Tend the Flock of God

51 I who am myself one of the rulers of the church, and a witness of the death of Christ, having my part in the coming glory, send this serious request to the chief men among you: 2 Keep watch over the flock of God which is in your care, using your authority, not as forced to do so, but gladly; and not for unclean profit but with a ready mind; 3 Not as lords over God's heritage, but making yourselves examples to the flock. 4 And at the coming of the chief Keeper of the sheep, you will be given the eternal crown of glory.

5 And in the same way, let the younger men be ruled by the older ones. Let all of you put away pride and make yourselves ready to be servants: for God is a hater of pride, but he gives grace to those who make themselves low. 6 For this cause make yourselves low under the strong hand of God, so that when the time comes you may be lifted up; 7 Putting all your troubles on him, for he takes care of you.

8 Be serious and keep watch; the Evil One, who is against you, goes about like a lion with open mouth in search of food; 9 Do not give way to him but be strong in your faith, in the knowledge that your brothers who are in the world undergo the same troubles.

10 And after you have undergone pain for a little time, the God of all grace who has given you a part in his eternal glory through Christ Jesus, will himself give you strength and support, and make you complete in every good thing; 11 His is the power for ever. So be it.

Final Greetings

12 I have sent you this short letter by Silvanus, a true brother, in my opinion; comforting you and witnessing that this is the true grace of God; keep to it. 13 She who is in Babylon, who has a part with you in the purpose of God, sends you her love; and so does my son Mark. 14 Give one another the kiss of love. Peace be to you all in Christ.

The Behavior of Wives and Husbands

31 Wives, be ruled by your husbands; so that even if some of them give no attention to the word, their hearts may be changed by the behaviour of their wives, 2 When they see your holy behaviour in the fear of God. 3 Do not let your ornaments be those of the body such as dressing of the hair, or putting on of jewels of gold or fair clothing; 4 But let them be those of the unseen man of the heart, the ever-shining ornament of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great price in the eyes of God. 5 And these were the ornaments of the holy women of the past, whose hope was in God, being ruled by their husbands: 6 As Sarah was ruled by Abraham, naming him lord; whose children you are if you do well, and are not put in fear by any danger. 7 And you husbands, give thought to your way of life with your wives, giving honour to the woman who is the feebler vessel, but who has an equal part in the heritage of the grace of life; so that you may not be kept from prayer.

Suffer for Righteousness' Sake

8 Last of all, see that you are all in agreement; feeling for one another, loving one another like brothers, full of pity, without pride: 9 Not giving back evil for evil, or curse for curse, but in place of cursing, blessing; because this is the purpose of God for you that you may have a heritage of blessing. 10 For it is said, Let the man who has a love of life, desiring to see good days, keep his tongue from evil and his lips from words of deceit: 11 And let him be turned from evil and do good; searching for peace and going after it with all his heart. 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the upright, and his ears are open to their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. 13 Who will do you any damage if you keep your minds fixed on what is good? 14 But you are happy if you undergo pain because of righteousness; have no part in their fear and do not be troubled; 15 But give honour to Christ in your hearts as your Lord; and be ready at any time when you are questioned about the hope which is in you, to give an answer in the fear of the Lord and without pride;

16 Being conscious that you have done no wrong; so that those who say evil things about your good way of life as Christians may be put to shame. 17 Because if it is God's purpose for you to undergo pain, it is better to do so for well-doing than for evil-doing.

18 Because Christ once went through pain for sins, the upright one taking the place of sinners, so that through him we might come back to God; being put to death in the flesh, but given life in the Spirit; 19 By whom he went to the spirits in prison, preaching to those 20 Who, in the days of Noah, went against God's orders; but God in his mercy kept back the punishment, while Noah got ready the ark, in which a small number, that is to say eight persons, got salvation through water:

21 And baptism, of which this is an image, now gives you salvation, not by washing clean the flesh, but by making you free from the sense of sin before God, through the coming again of Jesus Christ from the dead; 22 Who has gone into heaven, and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been put under his rule.