Ephesians 4

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

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

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

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

3 Do your best to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

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

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one certain hope of your calling.

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

5 And there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

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

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

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

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

9 What is the meaning of “He ascended,” except that he also descended into the lower regions of the earth?

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

10 He who descended is the same person who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

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

11 Christ gave some to be apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers.

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,

12 He gave these offices to equip the saints for the work of service, for the building up of the body of Christ.

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

13 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.

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.

14 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.

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.

15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, that is, Christ.

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

16 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.

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.

17 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.

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.

18 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.

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.

19 They have no shame and have handed themselves over to sensuality, and they are continually practicing every kind of impurity.

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.

20 But that is not how you learned about Christ.

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

21 I assume that you have heard about him, and that you were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus.

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

22 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.

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

23 You were taught to be renewed in the spirit of your minds,

to be renewed in the spirit of your minds;

24 and to put on the new man that is created in the image of God—in true righteousness and holiness.

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

25 Therefore, get rid of lies, and let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, because we are members of one another.

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

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

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

27 Do not give an opportunity to the devil.

and do not give the devil a foothold.

28 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.

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.

29 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.

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.

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, for it is by him that you were sealed for the day of redemption.

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

31 Put away all bitterness, rage, anger, quarreling, and insults, along with every kind of evil.

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

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

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