Ephesians 4

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

Therefore I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received,

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

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

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

and being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

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

There is one body and one Spirit (just as you were called to one hope at 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.

Now each one of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift.

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

Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive and 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 what does “he ascended” mean except that he first also descended into 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 very one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.)

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

It was he who appointed some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be 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;

to equip the saints for the work of ministry and to build up 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 reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ's fullness.

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 we must no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men and their craftiness in deceitful scheming.

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

Rather, speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, that is, Christ.

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.

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting joint, grows and builds itself up in love as each individual part does its work.

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,

Therefore, I solemnly declare in the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.

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,

They are darkened in their understanding, being excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.

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

They became callous and gave themselves up to lewd behavior, greedy to engage in every kind of impurity.

20 But ye have not thus learnt the Christ,

But you did not learn Christ in that way!

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

Surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, just as the truth 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 put off your old self, which belongs to your former way of life and is being corrupted by its deceitful desires,

23 and being renewed in the spirit of your mind;

to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,

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

and to put on the new self, created according to the image of God in true righteousness and holiness.

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

Therefore, having laid aside falsehood, each of you must speak the truth with his neighbor, because we are members of one another.

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

Do not sin in your anger. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,

27 neither give room for the devil.

and do not give any opportunity to 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.

He who steals must no longer steal; rather he must labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may have something to contribute to anyone in 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 foul word come out of your mouth, but only what is good for edification, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

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

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for 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;

Put away all bitterness, wrath, anger, outbursts, and slander, together with all malice.

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

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ has forgiven us.