Wives and Husbands

22 (A)Wives, (B)submit to your own husbands, (C)as to the Lord. 23 For (D)the husband is the head of the wife even as (E)Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is (F)himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit (G)in everything to their husbands.

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

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 5:27 Or holy and blameless

22 For example, wives should submit to their husbands as if to the Lord. 23 A husband is the head of his wife like Christ is head of the church, that is, the savior of the body. 24 So wives submit to their husbands in everything like the church submits to Christ. 25 As for husbands, love your wives just like Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. 26 He did this to make her holy by washing her in a bath of water with the word. 27 He did this to present himself with a splendid church, one without any sort of stain or wrinkle on her clothes, but rather one that is holy and blameless. 28 That’s how husbands ought to love their wives—in the same way as they do their own bodies. Anyone who loves his wife loves himself. 29 No one ever hates his own body, but feeds it and takes care of it just like Christ does for the church 30 because we are parts of his body. 31 This is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two of them will be one body.[a] 32 Marriage is a significant allegory,[b] and I’m applying it to Christ and the church. 33 In any case, as for you individually, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and wives should respect[c] their husbands.

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