Marriage like Christ and the Church

22 (A)Wives, (B)subject yourselves to your own husbands, (C)as to the Lord. 23 For (D)the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the (E)head of the church, He Himself (F)being the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

25 (G)Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and (H)gave Himself up for her, 26 (I)so that He might sanctify her, having (J)cleansed her by the (K)washing of water with (L)the word, 27 that He might (M)present to Himself the church [a]in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be (N)holy and blameless. 28 So husbands also ought to (O)love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are (P)parts of His (Q)body. 31 (R)For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, as for you individually, each husband is to (S)love his own wife the same as himself, and the wife must see to it that she (T)respects her husband.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 5:27 Lit glorious

Wives and Husbands

22 Wives, submit yourselves[a] to your husbands as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of his wife as the Messiah[b] is the head of the church. It is he who is the Savior of the body. 24 Indeed, just as the church is submissive to the Messiah,[c] so wives must be submissive[d] to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives as the Messiah[e] loved the church and gave himself for it, 26 so that he might make it holy by cleansing it, washing it with water and the word, 27 and might present the church to himself in all its glory, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind, but holy and without fault. 28 In the same way, husbands must love their wives as they love[f] their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one has ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, as the Messiah[g] does[h] the church.

30 For we are parts of his body—of his flesh and of his bones.[i] 31 “That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[j] 32 This is a great secret, but I am talking about the Messiah[k] and the church. 33 But each individual man among you must love his wife as he loves[l] himself; and may the wife fear her husband.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 5:22 Other mss. lack submit yourselves
  2. Ephesians 5:23 Or Christ
  3. Ephesians 5:24 Or Christ
  4. Ephesians 5:24 The Gk. lacks must be submissive
  5. Ephesians 5:25 Or Christ
  6. Ephesians 5:28 The Gk. lacks they love
  7. Ephesians 5:29 Or Christ
  8. Ephesians 5:29 The Gk. lacks does
  9. Ephesians 5:30 Other mss. lack of his flesh and of his bones
  10. Ephesians 5:31 Gen 2:24
  11. Ephesians 5:32 Or Christ
  12. Ephesians 5:33 The Gk. lacks he loves