged, indeed, according to men in the flesh, and may live according to God in the spirit.

And of all things the end hath come nigh; be sober-minded, then, and watch unto the prayers,

and, before all things, to one another having the earnest love, because the love shall cover a multitude of sins;

hospitable to one another, without murmuring;