Passage
Or vnto gouernours, as vnto them that are sent of him, for the punishment of euill doers, and for the praise of them that doe well.
Or vnto gouernours, as vnto them that are sent of him, for the punishment of euill doers, and for the praise of them that doe well.
1 Peter 2:12 And haue your conuersation honest among the Gentiles, that they which speake euill of you as of euill doers, may by your good woorkes which they shall see, glorifie God in the day of visitation.
1 Peter 2:13 Therefore submit your selues vnto all maner ordinance of man for the Lordes sake, whether it be vnto the King, as vnto the superiour,
1 Peter 2:14 Or vnto gouernours, as vnto them that are sent of him, for the punishment of euill doers, and for the praise of them that doe well.
1 Peter 2:15 For so is the will of God, that by well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of the foolish men,
1 Peter 2:16 As free, and not as hauing the libertie for a cloke of maliciousnesse, but as the seruauntes of God.
The verse centers on "vnto", "gouernours", "sent", "punishment", "euill", "doers", and "praise". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "vnto" and "gouernours", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Therefore submit your selues vnto all maner..." into verse 15's "For so is the will of God...", so "vnto" and "gouernours" 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 "vnto" and "gouernours" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.