Servants, be in subjection to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the wicked.
Parallel translations
- KJV Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward.
- BSB 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.
- 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 2:9–10Exhort servants to be in subjection to their own masters, and to be well-pleasing in all things; not contradicting;
- Eph 6:5–7Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ;
- Col 3:22–25Servants, obey in all things those who are your masters according to the flesh, not just when they are looking, as men pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God.
- 1 Tim 6:1–3Let as many as are bondservants under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, that the name of God and the doctrine not be blasphemed.
- Prov 3:32For the perverse is an abomination to Yahweh, but his friendship is with the upright.
- Jas 3:17But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceful, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
- Ps 101:4A perverse heart will be far from me. I will have nothing to do with evil.
- Prov 8:13The fear of Yahweh is to hate evil. I hate pride, arrogance, the evil way, and the perverse mouth.
- Gal 5:22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,
- 2 Cor 10:1Now I Paul, myself, entreat you by the humility and gentleness of Christ; I who in your presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you.
- Prov 11:20Those who are perverse in heart are an abomination to Yahweh, but those whose ways are blameless are his delight.
- Titus 3:2to speak evil of no one, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing all humility toward all men.
- Prov 10:32The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable, 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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