Parallel Verses

A Conservative Version

As free, and not having your freedom as a cover-up of evil, but as bondmen of God.

New American Standard Bible

Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God.

King James Version

As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

Holman Bible

As God’s slaves, live as free people, but don’t use your freedom as a way to conceal evil.

International Standard Version

Live like free people, and do not use your freedom as an excuse for doing evil. Instead, be God's servants.

American Standard Version

as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God.

Amplified

Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover or pretext for evil, but [use it and live] as bond-servants of God.

An Understandable Version

As servants of God, you should live as free people, but do not use this freedom to cover up your wrongdoing.

Anderson New Testament

as being free, and yet not using your freedom as a cloak for malice, but as servants of God.

Bible in Basic English

As those who are free, not using your free position as a cover for wrongdoing, but living as the servants of God;

Common New Testament

Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a covering for evil; live as servants of God.

Daniel Mace New Testament

men. You are free, don't let your liberty serve as a pretext for vice: but act as the servants

Darby Translation

as free, and not as having liberty as a cloak of malice, but as God's bondmen.

Emphatic Diaglott Bible

Live as freemen, yet do not use your freedom as a covering of wickedness; but as the servants of God.

Godbey New Testament

as free, and not as having the freedom as a cover of evil, but as servants of God.

Goodspeed New Testament

Live like free men, only do not make your freedom an excuse for doing wrong, but be slaves of God.

John Wesley New Testament

yet not having your liberty for a cloak of wickedness, but as the servants of God.

Julia Smith Translation

As free, and as not having liberty for a covering of wickedness, but as the servants of God.

King James 2000

As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

Lexham Expanded Bible

[Live] as free [persons], and not using your freedom as a covering for evil, but as slaves of God.

Modern King James verseion

as free, and not having freedom as a cover of evil, but as servants of God.

Modern Spelling Tyndale-Coverdale

as free, and not as having the liberty for a cloak of maliciousness: but even as the servants of God.

Moffatt New Testament

Live like free men, only do not make your freedom a pretext for misconduct; live like servants of God.

Montgomery New Testament

Live like free men; and yet do not make your freedom a cloak for misconduct, but be the slaves of God.

NET Bible

Live as free people, not using your freedom as a pretext for evil, but as God's slaves.

New Heart English Bible

as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God.

Noyes New Testament

as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as servants of God.

Sawyer New Testament

as free, and not using freedom for a cloak of vice, but as servants of God.

The Emphasized Bible

As free, yet, not as a cloak of vice, holding your freedom, but, as God's servants.

Thomas Haweis New Testament

as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for wicked practices; but as being servants of God.

Twentieth Century New Testament

Act as free men, yet not using your freedom as those do who make it a cloak for wickedness, but as Servants of God.

Webster

As free, and not using your liberty for a cloke of maliciousness, but as the servants of God.

Weymouth New Testament

Be free men, and yet do not make your freedom an excuse for base conduct, but be God's bondservants.

Williams New Testament

Live like free men, only do not make your freedom a pretext for doing evil, but live like slaves of God.

World English Bible

as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God.

Worrell New Testament

as free, and not holding your freedom as a cloak for wickedness, but as servants of God.

Worsley New Testament

as free, and yet not using your liberty as a cloke for wickedness, but as the servants of God.

Youngs Literal Translation

as free, and not having the freedom as the cloak of the evil, but as servants of God;

Interlinear

English(KJV)
Strong's
Root Form
Definition
Usage
As
ὡς 
Hos 
as, when, how, as it were, about,
Usage: 417

ἐλεύθερος 
Eleutheros 
Usage: 21

and

and, also, even, both, then, so, likewise, not tr., , vr and
Usage: 0

not
μή 
me 
not, no, that not, God forbid 9, lest, neither, no man , but, none, not translated,
Usage: 493

ἔχω 
Echo 
have, be, need , , vr have
Usage: 479

ἐλευθερία 
Eleutheria 
Usage: 11

for
ὡς 
Hos 
as, when, how, as it were, about,
Usage: 417

a cloke
ἐπικάλυμα 
Epikaluma 
Usage: 1

κακία 
Kakia 
Usage: 10

but
ἀλλά 
Alla 
but, yea, yet, nevertheless, howbeit, nay, therefore, save, not tr,
Usage: 461

as
ὡς 
Hos 
as, when, how, as it were, about,
Usage: 417

the servants
δοῦλος 
Doulos 
Usage: 65

Context Readings

A Call To Good Works

15 Because this way is the will of God, doing good to muzzle the ignorance of the foolish men. 16 As free, and not having your freedom as a cover-up of evil, but as bondmen of God. 17 Respect all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Respect the king.

Cross References

Romans 6:22

But now having been made free from sin, and having become servile to God, ye have your fruit for sanctification, and the end, eternal life.

1 Corinthians 7:22

For he who was called in Lord a bondman is a freedman of Lord. Likewise also he who was called a free man is a bondman of Christ.

James 1:25

But he who stooped to look into the perfect law, the one of liberty, and who remained, this man, who did not become a forgetful hearer but a doer of work, this man will be blessed in his doing.

Matthew 23:13

Woe to you, scholars and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because ye close up the kingdom of the heavens ahead of men. For ye enter not in, nor do ye allow those who are entering to enter in.

John 8:32-36

and ye will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.

John 15:22

If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.

Romans 6:18

And having been set free from sin, ye were made servile to righteousness

Galatians 5:1

Stand firm therefore in the liberty in which Christ freed us, and be not entangled again in a yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:13

For ye, brothers, were called to liberty, only not liberty for an opportunity to the flesh, but be servants to each other through love.

Ephesians 6:6

Not according to eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as bondmen of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul,

Colossians 3:24

knowing that from Lord ye will receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ.

1 Thessalonians 2:5

For we came neither in word of flattery (at any time as ye know) nor a pretense of greed (God is witness)

James 2:12

So speak ye, and so do ye, as men who are to be judged by a law of liberty.

2 Peter 2:19

promising them freedom, while they themselves are bondmen of corruption, for by what any man has been overcome, of this he has also been enslaved.

Jude 1:4

For certain men have sneaked in, those written about formerly for this condemnation, irreverent men, perverting the grace of our God into licentiousness, and denying our only Master God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

King James Version Public Domain

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.

New American Standard Bible Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org

American Standard Version Public Domain

NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. NetBible

Basic English, produced by Mr C. K. Ogden of the Orthological Institute - public domain