9. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people who are God’s own possession. You have become this people so that you may speak of the wonderful acts of the one who called you out of darkness into his amazing light.
10. Once you weren’t a people, but now you are God’s people. Once you hadn’t received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
11. Dear friends, since you are immigrants and strangers in the world, I urge that you avoid worldly desires that wage war against your lives.
12. Live honorably among the unbelievers. Today, they defame you, as if you were doing evil. But in the day when God visits to judge they will glorify him, because they have observed your honorable deeds.
13. For the sake of the Lord submit to every human institution. Do this whether it means submitting to the emperor as supreme ruler,
14. or to governors as those sent by the emperor. They are sent to punish those doing evil and to praise those doing good.
15. Submit to them because it’s God’s will that by doing good you will silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.
16. Do this as God’s slaves, and yet also as free people, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil.
17. Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Have respectful fear of God. Honor the emperor.
18. Household slaves, submit by accepting the authority of your masters with all respect. Do this not only to good and kind masters but also to those who are harsh.
19. Now, it is commendable if, because of one’s understanding of God, someone should endure pain through suffering unjustly.
20. But what praise comes from enduring patiently when you have sinned and are beaten for it? But if you endure steadfastly when you’ve done good and suffer for it, this is commendable before God.
21. You were called to this kind of endurance, because Christ suffered on your behalf. He left you an example so that you might follow in his footsteps.