Suffering for Righteousness' Sake

8 Finally, you must all be of one mind, sympathetic, loving as brothers, tenderhearted, and [fn]kind. 9 Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but, on the contrary, bless, [fn]knowing that to this you were called, so that you may inherit a blessing. 10 For,

“Whoever wants to love life

and see good days

must keep his tongue from evil,

and his lips from speaking deceit;

11 he must turn aside from evil and do good;

he must seek peace and pursue it.

12 For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous,

and his ears are open to their prayers.

But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

13 Now who will harm you if you become [fn]imitators of what is good? 14 But even if you do suffer because of righteousness, you are blessed. Do not fear people's threats or be troubled, 15 but sanctify [fn]the Lord God in your hearts. Always be ready to make a defense to anyone who asks you for an explanation of the hope you have within you, [fn]with gentleness and respect, 16 keeping a clear conscience, so that, when [fn]those who revile your good conduct in Christ speak against you as evildoers, they may be put to shame. 17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is God's will, than to suffer for doing evil.

18 For Christ also [fn]suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that he might bring [fn]you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, 19 in which he went and preached to the spirits in prison, 20 who disobeyed long ago when God [fn]waited patiently in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight people, were saved through water. 21 Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves [fn]us—not by removing dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.