Ephesians 4
New King James Version
Walk in Unity
4 I, therefore, the prisoner [a]of the Lord, [b]beseech you to (A)walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit (B)in the bond of peace. 4 (C)There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 (D)one Lord, (E)one faith, (F)one baptism; 6 (G)one God and Father of all, who is above all, and (H)through all, and in [c]you all.
Spiritual Gifts
7 But (I)to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore He says:
(J)“When He ascended on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts to men.”
9 (K)(Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also [d]first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is also the One (L)who ascended far above all the heavens, (M)that He might fill all things.)
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, (N)for the [e]edifying of (O)the body of Christ, 13 till we all come to the unity of the faith (P)and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to (Q)a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 that we should no longer be (R)children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of (S)deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the (T)head—Christ— 16 (U)from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
The New Man
17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should (V)no longer walk as [f]the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the (W)blindness of their heart; 19 (X)who, being past feeling, (Y)have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But you have not so learned Christ, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 that you (Z)put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, 23 and (AA)be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and that you (AB)put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.
Do Not Grieve the Spirit
25 Therefore, putting away lying, (AC)“Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for (AD)we are members of one another. 26 (AE)“Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 (AF)nor give [g]place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather (AG)let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something (AH)to give him who has need. 29 (AI)Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but (AJ)what is good for necessary [h]edification, (AK)that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And (AL)do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 (AM)Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, [i]clamor, and (AN)evil speaking be put away from you, (AO)with all malice. 32 And (AP)be kind to one another, tenderhearted, (AQ)forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 4:1 Lit. in
- Ephesians 4:1 exhort, encourage
- Ephesians 4:6 NU omits you; M us
- Ephesians 4:9 NU omits first
- Ephesians 4:12 building up
- Ephesians 4:17 NU omits the rest of
- Ephesians 4:27 an opportunity
- Ephesians 4:29 building up
- Ephesians 4:31 loud quarreling
Ephesians 4
The Message
To Be Mature
4 1-3 In light of all this, here’s what I want you to do. While I’m locked up here, a prisoner for the Master, I want you to get out there and walk—better yet, run!—on the road God called you to travel. I don’t want any of you sitting around on your hands. I don’t want anyone strolling off, down some path that goes nowhere. And mark that you do this with humility and discipline—not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences and quick at mending fences.
4-6 You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together, both outwardly and inwardly. You have one Master, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is present in all. Everything you are and think and do is permeated with Oneness.
7-13 But that doesn’t mean you should all look and speak and act the same. Out of the generosity of Christ, each of us is given his own gift. The text for this is,
He climbed the high mountain,
He captured the enemy and seized the plunder,
He handed it all out in gifts to the people.
Is it not true that the One who climbed up also climbed down, down to the valley of earth? And the One who climbed down is the One who climbed back up, up to highest heaven. He handed out gifts above and below, filled heaven with his gifts, filled earth with his gifts. He handed out gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher to train Christ’s followers in skilled servant work, working within Christ’s body, the church, until we’re all moving rhythmically and easily with each other, efficient and graceful in response to God’s Son, fully mature adults, fully developed within and without, fully alive like Christ.
14-16 No prolonged infancies among us, please. We’ll not tolerate babes in the woods, small children who are easy prey for predators. God wants us to grow up, to know the whole truth and tell it in love—like Christ in everything. We take our lead from Christ, who is the source of everything we do. He keeps us in step with each other. His very breath and blood flow through us, nourishing us so that we will grow up healthy in God, robust in love.
The Old Way Has to Go
17-19 And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can’t think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.
20-24 But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.
25 What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.
26-27 Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.
28 Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can’t work.
29 Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.
30 Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.
31-32 Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4
New Living Translation
Unity in the Body
4 Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 3 Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 4 For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all,
who is over all, in all, and living through all.
7 However, he has given each one of us a special gift[a] through the generosity of Christ. 8 That is why the Scriptures say,
“When he ascended to the heights,
he led a crowd of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”[b]
9 Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.[c] 10 And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.
11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
Living as Children of Light
17 With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused. 18 Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 19 They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.
20 But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 21 Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 22 throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.
25 So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 26 And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.”[d] Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a foothold to the devil.
28 If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.
30 And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own,[e] guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. 32 Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.
Efesios 4
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
La vida en Cristo
4 Yo, pues, prisionero del[a] Señor(A), les ruego(B) que ustedes vivan[b] de una manera digna(C) de la vocación(D) con que han sido llamados(E). 2 Que vivan con toda humildad y mansedumbre, con paciencia(F), soportándose unos a otros en amor(G), 3 esforzándose por preservar la unidad del Espíritu en[c] el vínculo de la paz(H).
4 Hay un solo cuerpo y un solo Espíritu(I), así como también ustedes fueron llamados en una misma esperanza de su vocación(J); 5 un solo Señor(K), una sola fe, un solo bautismo, 6 un solo Dios y Padre de todos, que está sobre todos, por todos y en todos(L).
7 Pero a cada uno(M) de nosotros se nos ha concedido la gracia(N) conforme a la medida del don de Cristo(O). 8 Por tanto, dice:
«Cuando ascendió a lo alto,
Llevó cautivo un gran número de cautivos(P),
Y dio dones a los hombres(Q)».
9 Esta expresión: «Ascendió», ¿qué significa[d], sino que Él también había descendido(R) a las profundidades de la tierra(S)? 10 El que descendió es también el mismo que ascendió mucho más arriba de todos los cielos(T), para poder llenarlo todo(U).
11 Y Él dio a algunos el ser apóstoles, a otros profetas(V), a otros evangelistas(W), a otros pastores y maestros(X), 12 a fin de capacitar a los santos para la obra del ministerio, para la edificación(Y) del cuerpo de Cristo(Z); 13 hasta que todos lleguemos a la unidad de la fe(AA) y del pleno conocimiento del Hijo de Dios(AB), a la condición de un hombre maduro(AC), a la medida de la estatura de la plenitud de Cristo(AD).
14 Entonces ya no seremos niños(AE), sacudidos por las olas y llevados de aquí para allá por todo viento(AF) de doctrina, por la astucia(AG) de los hombres, por las artimañas engañosas del error[e](AH). 15 Más bien, al hablar la verdad en amor(AI), creceremos(AJ) en todos los aspectos en Aquel que es la cabeza(AK), es decir, Cristo, 16 de quien todo el cuerpo, estando bien ajustado y unido por la cohesión que las coyunturas proveen[f], conforme al funcionamiento adecuado de cada miembro[g], produce el crecimiento del cuerpo(AL) para su propia edificación en amor(AM).
Nueva vida en Cristo
17 Esto digo, pues, y afirmo juntamente con el Señor: que ustedes ya no anden así como andan también los gentiles(AN), en la vanidad[h] de su mente(AO). 18 Ellos tienen entenebrecido(AP) su entendimiento, están excluidos de la vida de Dios(AQ) por causa de la ignorancia(AR) que hay[i] en ellos, por la dureza de su corazón(AS).
19 Habiendo llegado a ser insensibles(AT), se entregaron a la sensualidad para cometer con avidez toda clase de impurezas(AU). 20 Pero ustedes no han aprendido(AV) a Cristo[j] de esta manera. 21 Si en verdad lo oyeron(AW) y han sido enseñados en Él(AX), conforme a la verdad que hay[k] en Jesús, 22 que en cuanto a la anterior manera de vivir, ustedes se despojen(AY) del viejo hombre(AZ), que se corrompe según los deseos engañosos[l](BA), 23 y que sean renovados en el espíritu de su mente(BB), 24 y se vistan del nuevo hombre(BC), el cual, en la semejanza de Dios[m], ha sido creado(BD) en la justicia y santidad de la verdad.
25 Por tanto, dejando a un lado la falsedad(BE), hablen verdad cada cual con su prójimo(BF), porque somos miembros(BG) los unos de los otros. 26 Enójense, pero no pequen(BH); no se ponga el sol sobre su enojo, 27 ni den oportunidad[n] al diablo(BI).
28 El que roba, no robe más, sino más bien que trabaje(BJ), haciendo con sus manos(BK) lo que es bueno, a fin de que tenga qué compartir con el que tiene necesidad(BL). 29 No salga de la boca de ustedes ninguna palabra mala[o](BM), sino solo la que sea buena para edificación, según la necesidad[p] del momento, para que imparta gracia a los que escuchan(BN).
30 Y no entristezcan al Espíritu Santo(BO) de Dios, por[q] el cual fueron sellados(BP) para el día de la redención. 31 Sea quitada de ustedes(BQ) toda amargura(BR), enojo, ira, gritos, insultos, así como toda malicia(BS). 32 Sean más bien amables unos con otros, misericordiosos, perdonándose unos a otros(BT), así como también Dios los[r] perdonó en Cristo(BU).
Footnotes
- Efesios 4:1 O en el, o por el.
- Efesios 4:1 Lit. anden.
- Efesios 4:3 O con.
- Efesios 4:9 Lit. ¿qué es.
- Efesios 4:14 Lit. artimaña en relación al artificio del engaño.
- Efesios 4:16 Lit. por toda coyuntura de provisión.
- Efesios 4:16 Lit. parte.
- Efesios 4:17 Lit. superficialidad.
- Efesios 4:18 Lit. está.
- Efesios 4:20 I.e. el Mesías.
- Efesios 4:21 Lit. está.
- Efesios 4:22 Lit. las pasiones de engaño.
- Efesios 4:24 Lit. según Dios.
- Efesios 4:27 Lit. lugar.
- Efesios 4:29 Lit. corrompida.
- Efesios 4:29 Lit. de la necesidad.
- Efesios 4:30 O en, o con.
- Efesios 4:32 Algunos mss. antiguos dicen: nos.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Nueva Biblia de las Américas™ NBLA™ Copyright © 2005 por The Lockman Foundation
