Indeed, none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or wrongdoer, or even as a meddler.
Parallel translations
- WEB For let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or an evil doer, or a meddler in other men’s matters.
- KJV But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.
- NKJV But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters.
- NASB Make sure that none of you suffers as a murderer, or thief, or evildoer, or a troublesome meddler;
- NLT If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs.
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
No believer should suffer as a wrongdoer, whether as a murderer, thief, evildoer, or meddler. It distinguishes righteous suffering from the just consequences of sin.
Overview
Peter qualifies his teaching on suffering: there is no honor in suffering that one has rightly earned by sin. He lists serious crimes alongside even being a 'meddler' in others' affairs. Only suffering for doing good, not for doing wrong, shares in the blessing he describes.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 2 Th 3:11Yet we hear that some of you are leading undisciplined lives and accomplishing nothing but being busybodies.
- 1 Th 4:11and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.
- 1 Tim 5:13At the same time they will also learn to be idle, going from house to house and being not only idle, but also gossips and busybodies, discussing things they should not mention.
- 1 Pet 2:19–20For if anyone endures the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God, this is to be commended.
- 1 Pet 3:17For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
- 2 Tim 2:9for which I suffer to the extent of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God cannot be chained!
- Matt 5:11Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
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.
How 1 Peter 4:15 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.