Rules for Christian Households

¹⁸ Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.^(A)

The Christian Household

²² Wives, be subject^[a] to your husbands as to the Lord,^{(A) 23} for the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.^{(B) 24} Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷ so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind, so that she may be holy and without blemish.^{(C) 28} In the same way, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hates his own flesh, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, ³⁰ because we are members of his body.^{[b](D) 31} “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”^{(E) 32} This is a great mystery, but I am speaking about Christ and the church. ³³ Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect^[c] her husband.

Children and Parents

6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord,^[d] for this is right. ² “Honor your father and mother”—this is the first commandment with a promise^(F)— ³ “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

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

Slaves and Masters

⁵ Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect^[e] and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ,^{(H) 6} not with a slavery performed merely for looks, to please people, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul. ⁷ Render service with enthusiasm, as for the Lord and not for humans, ⁸ knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are enslaved or free.

⁹ And, masters,^[f] do the same to them. Stop threatening them, for you know that both of you have the same Lord^[g] in heaven, and with him there is no partiality.^(I)

Wives and Husbands

3 Wives, in the same way, be subject to your husbands, so that, even if some of them do not obey the word, they may be won over without a word by their wives’ conduct,^{(A) 2} when they see the purity and respect of your conduct. ³ Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing;^{(B) 4} rather, let your adornment be the inner self with the lasting beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in God’s sight.^{(C) 5} It was in this way long ago that the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves by being subject to their husbands. ⁶ Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord. You have become her daughters as long as you do what is good and never let fears alarm you.^(D)

⁴ so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, ⁵ to be self-controlled, chaste, good managers of the household, kind, submissive to their husbands, so that the word of God may not be discredited.^(A)

³ But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man^[a] is the head of the woman,^[b] and God is the head of Christ.^(A)

¹⁶ To the woman he said,

¹² I do not permit a woman^[a] to teach or to have authority over a man;^[b] she is to keep silent.

³⁴ Women should be silent in the churches. For they are not permitted to speak but should be subordinate, as the law also says.^(A)

²⁰ So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, vast as it is, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.”^(A)