²³ Then the man said,

^24 (B)For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.

³ Some Pharisees came to ^[a]Jesus, testing Him and ^[b]asking, “^(A)Is it lawful for a man to ^[c]divorce his wife for any reason at all?” ⁴ And He answered and said, “Have you not read ^(B)that He who created them from the beginning made them male and female, ⁵ and said, ‘^(C)For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and ^(D)the two shall become one flesh’? ⁶ So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate.” ⁷ They *said to Him, “^(E)Why, then, did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” ⁸ He *said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to ^[d]divorce your wives; but from the beginning it has not been this way. ⁹ And I say to you, ^(F)whoever ^[e]divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman ^[f]commits adultery^[g].”

Marriage like Christ and the Church

^22 (A)Wives, ^(B)subject yourselves to your own husbands, ^(C)as to the Lord. ²³ For ^(D)the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the ^(E)head of the church, He Himself ^(F)being the Savior of the body. ²⁴ But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

^25 (G)Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and ^(H)gave Himself up for her, ^26 (I)so that He might sanctify her, having ^(J)cleansed her by the ^(K)washing of water with ^(L)the word, ²⁷ that He might ^(M)present to Himself the church ^[a]in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be ^(N)holy and blameless. ²⁸ So husbands also ought to ^(O)love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; ²⁹ for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, ³⁰ because we are ^(P)parts of His ^(Q)body. ^31 (R)For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. ³² This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. ³³ Nevertheless, as for you individually, each husband is to ^(S)love his own wife the same as himself, and the wife must see to it that she ^(T)respects her husband.

Children and Parents

6 ^(A)Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ^2 (B)Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), ³ so that it may turn out well for you, and that you may live long on the earth.

^4 (C)Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but ^(D)bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Family Relations

^18 (A)Wives, ^(B)be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. ^19 (C)Husbands, love your wives and do not become bitter against them. ^20 (D)Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing ^[a]to the Lord. ^21 (E)Fathers, do not ^[b]antagonize your children, so that they will not become discouraged.

^4 (A)Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; ^(B)for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.

³ For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you ^(A)abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴ that ^(B)each of you know how to ^[a]possess his own ^[b](C)vessel in sanctification and ^(D)honor, ⁵ not in ^[c](E)lustful passion, like the Gentiles who ^(F)do not know God; ⁶ and that no one violate the rights and ^(G)take advantage of his brother or sister ^(H)in the matter, because ^(I)the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also ^(J)told you previously and solemnly warned you. ⁷ For ^(K)God has not called us for ^[d](L)impurity, but in sanctification. ⁸ Therefore, the one who rejects this is not rejecting man, but the God who ^(M)gives His Holy Spirit to you.

Godly Living

3 ^(A)In the same way, you wives, ^(B)be subject to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be ^(C)won over without a word by the behavior of their wives, ² as they observe your pure ^[a]and respectful behavior. ^3 (D)Your adornment must not be merely the external—braiding the hair, wearing gold jewelry, or putting on apparel; ⁴ but it should be ^(E)the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. ⁵ For in this way the holy women of former times, ^(F)who hoped in God, also used to adorn themselves, being subject to their own husbands, ⁶ just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, ^(G)calling him lord; and you have proved to be her children if you do what is right ^[b](H)without being frightened by any fear.

^7 (I)You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with ^[c](J)someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.