Servants, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but even to those who are unreasonable.
Parallel translations
- WEB Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the wicked.
- KJV Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
- NKJV Servants, be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.
- NASB Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are harsh.
- NLT You who are slaves must submit to your masters with all respect. Do what they tell you—not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are cruel.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Household servants should submit respectfully to their masters, even harsh ones. Believers in lowly positions are called to faithful, reverent conduct regardless of how they are treated.
Overview
Peter addresses servants directly, dignifying them as moral agents who can honor God in their station. Submission is owed even to 'wicked' masters, not because injustice is good but because patient endurance reflects Christ. Scripture elsewhere condemns oppression; here Peter's aim is to guide believers to a faithful witness within structures they could not change, pointing ultimately to Christ's own unjust suffering.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Titus 2:9–10Slaves are to submit to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative,
- Eph 6:5–7Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
- Col 3:22–25Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only to please them while they are watching, but with sincerity of heart and fear of the Lord.
- 1 Tim 6:1–3All who are under the yoke of slavery should regard their masters as fully worthy of honor, so that God’s name and our teaching will not be discredited.
- Prov 3:32for the LORD detests the perverse, but He is a friend to the upright.
- Jas 3:17But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
- Ps 101:4A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will know nothing of evil.
- Prov 8:13To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.
- Gal 5:22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
- 2 Cor 10:1Now by the mildness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am humble when face to face with you, but bold when away.
- Prov 11:20The perverse in heart are an abomination to the LORD, but the blameless in their walk are His delight.
- Titus 3:2to malign no one, and to be peaceable and gentle, showing full consideration to everyone.
- Prov 10:32The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.
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The lamb without blemish foreknown before the world, who bore our sins in his body on the tree, by whose wounds we are healed — the Shepherd and Overseer of our souls.
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Original language
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