JMNT(i)
1 Likewise (In like manner), you wives: [Be] habitually with humility aligning yourselves to your own husbands (or: women: [Be] continually arranging yourselves for support, under your own adult males), to the end that if any (or: certain ones) are habitually unpersuaded by the Word (or: uncompliant or disobedient to the message; unconvinced with the thought, reason or idea), they will continue being profited (will progressively receive advantage; or: will proceed in being acquired as gain) without a word (or: message; reason), through the behavior (or: conduct; way of life) of the wives (or: women),
2 being eyewitnesses of (or: looking upon and observing) the pure behavior (or: way of life; conduct) of you folks – which is turned upward in reverence, respect and [sacred] fear and awe –
3 whose world must not consist of the external adornment – of braiding or interweaving or struggling with [the] hair and [the] placing-around of gold ornaments, or of dressing up (putting on garments) –
4 but to the contrary, [it should consist of] the hidden person (concealed humanity; cloaked personality) of the heart, within the incorruptible and imperishable quality of the gentle (tender; mild; calm; kind; meek) and still (at ease; restful; tranquil; quiet) spirit (or: attitude; disposition; or: Breath-effect), which is (or: continually exists being) of great value and very costly in God's sight (= view, or, perspective).
5 For thus, at one time, the set-apart wives (or: the holy women) – those being in the habit of placing their expectations and hopes into God – used to normally arrange their world and adorn themselves, constantly being put in humble alignment to their own husbands (or: continuously being arranged under their own adult males, to give support),
6 as Sarah used to humbly hear and submissively obey Abraham, habitually calling him "lord" ("master;" "my owner"), of which woman you were birthed children (or: you are become her born ones [= daughters]), women normally doing good (performing virtue; creating excellence), and not being repeatedly caused to fear even one dismay (alarm; intimidation).
7 Husbands (or: Adult males), likewise (or: in like manner): Continuously dwelling together (cohabiting; making a joint home) with [them] corresponding to intimate, experiential knowledge [of them] (= with a learned insight and an intelligent recognition of the nature and aspects of a married situation), [be] habitually assigning (portioning-off; awarding; allotting) honor (value; worth) to the female attributes (things pertaining to a woman; or: to a feminine one) as to a person having a disadvantaged position in her living (or: a weaker livelihood; or: a weaker vessel, utensil, instrument, container, gear, furniture, equipment), yet as to co-heirs of Life's grace and favor (or: of [the] grace which is life; or, with other MSS: as joint-participants in an inheritance of manifold {diverse; varied; multicolored} grace – of life [p72 adds: pertaining to and having the qualities of the Age {of eonian life}]), into the [situation where] your thoughts, words and actions projected toward goodness (or: prayers) continue not to be hindered or blocked, as if by a trench being cut in their path to impede their progress.
8 Now [this is] the goal (the final situation; the end of the process): all [are to be] like-minded (of the same frame of mind and disposition), folks sharing and expressing the same feelings (being sympathetic), ones being fond of and expressing affection for the brothers (= fellow believers; = communal members), people tenderhearted and compassionate, folks of a humble disposition and way of thinking;
9 not being ones habitually giving back (repaying; rendering; giving away) bad in the place of bad (or: poor quality in exchange for poor quality; evil for evil) or abusive language in the place of abusive language (reviling in exchange for reviling; insulting back against insults), but just the opposite: constantly speaking things that embody wellness or give a blessing, because into this you are called (or: were invited), to the end that you folks may inherit a word embodying wellness (a blessing; a message of goodness; a thought bringing ease).
10 For you see, "the person who continues purposing (willing; intending; wanting) to be habitually loving life, and to see and experience good days, let his tongue at once cease from [the] worthless and poor of quality (from [the] bad and evil) and his lips speak no deceitful bait (fraud; guile).
11 "Now let him bend to incline forth and turn out, away from [the] worthless and poor of quality (from [what is] bad or evil), and let him do (practice; construct; produce) [the] good (or: virtue; excellence); let him seek and try to find peace and harmony; let him also run after it and pursue it,
12 "because [the] Lord's [= Yahweh's] eyes [are] upon (= He looks with favor on) [the] fair and equitable folks (the rightwised ones; the just ones who walk in the Way pointed out), and His ears [directed] into their request pertaining to need; yet [the] face of [the] Lord [= Yahweh] (i.e., His countenance and posturing) [is] upon (= set against) wrongdoers (those constantly practicing worthless things, repeatedly constructing bad things or habitually doing evil)." [Ps. 34:13-17]
13 And who [is] the person who will continue treating you badly (causing evil to come to you) if you folks should come to be zealots in regard to the good (ones boiling hot from the influence of the Good; enthusiasts of virtue and excellence)?
14 But even if you folks might continue experiencing suffering [as well as other things] because of fairness and equity (justice; walking in the Way pointed out; a rightwised covenant positioning), [you are] happy and blessed ones. "Yet do not fear their fear (i.e., what they fear; or, as a subjunctive: Now you should not be afraid of the fear that has them as a source), nor yet should you folks be shaken (agitated; disturbed; stirred up) [by them]." [Isa. 8:12]
15 Now "you folks set [the] Lord [= Yahweh] – the Anointed One – apart (or: Yet, let the Lord Christ be set-apart)" [Isa. 8:13], within your hearts! (or: So, treat the Anointed Owner as holy, in the core of your beings), always ready (ever prepared) toward a defense to everyone – for the one repeatedly asking you for a word (i.e., a rational explanation and a logical response) about the expectation within you folks – but still with gentleness (tenderness; meekness; kindness) and deep respect (or: serious caution; reverence; [the] fear [of the Lord]),
16 habitually holding a good conscience (or: having a virtuous joint-knowing, from possessing a clear joined-perception), so that those, having a habit of spitefully abusing and harassing your good behavior (or: conduct; way of life) within, and in union with, Christ, may be brought to shame and disgrace relating to that within which you folks are constantly being defamed (spoken down against).
17 You see, [it is] a stronger [case, position or reputation] to be repeatedly experiencing harassment, abuse or suffering [while, or, because of] habitually doing good (practicing virtue; creating goodness) – if God's purpose (intent; will) may be repeatedly willing it – than [because of] constantly doing what is wrong, bad or worthless,
18 because even Christ (or: considering that Messiah also) died [other MSS: suffered], once for all, concerning and in relation to failures to hit the target (about errors and mistakes; around and encompassing sins [some MSS: our failures; other MSS: your failures]) – a Just One (a rightwised One; One in accord with the Way pointed out; a fair and equitable individual) over [the situation of] (or: for the sake of) unjust ones (capsized folks; those out of accord with the Way pointed out; unfair and inequitable people) – to the end that He at once may bring (or: can lead; would conduct) you folks [other MSS: us] to (or: toward) God. [He], on the one hand, being put to death in flesh (= a physical body), yet on the other hand, being made alive in spirit (or: indeed, being put to death by flesh {or: = the estranged human condition}, yet, being engendered a living one by Breath-effect {or: [the] Spirit}),
19 at one point journeying (going from one place to another; passing on) within which (or: in union with Which), He also proclaimed (published; preached; heralded) the message to and for (or: among) the spirits in prison (within a guardhouse):
20 to and for those being at one time unconvinced (unpersuaded; disobedient; uncompliant) within [the] days of Noah, when (or: while) he was continuing to be receiving forth, and taking away from, out of God's state of emotional quietness (taking a long time before rushing or being in a heat of passion; long-enduring patience) while [the] ark was progressively being prepared and equipped (constructed to readiness) – into which a few folks, that is, eight souls (= people), were brought safely through [the] water (or: were brought safely through, by means of water),
21 [into] which, also, an echo of correspondent form (or: a copy; an antitype; an impress which answers back; in place of the type or pattern) is now progressively delivering (rescuing) you folks (or: repeatedly bringing you to safety): immersion (submersion and envelopment which brings absorption and permeation to the point of saturation) – not [the] putting off of [the] filth (removal of dirt) away from [the] flesh (= not baptism or bathing of the physical body, or the removal of the alienated false persona), but rather – the result of a full inquiry into the midst of God (or: the effect of an added request unto God; or: = a further quest into “the Divine Mystery” – Paul Tillich) made by a good conscience (from an excellent joint-knowing; in relation to virtuous co-knowledge). [It saves you and it is made] through means of [the] resurrection of Jesus Christ,
22 Who continuously exists (or: is; has being) within [the place of] (or: = on or at) God's right [side, or hand; – i.e., the place of authority and ability to exercise power; the place of receiving], going from place to place, journeying into [the] atmosphere (or: heaven) of those being humbly aligned by Him (or: pertaining to those subjected, placed and arranged under in Him; which are the folks being set in order for support to Him): of agents (or: messengers; folks with the message), and of authorities (or: those who have the right and privilege from out of Being), and of powers (or: folks with abilities and influence).