1 Peter 3:9 (YLT)

Passage

not giving back evil for evil, or railing for railing, and on the contrary, blessing, having known that to this ye were called, that a blessing ye may inherit;

Nearby Context

1 Peter 3:7 The husbands, in like manner, dwelling with <FI>them<Fi> , according to knowledge, as to a weaker vessel--to the wife--imparting honour, as also being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers be not hindered.

1 Peter 3:8 And finally, being all of one mind, having fellow-feeling, loving as brethren, compassionate, courteous,

1 Peter 3:9 not giving back evil for evil, or railing for railing, and on the contrary, blessing, having known that to this ye were called, that a blessing ye may inherit;

1 Peter 3:10 for `he who is willing to love life, and to see good days, let him guard his tongue from evil, and his lips--not to speak guile;

1 Peter 3:11 let him turn aside from evil, and do good, let him seek peace and pursue it;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "called", "giving", "back", "evil", "railing", "contrary", and "blessing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "called" and "giving", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "And finally being all of one mind..." into verse 10's "for he who is willing to love...", so "called" and "giving" 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 "called" and "giving" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.