Ephesians 4

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

I, therefore, as the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthily of the calling by which you were called.

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

I urge you to live with great humility and gentleness and patience, putting up with one another in love.

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

Do your best 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 also you were called in one certain hope of your calling.

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

And there is 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 is over all and through all and in all.

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

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

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

It is as scripture says: “When he ascended to the heights, he led the captives into captivity, and he gave gifts to the people.”

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

What is the meaning of “He ascended,” except that he also descended into the lower regions 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 person who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

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

Christ gave some to be apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as 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;

He gave these offices to equip the saints for the work of service, for the building up 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;

He continues to build up his body until we all reach the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, and that we become mature and so reach the measure 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;

Christ builds us up so that we should no longer be children who are tossed back and forth by the waves, and carried away by every wind of teaching and by the trickery of people in their deceitful schemes.

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

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we are to 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.

Christ builds the whole body, and it is joined and held together by every supporting ligament, and when each part works together, that makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

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 say and insist on this in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, 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, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of 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 have no shame and have handed themselves over to sensuality, and they are continually practicing every kind of impurity.

20 But ye have not thus learnt the Christ,

But that is not how you learned about Christ.

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

I assume that you have heard about him, and that you were taught in him, 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;

You were taught to put off what belongs to your former manner of life, to put off the old man. It is the old man that is corrupt because of its deceitful desires.

23 and being renewed in the spirit of your mind;

You were taught 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 man that is created in 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, get rid of lies, and let each one of you speak 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,

Be angry and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger.

27 neither give room for the devil.

Do not give an 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.

The one who had been stealing must steal no longer. He must labor, doing useful work with his hands, so that he may have something to share with those who are 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].

Do not let any filthy talk come out of your mouth. Use only words that are helpful for building others up, according to their needs, that your words would be helpful to those who hear you.

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, for it is by him that 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, rage, anger, quarreling, and insults, along with every kind of evil.

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

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