Ephesians 5
International Children’s Bible
Living in the Light
5 You are God’s children whom he loves. So try to be like God. 2 Live a life of love. Love other people just as Christ loved us. Christ gave himself for us—he was a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But there must be no sexual immorality among you. There must not be any kind of evil or greed. Those things are not right for God’s holy people. 4 Also, there must be no evil talk among you. You must not speak foolishly or tell evil jokes. These things are not right for you. But you should be giving thanks to God. 5 You can be sure of this: No one will have a place in the kingdom of Christ and of God who engages in sexual sin, or does evil things, or is greedy. Anyone who is greedy is serving a false god.
6 Do not let anyone fool you by telling you things that are not true. These things will bring God’s anger on those who do not obey him. 7 So have no part with them. 8 In the past you were full of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light. 9 Light brings every kind of goodness, right living, and truth. 10 Try to learn what pleases the Lord. 11 Do not do the things that people in darkness do. That brings nothing good. But do good things to show that the things done in darkness are wrong. 12 It is shameful even to talk about what those people do in secret. 13 But the light makes all things easy to see. 14 And everything that is made easy to see can become light. This is why it is said:
“Wake up, sleeper!
Rise from death,
and Christ will shine on you.”
15 So be very careful how you live. Do not live like those who are not wise. Live wisely. 16 I mean that you should use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times. 17 So do not be foolish with your lives. But learn what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Do not be drunk with wine. That will ruin you spiritually. But be filled with the Spirit. 19 Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord. 20 Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Wives and Husbands
21 Be willing to obey each other. Do this because you respect Christ.
22 Wives, be under the authority of your husbands, as of the Lord. 23 The husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church. The church is Christ’s body—Christ is the Savior of the body. 24 The church is under the authority of Christ. So it is the same with you wives. You should be under the authority of your husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church. Christ died for the church 26 to make it belong to God. Christ used the word to make the church clean by washing it with water. 27 Christ died so that he could give the church to himself like a bride in all her beauty. He died so that the church could be pure and without fault, with no evil or sin or any other wrong thing in it. 28 And husbands should love their wives in the same way. They should love their wives as they love their own bodies. The man who loves his wife loves himself. 29 No person ever hates his own body, but feeds and takes care of it. And that is what Christ does for the church, 30 because we are parts of his body. 31 The Scripture says, “So a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife. And the two people will become one body.”[a] 32 That secret truth is very important—I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 But each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself. And a wife must respect her husband.
Footnotes
- 5:31 “So . . . body.” Quotation from Genesis 2:24.
Ephesians 5
King James Version
5 Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children;
2 And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.
3 But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;
4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
5 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7 Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
9 (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
10 Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.
12 For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.
13 But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
18 And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21 Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
22 Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.
24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
26 That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
27 That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.
28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.
33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.
Efesierbrevet 5
Svenska 1917
5 Bliven alltså Guds efterföljare, såsom hans älskade barn,
2 och vandren i kärlek, såsom Kristus älskade eder och utgav sig själv för oss till en gåva och ett offer, »Gud till en välbehaglig lukt». Paulus' brev till efesierna, 5 Kapitlet Förmaningar att undfly mörkrets gärningar och vandra såsom ljusets barn. Äkta makars plikter mot varandra.
3 Men otukt och orenhet, av vad slag det vara må, och girighet skolen I, såsom det anstår heliga, icke ens låta nämnas bland eder,
4 ej heller ohöviskt väsende och dåraktigt tal och gyckel; sådant är otillbörligt. Låten fastmer tacksägelse höras.
5 Ty det bören I veta, och det insen I också själva, att ingen otuktig eller oren människa har arvedel i Kristi och Guds rike, ej heller någon girig, ty en sådan är en avgudadyrkare.
6 Låten ingen bedraga eder med tomma ord; ty för sådana synder kommer Guds vrede över de ohörsamma.
7 Haven alltså ingen del i sådant.
8 I voren ju förut mörker, men nu ären I ljus i Herren; vandren då såsom ljusets barn.
9 Ty ljusets frukt består i allt vad godhet och rättfärdighet och sanning är.
10 Ja, vandren så, i det att I pröven vad som är välbehagligt för Herren.
11 Och haven ingen delaktighet i mörkrets gärningar, som icke giva någon frukt, utan avslöjen dem fastmer.
12 Vad av sådana människor i hemlighet förövas, därom är det skamligt till och med att tala;
13 men alltsammans bliver uppenbart, när det avslöjas genom ljuset. Ty varhelst något bliver uppenbart, där är ljus.
14 Därför heter det: »Vakna upp, du som sover, och stå upp ifrån de döda, så skall Kristus lysa fram för dig.»
15 Sen därför noga till, huru I vandren: att I vandren icke såsom ovisa människor, utan såsom visa;
16 och tagen väl i akt vart lägligt tillfälle. Ty tiden är ond.
17 Varen alltså icke oförståndiga, utan förstån vad som är Herrens vilja.
18 Och dricken eder icke druckna av vin; ty därav kommer ett oskickligt leverne. Låten eder fastmer uppfyllas av ande,
19 och talen till varandra i psalmer och lovsånger och andliga visor, och sjungen och spelen till Herrens ära i edra hjärtan,
20 och tacken alltid Gud och Fadern för allt, i vår Herres, Jesu Kristi, namn.
21 Underordnen eder varandra i Kristi fruktan.
22 I hustrur, underordnen eder edra män, såsom I underordnen eder Herren;
23 ty en man är sin hustrus huvud, såsom Kristus är församlingens huvud, han som ock är denna sin kropps Frälsare.
24 Ja, såsom församlingen underordnar sig Kristus, så skola ock hustrurna i allt underordna sig sina män.
25 I män, älsken edra hustrur, såsom Kristus har älskat församlingen och utgivit sig själv för henne
26 till att helga henne, genom att rena henne medelst vattnets bad, i kraft av ordet.
27 Ty så ville han själv ställa fram församlingen inför sig i härlighet, utan fläck och skrynka och annat sådant; fastmer skulle hon vara helig och ostrafflig.
28 På samma sätt äro männen pliktiga att älska sina hustrur, då dessa ju äro deras egna kroppar; den som älskar sin hustru, han älskar sig själv.
29 Ingen har någonsin hatat sitt eget kött; i stället när och omhuldar man det, såsom Kristus gör med församlingen,
30 eftersom vi äro lemmar av hans kropp.
31 »Fördenskull skall en man övergiva sin fader och sin moder och hålla sig till sin hustru, och de tu skola varda ett kött.» --
32 Den hemlighet som ligger häri är stor; jag säger detta med tanke på Kristus och församlingen.
33 Dock gäller också om eder att var och en skall älska sin hustru såsom sig själv; men hustrun å sin sida skall visa sin man vördnad.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
