Ephesians 5

1 Become, then, followers of God, as beloved children,

Learn then to imitate God as his beloved children,

2 and walk in love, as the Christ also loved us, and gave Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odor of a refreshing fragrance,

and to lead lives of love, just as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for you, an offering and sacrifice unto God, for you, an offering and sacrifice unto God, for "an odor of sweetness."

3 and whoredom, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, do not let it even be named among you, as is proper to holy ones;

As for sexual vice and every kind of impurity or lust, it is unbecoming for you as Christians even to mention them;

4 also filthiness, and foolish talking, or jesting—the things not fit—but rather thanksgiving;

so too with vulgarity and buffoonery and foolish jesting. Such words become you not, but rather thanksgiving.

5 for you know this, that every whoremonger, or unclean, or covetous person, who is an idolater, has no inheritance in the kingdom of the Christ and God.

For be well assured that no one guilty of fornication or impurity or covetousness which is idolatry, has any heritage in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

6 Let no one deceive you with vain words, for because of these things comes the anger of God on the sons of the disobedience;

Let no man deceive you with empty arguments, for it is these vices that bring down the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience;

7 do not become, then, partakers with them,

therefore do not become sharers with them.

8 for you were once darkness, and now light in the LORD; walk as children of light,

For you were once darkness, but are now in the Lord.

9 for the fruit of the light [is] in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth,

Lead the life of children of light, for the fruit of the light consists in every kind of goodness and uprightness and truth.

10 proving what is well-pleasing to the LORD;

Examine carefully what is well pleasing to the Lord,

11 and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of the darkness and rather even convict,

and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of the darkness, but rather expose them.

12 for it is a shame even to speak of the things done by them in secret,

For it is a shame even to speak of the things that are done by such men in secret;

13 and all the things reproved by the light are revealed, for everything that is revealed is light;

but all these things, when exposed, are by the light made manifest, and what is made manifest is light.

14 for this reason it says, “Arouse yourself, you who are sleeping, and arise out of the dead, and the Christ will shine on you.”

For this reason it is said, "Awake, thou sleeper! Arise from the dead; And Christ shall shine upon thee!"

15 See, then, how exactly you walk, not as unwise, but as wise,

See to it, then, that you carry on your life carefully; not as foolish, but as wise men.

16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil;

Buy up opportunity, for the times are evil.

17 do not become fools because of this, but—understanding what [is] the will of the LORD,

For this reason do not be thoughtless, but learn to know what the Lord’s will is.

18 and do not be drunk with wine, in which is wastefulness, but be filled in the Spirit,

Do not be drunk with wine, in which is riotous living, but drink deep in the Spirit,

19 speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the LORD,

when you talk together; with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and with all your hearts making music unto the Lord;

20 always giving thanks for all things, in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the God and Father,

and at all times for all things give thanks to God, the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

21 subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.

Submit yourselves one to another out of reverence for Christ.

22 The wives: [subject yourselves] to your own husbands, as to the LORD,

Wives likewise to their husbands as to the Lord,

23 because the husband is head of the wife, as also the Christ [is] head of the Assembly, and He is Savior of the body,

because a husband is the head of his wife even as Christ is head of the church, his body, which he saves.

24 but even as the Assembly is subject to Christ, so also [are] the wives [subject] to their own husbands in everything.

But as the church submits itself to Christ, so also wives to their husbands in everything.

25 The husbands: love your own wives, as the Christ also loved the Assembly, and gave Himself for it,

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her,

26 that He might sanctify it, having cleansed [it] with the bathing of the water in the saying,

in order that after cleansing her in the bath of baptism, he might sanctify her by his word,

27 that He might present the Assembly to Himself in glory, having no spot or wrinkle, or any of such things, but that it may be holy and unblemished;

so as to present her to himself, the church glorified, without spot or wrinkle or any such blemish; but on the contrary holy and faultless.

28 so ought the husbands to love their own wives as their own bodies: he who is loving his own wife—he loves himself;

That is how husbands ought to love their wives, as they love their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and nurtures it, as also the LORD—the Assembly,

For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it as Christ does the church;

30 because we are members of His body, [[of His flesh, and of His bones.]]

for we are members of his body.

31 “For this cause will a man leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife, and the two will be into one flesh”;

For this cause shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

32 this secret is great, and I speak in regard to Christ and to the Assembly;

There is a deep mystery here - I am speaking of Christ and his church.

33 but you also, everyone in particular—let each so love his own wife as himself, and the wife—that she may revere the husband.

But as for you individually, you must each one of you love his own wife exactly as if she were yourself; and the wife, on her part, should reverence her husband.