Ephesians 4

1 I, the prisoner in [the] Lord, exhort you therefore to walk worthy of the calling wherewith ye have been called,

And so, as a prisoner in the Lord, I beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the vocation to which you have been called:

2 with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love;

with all humility and meekness, with patience, supporting one another in charity.

3 using diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace.

Be anxious to preserve the unity of the Spirit within the bonds of peace.

4 [There is] one body and one Spirit, as ye have been also called in one hope of your calling;

One body and one Spirit: to this you have been called by the one hope of your calling:

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

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

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

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

Yet to each one of us there has been given grace according to the measure allotted by Christ.

8 Wherefore he says, Having ascended up on high, he has led captivity captive, and has given gifts to men.

Because of this, he says: “Ascending on high, he took captivity itself captive; he gave gifts to men.”

9 But that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth?

Now that he has ascended, what is left except for him also to descend, first to the lower parts of the earth?

10 He that descended is the same who has also ascended up above all the heavens, that he might fill all things;

He who descended is the same one who also ascended above all the heavens, so that he might fulfill everything.

11 and he has given some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some shepherds and teachers,

And the same one granted that some would be Apostles, and some Prophets, yet truly others evangelists, and others pastors and teachers,

12 for the perfecting of the saints; with a view to [the] work of [the] ministry, with a view to the edifying of the body of Christ;

for the sake of the perfection of the saints, by the work of the ministry, in the edification of the body of Christ,

13 until we all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, at [the] full-grown man, at [the] measure of the stature of the fulness of the Christ;

until we all meet in the unity of faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as a perfect man, in the measure of the age of the fullness of Christ.

14 in order that we may be no longer babes, tossed and carried about by every wind of that teaching [which is] in the sleight of men, in unprincipled cunning with a view to systematized error;

So may we then no longer be little children, disturbed and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the wickedness of men, and by the craftiness which deceives unto error.

15 but, holding the truth in love, we may grow up to him in all things, who is the head, the Christ:

Instead, acting according to truth in charity, we should increase in everything, in him who is the head, Christ himself.

16 from whom the whole body, fitted together, and connected by every joint of supply, according to [the] working in [its] measure of each one part, works for itself the increase of the body to its self-building up in love.

For in him, the whole body is joined closely together, by every underlying joint, through the function allotted to each part, bringing improvement to the body, toward its edification in charity.

17 This I say therefore, and testify in [the] Lord, that ye should no longer walk as [the rest of] the nations walk in [the] vanity of their mind,

And so, I say this, and I testify in the Lord: that from now on you should walk, not as the Gentiles also walk, in the vanity of their mind,

18 being darkened in understanding, estranged from the life of God by reason of the ignorance which is in them, by reason of the hardness of their hearts,

having their intellect obscured, being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is within them, because of the blindness of their hearts.

19 who having cast off all feeling, have given themselves up to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greedy unsatisfied lust.

Such as these, despairing, have given themselves over to sexual immorality, carrying out every impurity with rapacity.

20 But ye have not thus learnt the Christ,

But this is not what you have learned in Christ.

21 if ye have heard him and been instructed in him according as [the] truth is in Jesus;

For certainly, you have listened to him, and you have been instructed in him, according to the truth that is in Jesus:

22 [namely] your having put off according to the former conversation the old man which corrupts itself according to the deceitful lusts;

to set aside your earlier behavior, the former man, who was corrupted, by means of desire, unto error,

23 and being renewed in the spirit of your mind;

and so be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24 and [your] having put on the new man, which according to God is created in truthful righteousness and holiness.

and so put on the new man, who, in accord with God, is created in justice and in the holiness of truth.

25 Wherefore, having put off falsehood, speak truth every one with his neighbour, because we are members one of another.

Because of this, setting aside lying, speak the truth, each one with his neighbor. For we are all part of one another.

26 Be angry, and do not sin; let not the sun set upon your wrath,

“Be angry, but do not be willing to sin.” Do not let the sun set over your anger.

27 neither give room for the devil.

Provide no place for the devil.

28 Let the stealer steal no more, but rather let him toil, working what is honest with [his] hands, that he may have to distribute to him that has need.

Whoever was stealing, let him now not steal, but rather let him labor, working with his hands, doing what is good, so that he may have something to distribute to those who suffer need.

29 Let no corrupt word go out of your mouth, but if [there be] any good one for needful edification, that it may give grace to those that hear [it].

Let no evil words proceed from your mouth, but only what is good, toward the edification of faith, so as to bestow grace upon those who listen.

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which ye have been sealed for [the] day of redemption.

And do not be willing to grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you have been sealed, unto the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness, and heat of passion, and wrath, and clamour, and injurious language, be removed from you, with all malice;

Let all bitterness and anger and indignation and outcry and blasphemy be taken away from you, along with all malice.

32 and be to one another kind, compassionate, forgiving one another, so as God also in Christ has forgiven you.

And be kind and merciful to one another, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you in Christ.