Ephesians 4

1 As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:

I summon you then, I the prisoner in the Lord, to live lives worthy of the calling to which you were called.

2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

With all humility and gentleness and long-suffering forbear with one another in love;

3 and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

and endeavor to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;

There is one body and one spirit, even as also you were called in one hope of your calling.

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all.

7 Now to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

And to each one of us was grace given according to the measure of the munificence of Christ.

8 This is why it says: “When He ascended on high, He led captives away, and gave gifts to men.”

Thus it is said, When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men.

9 What does “He ascended” mean, except that He also descended to the lower parts of the earth?

Now surely this "he ascended" implies that he also descended into the lower part of the earth.

10 He who descended is the very One who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.

He who descended is he who ascended above the highest heaven, that he might fill the universe.

11 And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,

It is he who made some men apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

12 to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ,

in order to equip the saints for the work of serving, for the building up of the Body of Christ -

13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.

till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to the maturity of manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.

So we shall no longer be children, tossed up and down, and blown about by every wind of teaching, tricked by the craft of men in the snares of misleading error;

15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head.

but holding the truth in love we shall grow up in every part into him who is our Head, even Christ.

16 From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.

From him the whole body (knit together and compacted by all its joints) makes continual growth of the body so as to build itself up in love, through the energy of his bounteous provision, according to the need of each several part.

17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

This then I tell you and implore you in the Master’s name, to pass your lives no longer as the Gentiles do in the perverseness of their minds;

18 They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.

having their understanding darkened, alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts.

19 Having lost all sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity, with a craving for more.

These being past feeling have given themselves over to sensuality, in order to practise every form of impurity with greedy zest.

20 But this is not the way you came to know Christ.

But you have not so learned Christ,

21 Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him—in keeping with the truth that is in Jesus—

if indeed you have listened to him, and in him been taught the truth as it is in Jesus.

22 to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

You have learned to lay aside, with your former manner of living, the old self who was on his way to ruin, as he followed the desires which deceive;

23 to be renewed in the spirit of your minds;

and to be made new in the spirit of your mind,

24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

and to put on the new self, created after God’s likeness, in the uprightness and holiness of the truth.

25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another.

So then put away falseness and speak every man the truth to his neighbor, for we are members one of another.

26 “Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set upon your anger,

"Be angry and sin not"; let not the sun go down upon your anger.

27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

Give the devil no place.

28 He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

Let him who stole steal no more, but let him work, and in honest industry toil with his hands, so that he may have something to give to the needy.

29 Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

From your lips let no evil words come forth, but such as occasion warrants, such as are good for upbuilding and give a blessing to the hearers.

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you have been sealed for the day of redemption.

31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.

Banish from among you all bitterness and passion and anger and clamor and slander, as well as all malice;

32 Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

and be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ has forgiven you.