Ephesians 5
1 Therefore be imitators of God, as dearly loved children.
Therefore be imitators of God, as His dear children.
2 And walk in love, as also Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
And live and act lovingly, as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up to death on our behalf as an offering and sacrifice to God, yielding a fragrant odor.
3 But there must not be even a suggestion among you of sexual immorality or any kind of impurity or of greed, for these are improper for God's holy people.
But fornication and every kind of impurity, or covetousness, let them not even be mentioned among you, for they ought not to be named among God's people.
4 Let there be no filthiness, no foolish talk, and no crude jokes—all of which are improper. Instead there should be thanksgiving.
Avoid shameful and foolish talk and low jesting--they are all alike discreditable--and in place of these give thanks.
5 For you can be sure of this, that no sexually immoral, impure, or greedy person—that is, an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
For be well assured that no fornicator or immoral person and no money-grubber--or in other words idol-worshipper--has any share awaiting him in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the anger of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for it is on account of these very sins that God's anger is coming upon the disobedient.
7 Therefore, do not join in with them.
Therefore do not become sharers with them.
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
There was a time when you were nothing but darkness. Now, as Christians, you are Light itself.
9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth),
Live and act as sons of Light--for the effect of the Light is seen in every kind of goodness, uprightness and truth--
10 and find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
and learn in your own experiences what is fully pleasing to the Lord.
11 Do not associate with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.
Have nothing to do with the barren unprofitable deeds of darkness, but, instead of that, set your faces against them;
12 For it is shameful even to mention the things they do in secret.
for the things which are done by these people in secret it is disgraceful even to speak of.
13 But when anything is illuminated by the light, it becomes visible.
But everything can be tested by the light and thus be shown in its true colors; for whatever shines of itself is light.
14 For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, you sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
For this reason it is said, "Rise, sleeper; rise from among the dead, and Christ will shed light upon you."
15 Look carefully how you live—not as unwise but as wise.
Therefore be very careful how you live and act. Let it not be as unwise men, but as wise.
16 Redeem the time because the days are evil.
Buy up your opportunities, for these are evil times.
17 Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
On this account do not prove yourselves wanting in sense, but try to understand what the Lord's will is.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that leads to reckless behavior. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
Do not over-indulge in wine--a thing in which excess is so easy--
19 speaking to each other in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart,
but drink deeply of God's Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and offer praise in your hearts to the Lord.
20 always giving thanks for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father,
Always and for everything let your thanks to God the Father be presented in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
21 submitting yourselves to one another in reverence for Christ.
and submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit to your husbands, as to the Lord.
Married women, submit to your own husbands as if to the Lord;
23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ also is the head of the church, and Christ himself is its savior.
because a husband is the Head of his wife as Christ also is the Head of the Church, being indeed the Saviour of this His Body.
24 But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives must submit to their husbands in everything.
And just as the Church submits to Christ, so also married women should be entirely submissive to their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.
Married men, love your wives, as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up to death for her;
26 Christ gave himself for the church so that he might make her holy, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
in order to make her holy, cleansing her with the baptismal water by the word,
27 so that he might present her to himself as glorious, without stain or wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and without fault.
that He might present the Church to Himself a glorious bride, without spot or wrinkle or any other defect, but to be holy and unblemished.
28 In the same way husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.
So too married men ought to love their wives as much as they love themselves. He who loves his wife loves himself.
29 For no one ever hated his own body, but nourishes and treats it with care, just as Christ nourishes and treats the church with care,
For never yet has a man hated his own body. On the contrary he feeds and cherishes it, just as Christ feeds and cherishes the Church;
30 because we are members of his body.
because we are, as it were, parts of His Body.
31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”
"For this reason a man is to leave his father and his mother and be united to his wife, and the two shall be as one."
32 This hidden truth is great—but I am speaking about Christ and the church.
That is a great truth hitherto kept secret: I mean the truth concerning Christ and the Church.
33 Nevertheless, each of you also must love his own wife as himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
Yet I insist that among you also, each man is to love his own wife as much as he loves himself, and let a married woman see to it that she treats her husband with respect.
