Ephesians 4-5

English Standard Version

Unity in the Body of Christ

4 I therefore, ^(A)a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to ^(B)walk in a manner worthy of ^(C)the calling to which you have been called, ²with all ^(D)humility and ^(E)gentleness, with ^(F)patience, ^(G)bearing with one another in love, ³eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in ^(H)the bond of peace. ⁴There is ^(I)one body and ^(J)one Spirit—just as you were called to the one ^(K)hope that belongs to your call— ⁵^(L)one Lord, ^(M)one faith, ^(N)one baptism, ⁶^(O)one God and Father of all, ^(P)who is over all and through all and in all. ⁷But ^(Q)grace was given ^(R)to each one of us ^(S)according to the measure of Christ's gift. ⁸Therefore it says,

^(T)“When he ascended on high ^(U)he led a host of captives,
and he gave gifts to men.”^[a]

⁹(^(V)In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into ^(W)the lower regions, the earth?^[b] ¹⁰He who descended is the one who also ^(X)ascended ^(Y)far above all the heavens, that he might ^(Z)fill all things.) ¹¹And ^(AA)he gave the ^(AB)apostles, the prophets, the ^(AC)evangelists, the ^(AD)shepherds^[c] and teachers,^[d] ¹²^(AE)to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for ^(AF)building up ^(AG)the body of Christ, ¹³until we all attain to ^(AH)the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, ^(AI)to mature manhood,^[e] to the measure of the stature of ^(AJ)the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴so that we may no longer be children, ^(AK)tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in ^(AL)deceitful schemes. ¹⁵Rather, ^(AM)speaking the truth in love, we are to ^(AN)grow up in every way into him who is ^(AO)the head, into Christ, ¹⁶^(AP)from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, ^(AQ)when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

The New Life

¹⁷Now this I say and ^(AR)testify in the Lord, ^(AS)that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, ^(AT)in the futility of their minds. ¹⁸They ^(AU)are darkened in their understanding, ^(AV)alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to ^(AW)their hardness of heart. ¹⁹They ^(AX)have become callous and ^(AY)have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. ²⁰But that is not the way you ^(AZ)learned Christ!— ²¹assuming that ^(BA)you have heard about him and ^(BB)were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, ²²to ^(BC)put off ^(BD)your old self,^[f] which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through ^(BE)deceitful desires, ²³and ^(BF)to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴and to put on ^(BG)the new self, ^(BH)created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

²⁵Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you ^(BI)speak the truth with his neighbor, for ^(BJ)we are members one of another. ²⁶^(BK)Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷and ^(BL)give no opportunity to the devil. ²⁸Let the thief no longer steal, but rather ^(BM)let him labor, ^(BN)doing honest work with his own hands, so ^(BO)that he may have something to share with anyone in need. ²⁹^(BP)Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give ^(BQ)grace to those who hear. ³⁰And ^(BR)do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, ^(BS)by whom you were sealed for the day of ^(BT)redemption. ³¹^(BU)Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. ³²^(BV)Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, ^(BW)forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Walk in Love

5 ^(BX)Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. ²And ^(BY)walk in love, ^(BZ)as Christ loved us and ^(CA)gave himself up for us, a ^(CB)fragrant ^(CC)offering and sacrifice to God.

³But ^(CD)sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness ^(CE)must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. ⁴Let there be ^(CF)no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, ^(CG)which are out of place, but instead ^(CH)let there be thanksgiving. ⁵For you may be sure of this, that ^(CI)everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (^(CJ)that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. ⁶^(CK)Let no one ^(CL)deceive you with empty words, for because of these things ^(CM)the wrath of God comes upon ^(CN)the sons of disobedience. ⁷Therefore ^(CO)do not become partners with them; ⁸for ^(CP)at one time you were ^(CQ)darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. ^(CR)Walk as children of light ⁹(for ^(CS)the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), ¹⁰and ^(CT)try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. ¹¹^(CU)Take no part in the ^(CV)unfruitful ^(CW)works of darkness, but instead ^(CX)expose them. ¹²For ^(CY)it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. ¹³But when ^(CZ)anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, ¹⁴for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,

^(DA)“Awake, O sleeper,
and ^(DB)arise from the dead,
and ^(DC)Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁵^(DD)Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, ¹⁶^(DE)making the best use of the time, because ^(DF)the days are evil. ¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what ^(DG)the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸And ^(DH)do not get drunk with wine, for that is ^(DI)debauchery, but ^(DJ)be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹addressing one another in ^(DK)psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, ²⁰^(DL)giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father ^(DM)in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹^(DN)submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives and Husbands

²²^(DO)Wives, ^(DP)submit to your own husbands, ^(DQ)as to the Lord. ²³For ^(DR)the husband is the head of the wife even as ^(DS)Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is ^(DT)himself its Savior. ²⁴Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit ^(DU)in everything to their husbands.

²⁵^(DV)Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and ^(DW)gave himself up for her, ²⁶that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by ^(DX)the washing of water ^(DY)with the word, ²⁷so ^(DZ)that he might present the church to himself in splendor, ^(EA)without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.^[g] ²⁸In the same way ^(EB)husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, ³⁰because ^(EC)we are members of his body. ³¹^(ED)“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and ^(EE)the two shall become one flesh.” ³²This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. ³³However, ^(EF)let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she ^(EG)respects her husband.