1 Peter 2:12 (DBY)

Passage

having your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that [as to that] in which they speak against you as evildoers, they may through [your] good works, [themselves] witnessing [them], glorify God in [the] day of visitation.

Nearby Context

1 Peter 2:10 who once [were] not a people, but now God's people; who were not enjoying mercy, but now have found mercy.

1 Peter 2:11 Beloved, I exhort [you], as strangers and sojourners, to abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;

1 Peter 2:12 having your conversation honest among the Gentiles, that [as to that] in which they speak against you as evildoers, they may through [your] good works, [themselves] witnessing [them], glorify God in [the] day of visitation.

1 Peter 2:13 Be in subjection [therefore] to every human institution for the Lord's sake; whether to [the] king as supreme,

1 Peter 2:14 or to rulers as sent by him, for vengeance on evildoers, and praise to them that do well.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "good works", "having", "conversation", "honest", "gentiles", "speak", "against", and "evildoers". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "good works" and "having", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Beloved I exhort you as strangers and..." into verse 13's "Be in subjection therefore to every human...", so "good works" and "having" 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 "good works" and "having" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.