Ephesians 4
1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,
I, then, the prisoner for the Master's sake, entreat you to live and act as becomes those who have received the call that you have received--
2 with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
with all lowliness of mind and unselfishness, and with patience, bearing with one another lovingly, and earnestly striving to maintain,
3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
in the uniting bond of peace, the unity given by the Spirit.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling,
There is but one body and but one Spirit, as also when you were called you had one and the same hope held out to you.
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
There is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in us all.
and one God and Father of all, who rules over all, acts through all, and dwells in all.
7 But to each one of us, the grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Yet to each of us individually grace was given, measured out with the munificence of Christ.
8 Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to people.”
For this reason Scripture says: "He re-ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and gave gifts to men."
9 Now this, “He ascended”, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?
(Now this "re-ascended" --what does it mean but that He had first descended into the lower regions of the earth?
10 He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.
He who descended is the same as He who ascended again far above all the Heavens in order to fill the universe.)
11 He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;
And He Himself appointed some to be Apostles, some to be Prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers,
12 for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ,
in order fully to equip His people for the work of serving--for the building up of Christ's body--
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
till we all of us arrive at oneness in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and at mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ.
14 that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;
So we shall no longer be babes nor shall we resemble mariners tossed on the waves and carried about with every changing wind of doctrine according to men's cleverness and unscrupulous cunning, making use of every shifting device to mislead.
15 but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ,
But we shall lovingly hold to the truth, and shall in all respects grow up into union with Him who is our Head, even Christ.
16 from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.
Dependent on Him, the whole body--its various parts closely fitting and firmly adhering to one another-- grows by the aid of every contributory link, with power proportioned to the need of each individual part, so as to build itself up in a spirit of love.
17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,
Therefore I warn you, and I implore you in the name of the Master, no longer to live as the Gentiles in their perverseness live,
18 being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts.
with darkened understandings, having by reason of the ignorance which is deep-seated in them and the insensibility of their moral nature, no share in the Life which God gives.
19 They, having become callous, gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness.
Such men being past feeling have abandoned themselves to impurity, greedily indulging in every kind of profligacy.
20 But you did not learn Christ that way,
But these are not the lessons which you have learned from Christ;
21 if indeed you heard him and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus:
if at least you have heard His voice and in Him have been taught--and this is true Christian teaching--
22 that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit,
to put away, in regard to your former mode of life, your original evil nature which is doomed to perish as befits its misleading impulses,
23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
and to get yourselves renewed in the temper of your minds and clothe yourselves
24 and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.
with that new and better self which has been created to resemble God in the righteousness and holiness which come from the truth.
25 Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.
For this reason, laying aside falsehood, every one of you should speak the truth to his fellow man; for we are, as it were, parts of one another.
26 “Be angry, and do not sin.” Do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
If angry, beware of sinning. Let not your irritation last until the sun goes down;
27 and do not give place to the devil.
and do not leave room for the Devil.
28 Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, producing with his hands something that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.
He who has been a thief must steal no more, but, instead of that, should work with his own hands in honest industry, so that he may have something of which he can give the needy a share.
29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Let no unwholesome words ever pass your lips, but let all your words be good for benefiting others according to the need of the moment, so that they may be a means of blessing to the hearers.
30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
And beware of grieving the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you have been sealed in preparation for the day of Redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander be put away from you, with all malice.
Let all bitterness and all passionate feeling, all anger and loud insulting language, be unknown among you--and also every kind of malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.
On the contrary learn to be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ has also forgiven you.
