2 So the heavens and the earth and everything in them were completed.^{(A) 2} On the seventh^[a] day God had completed his work that he had done, and he rested^[b] on the seventh day from all his work that he had done.^{(B) 3} God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it he rested^(C) from all his work of creation.^(D)

Man and Woman in the Garden

⁴ These are the records^(E) of the heavens and the earth, concerning their creation. At the time^[c] that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, ⁵ no shrub of the field^(F) had yet grown on the land,^[d] and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not made it rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground. ⁶ But mist would come up from the earth and water all the ground. ⁷ Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground^(G) and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils,^(H) and the man became a living being.^(I)

⁸ The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east,^(J) and there he placed the man he had formed. ⁹ The Lord God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden,^(K) as well as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.^(L)

¹⁰ A river went^[e] out from Eden to water the garden. From there it divided and became the source of four rivers.^{[f] 11} The name of the first is Pishon, which flows through the entire land of Havilah,^[g](M) where there is gold. ¹² Gold from that land is pure;^[h] bdellium^[i] and onyx^[j] are also there. ¹³ The name of the second river is Gihon, which flows through the entire land of Cush. ¹⁴ The name of the third river is Tigris,^(N) which runs east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.^(O)

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden,^{(P) 17} but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”^{(Q) 18} Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding^(R) to him.” ¹⁹ The Lord God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it.^(S) And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man^[k] no helper was found corresponding to him. ²¹ So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man,^(T) and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. ²² Then the Lord God made the rib he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man.^{(U) 23} And the man said:

²⁴ This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.^{(W) 25} Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.

5 Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children, ² and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us,^(A) a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. ³ But sexual immorality^(B) and any impurity^(C) or greed^(D) should not even be heard of^[a] among you, as is proper for saints. ⁴ Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. ⁵ For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral^(E) or impure^(F) or greedy^(G) person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom^(H) of Christ and of God.

Light versus Darkness

⁶ Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath^(I) is coming on the disobedient^[b] because of these things. ⁷ Therefore, do not become their partners. ⁸ For you were once darkness, but now you are light^(J) in the Lord. Walk as children of light^(K)— ⁹ for the fruit of the light^[c] consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth^(L)— ¹⁰ testing^(M) what is pleasing^(N) to the Lord. ¹¹ Don’t participate in the fruitless^(O) works of darkness, but instead expose them. ¹² For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. ¹³ Everything exposed by the light is made visible,^{(P) 14} for what makes everything visible is light. Therefore it is said:

Consistency in the Christian Life

¹⁵ Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk—not as unwise people but as wise— ¹⁶ making the most of the time,^[d](T) because the days are evil. ¹⁷ So don’t be foolish, but understand^(U) what the Lord’s will^(V) is. ¹⁸ And don’t get drunk^(W) with wine,^(X) which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit:^{(Y) 19} speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord, ²⁰ giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.^(Z)

Wives and Husbands

²² Wives,^(AA) submit^[e](AB) to your husbands^(AC) as to the Lord, ²³ because the husband is the head of the wife^(AD) as Christ is the head^(AE) of the church. He is the Savior of the body.^{(AF) 24} Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. ²⁵ Husbands, love your wives,^(AG) just as Christ loved^(AH) the church and gave himself^(AI) for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing^[f] her with the washing of water by the word. ²⁷ He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.^{(AJ) 28} In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, ³⁰ since we are members of his body.^{[g] 31} For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,^(AK) and the two will become one flesh.^{[h](AL) 32} This mystery^(AM) is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³ To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.