نصائح للمتزوّجين
1 وكذلِكَ أنتُنّ أيّتُها النّساءُ، اَخضَعنَ لأزواجِكُنّ، حتى إذا كانَ فيهِم مَنْ يَرفُضونَ الإيمانَ بِكلامِ اللهِ، اَستَمالَتهُم سِيرَتُكُنّ مِنْ دونِ حاجَةٍ إلى الكلامِ، 2 عِندَما يَرَونَ ما في سِيرَتِكُنّ مِنْ عَفافٍ وتَقوى. 3 لا تكُنْ زينَتُكُنّ خارجِيّةً بضفرِ الشعرِ والتحلّي بالذهب والتأنّقِ في المَلابِسِ، 4 بَلْ داخِلِـيّةً بِما في باطِنِ القَلبِ مِنْ زينَةِ نَفسٍ وديعَةٍ مُطمَئِنّةٍ لا تَفسُدُ، وثَمَنُها عِندَ اللهِ عظيمٌ. 5 كذلِكَ كانتِ النّساءُ القِدّيساتُ المُتّكِلاتُ على اللهِ يتَزَيّنّ فيما مضَى خاضِعاتٍ لأزواجِهُنّ، 6 مِثلَ سارَةَ التي كانَت تُطيعُ إبراهيمَ وتَدعوهُ سَيّدَها. وأنتُنّ الآنَ بَناتُها إنْ أحسَنتُنّ التّصرّفَ غَيرَ خائِفاتٍ مِنْ شيءٍ.
7 وأنتُم، أيّها الرّجالُ، عيشوا معَ نِسائِكُم عارِفينَ أنّ المَرأةَ مَخلوقٌ أضعَفُ مِنكُم، وأكرِموهُنّ لأنّهُنّ شَريكاتٌ لكُم في ميراثِ نِعمَةِ الحَياةِ، فَلا يُعيقَ صَلَواتِكُم شيءٌ.
احتمال العذاب في عمل الخير
8 وبَعدُ، فليَكُنْ لكُم جميعًا وحدَةٌ في الرَأْيِ وعَطفٌ وإخاءٌ ورَأفَةٌ وتَواضُعٌ. 9 لا تَرُدّوا الشّرّ بِالشّرّ والشّتيمَةَ بالشّتيمَةِ، بَلْ بارِكوا فتَرِثوا البَرَكَةَ، لأنّكُم لهذا دُعيتُم. 10 فالكِتابُ يقولُ: «مَنْ أرادَ أنْ يُحِبّ الحياةَ ويَرى أيّامًا سعَيدَةً، فليُمسِكْ لِسانَهُ عَنِ الشّرّ وشَفَتَيهِ عَنِ المَكرِ في الكلامِ، 11 وليَبتَعِدْ عَنِ الشّرّ ويَعمَلِ الخَيرَ وليَطلُبِ السّلامَ ويَسعى إلَيهِ، 12 لأنّ عينَ الرّبّ على الأبرارِ وأُذُنَهُ تُصغي إلى دُعائِهِم. أمّا وجهُهُ فيَميلُ عَنِ الذينَ يَعمَلونَ الشّرّ».
13 فمَنْ يُسيءُ إلَيكُم إذا كُنتُم حَريصينَ على الخَيرِ؟ 14 ولَو تَألّمتُم في سَبـيلِ الحَقّ، فهَنيئًا لكُم! لا تَخافوا مِنْ أحدٍ ولا تَضطَرِبوا، 15 بَلْ قَدّسوا المَسيحَ في قُلوبِكُم وكَرّموهُ رَبّا، وكونوا في كُلّ حينٍ مُستَعِدّينَ لِلرّدّ على كُلّ مَنْ يَطلُبُ مِنكُم دَليلاً على الرّجاءِ الذي فيكُم. 16 وليكُنْ ذلِكَ بِوَداعَةٍ واَحترامٍ، مُحافِظينَ على سلامَةِ ضَميرِكُم، حتى إذا عُومِلتُم بسُوءٍ، يَخزى الذينَ عابوا حُسنَ سيرَتِكُم في المَسيحِ. 17 فَمِنَ الأفضَلِ أنْ تتَألّموا وأنتُم تَعمَلونَ الخَيرَ، إنْ كانَ ذلِكَ مَشيئَة اللهِ، مِنْ أنْ تتألّموا وأنتُم تَعمَلونَ الشّرّ. 18 فالمَسيحُ نَفسُهُ ماتَ مرّةً واحدَةً مِنْ أجلِ الخَطايا. ماتَ وهوَ البارّ مِنْ أجلِ الأشرارِ ليُقَرّبَكُم إلى اللهِ. ماتَ في الجَسَدِ، ولكِنّ اللهَ أحياهُ في الرّوحِ، 19 فاَنطلَقَ بِهذا الرّوحِ يُبَشّرُ الأرواحَ السّجينَةَ 20 التي تَمَرّدَت فيما مَضى، حينَ تَمَهّلَ صَبرُ اللهِ أيّامَ بَنى نُوحٌ الفُلْكَ فنَجا فيهِ بِالماءِ عدَدٌ قَليلٌ، أي ثمانِـيَةُ أشخاصٍ، 21 وكانَ هذا رَمزًا للمَعمودِيّةِ التي تُنَجّيكُمُ الآنَ، لا بإزالَةِ وسَخِ الجَسَدِ، بَلْ بِعَهدٍ صادِقِ النّـيّةِ معَ اللهِ بِقيامَةِ يَسوعَ المَسيحِ 22 الذي صَعِدَ إلى السّماءِ وهوَ عَنْ يَمينِ اللهِ تَخضَعُ لَه المَلائِكةُ والقُوّاتُ وأصحابُ السّلطانِ.
Wives and Husbands
1 If you are a wife, you must put your husband first. Even if he opposes our message, you will win him over by what you do. No one else will have to say anything to him, 2 because he will see how you honor God and live a pure life. 3 Don't depend on things like fancy hairdos or gold jewelry or expensive clothes to make you look beautiful. 4 Be beautiful in your heart by being gentle and quiet. This kind of beauty will last, and God considers it very special.
5 Long ago those women who worshiped God and put their hope in him made themselves beautiful by putting their husbands first. 6 For example, Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her true children, if you do right and don't let anything frighten you.
7 If you are a husband, you should be thoughtful of your wife. Treat her with honor, because she isn't as strong as you are, and she shares with you in the gift of life. Then nothing will stand in the way of your prayers.
Suffering for Doing Right
8 Finally, all of you should agree and have concern and love for each other. You should also be kind and humble. 9 Don't be hateful and insult people just because they are hateful and insult you. Instead, treat everyone with kindness. You are God's chosen ones, and he will bless you. The Scriptures say,
10 “Do you really love life?
Do you want to be happy?
Then stop saying cruel things
and quit telling lies.
11 Give up your evil ways
and do right,
as you find and follow
the road to peace.
12 The Lord watches over
everyone who obeys him,
and he listens
to their prayers.
But he opposes everyone
who does evil.”
13 Can anyone really harm you for being eager to do good deeds? 14 Even if you have to suffer for doing good things, God will bless you. So stop being afraid and don't worry about what people might do. 15 Honor Christ and let him be the Lord of your life.
Always be ready to give an answer when someone asks you about your hope. 16 Give a kind and respectful answer and keep your conscience clear. This way you will make people ashamed for saying bad things about your good conduct as a follower of Christ. 17 You are better off to obey God and suffer for doing right than to suffer for doing wrong.
18 Christ died once for our sins.
An innocent person died
for those who are guilty.
Christ did this
to bring you to God,
when his body
was put to death
and his spirit
was made alive.
19 Christ then preached to the spirits that were being kept in prison. 20 They had disobeyed God while Noah was building the boat, but God had been patient with them. Eight people went into that boat and were brought safely through the flood.
21 Those flood waters were like baptism that now saves you. But baptism is more than just washing your body. It means turning to God with a clear conscience, because Jesus Christ was raised from death. 22 Christ is now in heaven, where he sits at the right side of God. All angels, authorities, and powers are under his control.
