1 Peter 3:11

Mace New Testament

he must avoid vice, practise virtue, seek peace, and persevere in the enquiry.

Parallel Translations

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"HE MUST TURN AWAY FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD; HE MUST SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Turn your back on all this world's sorry ways. Snake out a loop and keep an eye out for peace. When you see it, rope it and tie off hard.

Bible in Basic English
And let him be turned from evil and do good; searching for peace and going after it with all his heart.

Darby Translation
And let him avoid evil, and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it;

World English Bible
Let him turn away from evil, and do good. Let him seek peace, and pursue it.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Let him turn from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

Weymouth's New Testament
Let him turn from evil, and do good; Let him inquire for peace and go in pursuit of it.

King James Version (1611)
Let him eschew euil and do good, let him seeke peace and ensue it.

Literal Translation
Let him turn aside from evil, and let him do good. Let him seek peace, and pursue it;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Let him eschue euell, & do good: Let him seke peace and ensue it.

Amplified Bible
"HE MUST TURN AWAY FROM WICKEDNESS AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT. HE MUST SEARCH FOR PEACE [with God, with self, with others] AND PURSUE IT EAGERLY [actively—not merely desiring it].

American Standard Version
And let him turn away from evil, and do good; Let him seek peace, and pursue it.

Revised Standard Version
let him turn away from evil and do right; let him seek peace and pursue it.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Let him eschue evyll and do good: let him seke peace and ensue it.

Update Bible Version
And let him turn away from evil, and do good; Let him seek peace, and pursue it.

Webster's Bible Translation
Let him shun evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and pursue it.

Young's Literal Translation
let him turn aside from evil, and do good, let him seek peace and pursue it;

New Century Version
He must stop doing evil and do good. He must look for peace and work for it.

New English Translation
And he must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it .

Berean Standard Bible
He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.

Contemporary English Version
Give up your evil ways and do right, as you find and follow the road that leads to peace.

Complete Jewish Bible
turn from evil and do good, seek peace and chase after it.

English Standard Version
let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Let him eschew euil, and do good: let him seeke peace, and folow after it.

George Lamsa Translation
Let him refrain from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it.

Christian Standard Bible®
and he must turn away from evil and do what is good. He must seek peace and pursue it,

Hebrew Names Version
Let him turn away from evil, and do good. Let him seek shalom, and pursue it.

International Standard Version
He must turn away from evil and do good.Psalm 37:27; Isaiah 1:16-17; Romans 12:18; 14:19; Hebrews 12:14; 3 John 1:1:11;">[xr] He must seek peace and pursue it.

Etheridge Translation
Let him depart from evil and do good, And seek peace and run after it.

Murdock Translation
let him turn away from evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and follow after it.

New King James Version
Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.

New Living Translation
Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

New Life Bible
Turn away from what is sinful. Do what is good. Look for peace and go after it.

English Revised Version
And let him turn away from evil, and do good; Let him seek peace, and pursue it.

New Revised Standard
let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Let him turn away from mischief, and do good, Let him seek peace, and pursue it;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Let him decline from evil and do good: Let him seek after peace and pursue it:

King James Version
Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

Lexham English Bible
And he must turn away from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Let hym eschewe euyll and do good, let hym seke peace and ensue it.

Easy-to-Read Version
Stop doing what is wrong, and do good. Look for peace, and do all you can to help people live peacefully.

New American Standard Bible
"HE MUST TURN AWAY FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD; HE MUST SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT.

Good News Translation
You must turn away from evil and do good; you must strive for peace with all your heart.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And bowe he from yuel, and do good; seke he pees, and perfitli sue it.

Contextual Overview

⁸ In a word, live all of you in perfect agreement and sympathy, be full of fraternal love, compassion, and affability. ⁹ don't return evil for evil, nor calumny for calumny; on the contrary, bestow your benedictions, considering that your vocation obliges you thereto, as a means to obtain the divine blessing. ¹⁰ " He that desires to live in prosperity, must restrain his tongue from detraction, and his lips from uttering falsehood: ¹¹ he must avoid vice, practise virtue, seek peace, and persevere in the enquiry. ¹² for the eyes of the Lord are upon the virtuous, and his ears attend to their prayers, but the wicked he discountenances." ¹³ for who can hurt you, if you strive to excel in virtue. ¹⁴ However, if you suffer in the cause of virtue, it is your happiness: and instead of being over-awed by their threats, and struck with concern, ¹⁵ adore the Lord God in your hearts, and be ready to show with modesty and respect to every one that asks it, what ground there is for the expectations you have:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

eschew: Job 1:1, Job 2:3, Job 28:28, Psalms 34:14, Psalms 37:27, Proverbs 3:7, Proverbs 16:6, Proverbs 16:17, Isaiah 1:16, Isaiah 1:17, Matthew 6:13, John 17:15

do: Psalms 125:4, Matthew 5:45, Mark 14:7, Luke 6:9, Luke 6:35, Romans 7:19, Romans 7:21, Galatians 6:10, 1 Timothy 6:18, Hebrews 13:16, James 4:17, 3 John 1:11

seek: Psalms 120:6, Psalms 120:7, Matthew 5:9, Luke 1:79, Romans 5:1, Romans 8:6, Romans 12:18, Romans 14:17, Romans 14:19, Galatians 5:22, Colossians 3:15, Hebrews 12:14, James 3:17, James 3:18

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 6:2 - thy days Judges 11:14 - again unto Psalms 34:12 - What Psalms 119:101 - refrained John 5:29 - done good Romans 12:9 - cleave 1 Corinthians 14:1 - Follow 2 Corinthians 13:11 - live Philippians 2:14 - disputings Philippians 3:12 - I follow 1 Thessalonians 5:15 - ever 1 Timothy 6:11 - and 2 Timothy 2:22 - peace

Cross-References

Romans 3:20
for by the observation of the law no one shall be justified in his sight, since it is the law that takes cognizance of sin.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Let him eschew evil,.... Avoid all kinds of evil, hate it, abstain from the appearance of it, and have no fellowship with it; and particularly should avoid rendering evil for evil, or taking revenge on persons for doing him ill:

and do good; everything that is good, all good works, according to the will of God, in the exercise of faith, from a principle of love, and with a view to the glory of God; and without trusting to them, and depending upon them for life and salvation; and particularly do good for evil; do good to all men, acts of kindness and beneficence, even to enemies, and especially to them that are of the household of faith. The Jewish interpreters w on the psalm from whence these words are taken observe, that in the first of these clauses are contained all the negative precepts, whose number with them is three hundred, sixty, and five; and in the latter of them, all the affirmative precepts, which amount to two hundred and forty eight:

let him seek peace and ensue it: "or pursue it"; let him seek after it, in the world, and with all men, as much as possible, yea, with his very enemies; and live a peaceable and quiet life, in the kingdom, city, town, and neighbourhood where he is; and particularly in the church of God, and with the saints; which he should seek with all diligence and eagerness, and pursue with all rigour to the utmost of his power; and endeavour to cultivate all he can, and follow the things which make for it. The note of one of the Jewish commentators x on this passage is, "seek peace", in thine own place; "and pursue it", in another place.

w Aben Ezra & Kimchi in Psal. xxxiv. 14. x Jarchi.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Let him eschew evil - Let him avoid all evil. Compare Job 1:1.

And do good - In any and every way; by endeavoring to promote the happiness of all. Compare the notes at Galatians 6:10.

Let him seek peace, and ensue it - Follow it; that is, practice it. See the Matthew 5:9 note; Romans 12:18 note. The meaning is, that a peaceful spirit will contribute to length of days:

1. A peaceful spirit - a calm, serene, and equal temper of mind - is favorable to health, avoiding those corroding and distracting passions which do so much to wear out the physical energies of the frame; and,

(2)Such a spirit will preserve us from those contentions and strifes to which so many owe their death. Let anyone reflect on the numbers that are killed in duels, in battles, and in brawls, and he will have no difficulty in seeing how a peace fill spirit will contribute to length of days.