1 Peter 3:13 (ASV)

Passage

And who is he that will harm you, if ye be zealous of that which is good?

Nearby Context

1 Peter 3:11 And let him turn away from evil, and do good; Let him seek peace, and pursue it.

1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, And his ears unto their supplication: But the face of the Lord is upon them that do evil.

1 Peter 3:13 And who is he that will harm you, if ye be zealous of that which is good?

1 Peter 3:14 But even if ye should suffer for righteousness` sake, blessed [are ye:] and fear not their fear, neither be troubled;

1 Peter 3:15 but sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord: [being] ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet with meekness and fear:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "harm", "zealous", and "good". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "harm" and "zealous", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "For the eyes of the Lord are..." into verse 14's "But even if ye should suffer for...", so "harm" and "zealous" belong inside that flow. In 1 Peter context, the local focus is hope in suffering, holy conduct, submission, and grace.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "harm" and "zealous" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.