Ephesians 4
New American Standard Bible
Unity of the Spirit
4 Therefore I, (A)the prisoner of the Lord, (B)urge you to (C)walk in a manner worthy of the (D)calling with which you have been (E)called, 2 with all (F)humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another (G)in love, 3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the (H)bond of peace. 4 There is (I)one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one (J)hope of your calling; 5 (K)one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all (L)who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But (M)to each one of us (N)grace was given (O)according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore [a]it says,
9 (Now this expression, “He (R)ascended,” what [b]does it mean except that He also [c]had descended into (S)the lower parts of the earth? 10 He who descended is Himself also He who ascended (T)far above all the heavens, so that He might (U)fill all things.) 11 And He (V)gave (W)some as apostles, some as prophets, some as (X)evangelists, some as [d]pastors and (Y)teachers, 12 (Z)for the equipping of the [e]saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of (AA)the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to (AB)the unity of the faith, and of the [f](AC)knowledge of the Son of God, to a (AD)mature man, to the measure of the stature [g]which belongs to the (AE)fullness of Christ. 14 [h]As a result, we are (AF)no longer to be children, (AG)tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by (AH)craftiness [i]in (AI)deceitful scheming; 15 but [j]speaking the truth (AJ)in love, [k]we are to (AK)grow up in all aspects into Him who is the (AL)head, that is, Christ, 16 from whom (AM)the whole body, being fitted and held together [l]by what every joint supplies, according to the [m]proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself (AN)in love.
The Christian’s Walk
17 (AO)So I say this, and affirm in the Lord, (AP)that you are to no longer walk just as the [n]Gentiles also walk, in the (AQ)futility of their minds, 18 being (AR)darkened in their understanding, [o](AS)excluded from the life of God because of the (AT)ignorance that is in them, because of the (AU)hardness of their heart; 19 and they, having (AV)become callous, (AW)have given themselves up to (AX)indecent behavior [p]for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not (AY)learn Christ in this way, 21 if indeed you (AZ)have heard Him and have (BA)been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former way of life, you are to (BB)rid yourselves of the (BC)old [q]self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the (BD)lusts of deceit, 23 and that you are to be (BE)renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to (BF)put on the (BG)new [r]self, which [s](BH)in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
25 Therefore, (BI)ridding yourselves of falsehood, (BJ)speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, because we are (BK)parts of one another. 26 (BL)Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not (BM)give the devil [t]an opportunity. 28 The one who steals must no longer steal; but rather (BN)he must labor, (BO)producing with his own hands what is good, (BP)so that he will have something to share with the one who has need. 29 Let no [u](BQ)unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but if there is any good word for (BR)edification [v]according to the need of the moment, say that, so that it will give grace to those who hear. 30 (BS)Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, [w]by whom you were (BT)sealed for the day of redemption. 31 (BU)All bitterness, wrath, anger, [x]clamor, and slander must be (BV)removed from you, along with all (BW)malice. 32 (BX)Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other, (BY)just as God in Christ also has forgiven [y]you.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 4:8 Or He
- Ephesians 4:9 Lit is it except
- Ephesians 4:9 One early ms had first descended
- Ephesians 4:11 From Gr for shepherds
- Ephesians 4:12 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
- Ephesians 4:13 Or true knowledge
- Ephesians 4:13 Lit of the fullness
- Ephesians 4:14 Lit So that we will no longer be
- Ephesians 4:14 Lit with regard to the scheming of deceit
- Ephesians 4:15 Or holding to; or being truthful in
- Ephesians 4:15 Or let’s grow up
- Ephesians 4:16 Lit through every joint of the supply
- Ephesians 4:16 Lit working in measure
- Ephesians 4:17 I.e., unbelieving Gentiles
- Ephesians 4:18 Or alienated
- Ephesians 4:19 Or greedy for the practice of every kind of impurity
- Ephesians 4:22 Lit person
- Ephesians 4:24 Lit person
- Ephesians 4:24 Lit according to God
- Ephesians 4:27 Lit a place
- Ephesians 4:29 Lit rotten
- Ephesians 4:29 Lit of the need
- Ephesians 4:30 Lit in
- Ephesians 4:31 Or shouting
- Ephesians 4:32 Two early mss us
Efesierbrevet 4
Svenska Folkbibeln
Enheten i Kristi kropp
4 Jag uppmanar er därför, jag som är en fånge i Herren, att leva värdigt den kallelse ni har fått. 2 Var ödmjuka och milda på allt sätt. Visa tålamod och ha fördrag med varandra i kärlek. 3 Var ivriga att bevara Andens enhet genom fridens band: 4 en kropp och en Ande, liksom ni kallades till ett hopp, det som tillhör er kallelse, 5 en Herre, en tro, ett dop, 6 en Gud som är allas Fader, han som är över alla, genom alla och i alla.
7 Men åt var och en av oss gavs nåden, alltefter den gåva som Kristus mätte ut. 8 Därför heter det: Han steg upp i höjden, han tog fångar och gav människorna gåvor. [a] 9 Detta ord "han steg upp" vad betyder det, om inte att han också stigit ner till jorden? 10 Han som steg ner är också den som steg upp över alla himlar för att uppfylla allt. 11 Och han gav några till apostlar, andra till profeter, andra till evangelister och andra till herdar och lärare. 12 De skulle utrusta de heliga till att utföra sin tjänst att bygga upp Kristi kropp, 13 tills vi alla når fram till enheten i tron och i kunskapen om Guds Son, till ett sådant mått av manlig mognad att vi blir helt uppfyllda av Kristus.
14 Vi skall då inte längre vara barn som kastas hit och dit av vågorna och som förs bort av varje vindkast i läran, när människorna bedriver sitt falska spel och i sin list förleder till villfarelse. 15 Vi skall i stället i kärlek hålla fast vid sanningen och i allt växa upp till honom som är huvudet, nämligen Kristus. 16 Från honom får hela kroppen sin tillväxt. Så byggs kroppen upp i kärlek, och den fogas samman och hålls ihop genom det stöd som varje led ger, alltefter den kraft som är utmätt åt varje särskild del.
Det nya livet i Kristus
17 I Herrens namn varnar jag er därför: lev inte längre som hedningarna. Deras tankar är tomma, 18 deras förstånd förmörkat. De är främmande för livet i Gud därför att de är okunniga och i sina hjärtan hårda som sten. 19 Utan att skämmas kastar de sig in i utsvävningar och bedriver allt slags orenhet och får aldrig nog.
20 Ni däremot har verkligen lärt känna Kristus sådan han är. 21 Ni har fått höra honom förkunnas och blivit undervisade i honom enligt den sanning som finns hos Jesus. 22 Ni har lämnat ert förra liv och lagt av den gamla människan som går under, bedragen av sina begär, 23 och ni förnyas nu till ande och sinne. 24 Ni har iklätt er den nya människan, som är skapad till likhet med Gud, i sann rättfärdighet och helighet.
Se noga till hur ni lever
25 Lägg därför bort lögnen och tala sanning med varandra, vi är ju varandras lemmar. 26 Grips ni av vrede, så synda inte. [b] Låt inte solen gå ner över er vrede 27 och ge inte djävulen något tillfälle. 28 Tjuven skall sluta stjäla och i stället arbeta och uträtta något nyttigt med sina händer, så att han har något att dela med sig åt den som behöver. 29 Låt inget oanständigt tal komma över era läppar, tala bara det som är gott och blir till välsignelse där sådan behövs, så att det blir till glädje för dem som hör på. 30 Bedröva inte Guds helige Ande, som ni har fått som ett sigill för förlossningens dag. 31 Lägg bort all bitterhet, häftighet och vrede, allt skrikande och smädande och all annan ondska. 32 Var i stället goda och barmhärtiga mot varandra och förlåt varandra, liksom Gud i Kristus har förlåtit er.
Footnotes
- Efesierbrevet 4:8 Ps 68:19.
- Efesierbrevet 4:26 Ps 4:5.
Ephesians 4
Good News Translation
The Unity of the Body
4 I urge you, then—I who am a prisoner because I serve the Lord: live a life that measures up to the standard God set when he called you. 2 (A)Be always humble, gentle, and patient. Show your love by being tolerant with one another. 3 Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope to which God has called you. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 there is one God and Father of all people, who is Lord of all, works through all, and is in all.
7 Each one of us has received a special gift in proportion to what Christ has given. 8 (B)As the scripture says,
“When he went up to the very heights,
he took many captives with him;
he gave gifts to people.”
9 Now, what does “he went up” mean? It means that first he came down to the lowest depths of the earth.[a] 10 So the one who came down is the same one who went up, above and beyond the heavens, to fill the whole universe with his presence. 11 It was he who “gave gifts to people”; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. 12 He did this to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ. 13 And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ's full stature. 14 Then we shall no longer be children, carried by the waves and blown about by every shifting wind of the teaching of deceitful people, who lead others into error by the tricks they invent. 15 Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, who is the head. 16 (C)Under his control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love.
The New Life in Christ
17 In the Lord's name, then, I warn you: do not continue to live like the heathen, whose thoughts are worthless 18 and whose minds are in the dark. They have no part in the life that God gives, for they are completely ignorant and stubborn. 19 They have lost all feeling of shame; they give themselves over to vice and do all sorts of indecent things without restraint.
20 That was not what you learned about Christ! 21 You certainly heard about him, and as his followers you were taught the truth that is in Jesus. 22 (D)So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to—the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires. 23 Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, 24 (E)and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.
25 (F)No more lying, then! Each of you must tell the truth to the other believer, because we are all members together in the body of Christ. 26 (G)If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. 27 Don't give the Devil a chance. 28 If you used to rob, you must stop robbing and start working, in order to earn an honest living for yourself and to be able to help the poor. 29 Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you. 30 And do not make God's Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God's mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. 32 (H)Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 4:9 the lowest depths of the earth; or the lower depths, the earth itself.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
1996, 1998 by Stiftelsen Svenska Folkbibeln
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
