Ephesians 5

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as His dear children.

Become ye, therefore, imitators of God, as children beloved,

2 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.

And walk in love—even as, the Christ also, loved you, and delivered himself up in your behalf, an offering and sacrifice unto God, for a fragrance of sweet smell.

3 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.

But, fornication, and all impurity, or covetousness, let it not be named among you—even as becometh saints;

4 Avoid shameful and foolish talk and low jesting--they are all alike discreditable--and in place of these give thanks.

And shamelessness and foolish talking, or jesting, —which things are beneath you, —but, rather, giving of thanks;

5 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.

For, this, ye know, if ye take note—that no fornicator, or impure or greedy person, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of the Christ and God.

6 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.

Let no one be deceiving you with empty words; for, because of these things, is coming the anger of God upon the sons of obstinacy:

7 Therefore do not become sharers with them.

Do not, then, become co-partners with them;

8 There was a time when you were nothing but darkness. Now, as Christians, you are Light itself.

For ye were, at one time, darkness, but, now, are ye light in the Lord, —as children of light, be walking,

9 Live and act as sons of Light--for the effect of the Light is seen in every kind of goodness, uprightness and truth--

For, the fruit of the light, is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth, —

10 and learn in your own experiences what is fully pleasing to the Lord.

Putting to the test what is well-pleasing unto the Lord;

11 Have nothing to do with the barren unprofitable deeds of darkness, but, instead of that, set your faces against them;

And be not joining in fellowship in the unfruitful works of darkness, but, rather, be even administering reproof;

12 for the things which are done by these people in secret it is disgraceful even to speak of.

For, of the secret things which are brought to pass by them, it is, shameful, even to speak!

13 But everything can be tested by the light and thus be shown in its true colors; for whatever shines of itself is light.

All things, however, when reproved by the light, become manifest, for, all that of itself maketh manifest, is, light;

14 For this reason it is said, "Rise, sleeper; rise from among the dead, and Christ will shed light upon you."

Wherefore it saith—Up! thou sleeper, and arise from among the dead, and the Christ will shine upon thee.

15 Therefore be very careful how you live and act. Let it not be as unwise men, but as wise.

Be taking heed, therefore, exactly how ye are walking, —not as unwise, but as wise, —

16 Buy up your opportunities, for these are evil times.

Buying out for yourselves the opportunity, because, the days, are evil;

17 On this account do not prove yourselves wanting in sense, but try to understand what the Lord's will is.

For this cause, do not become foolish, but have discernment as to what is the will of the Lord;

18 Do not over-indulge in wine--a thing in which excess is so easy--

And be not getting drunk with wine, in which is dissoluteness, but be getting filled in Spirit; —

19 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.

Speaking to yourselves, with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs; singing, and striking the strings, with your heart unto the Lord;

20 Always and for everything let your thanks to God the Father be presented in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Giving thanks, always, for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, unto your God and Father;

21 and submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Submitting yourselves one to another in reverence of Christ, —

22 Married women, submit to your own husbands as if to the Lord;

Ye wives, unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord,

23 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.

Because, a husband, is the head of his wife, as, the Christ also, is the head of the assembly, he, being the saviour of the body, —

24 And just as the Church submits to Christ, so also married women should be entirely submissive to their husbands.

Nevertheless, as, the assembly, submitteth herself unto the Christ, so, the wives, unto their husbands, in everything:

25 Married men, love your wives, as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself up to death for her;

Ye husbands, be loving your wives, even as, the Christ also, loved the assembly, and delivered, himself, up in her behalf,

26 in order to make her holy, cleansing her with the baptismal water by the word,

That, her, he might sanctify, having purified [her] with the bath of water, in declaration,

27 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.

That, he, might present, unto himself, the assembly, all glorious, not having spot or wrinkle or any of such things, but that she should be holy and blameless;

28 So too married men ought to love their wives as much as they love themselves. He who loves his wife loves himself.

So, ought the husbands [also] to be loving their own wives, as their own bodies, —he that loveth his own wife, loveth himself,

29 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;

No one, in fact, ever yet hated, his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, —even as, the Christ, the assembly,

30 because we are, as it were, parts of His Body.

Because, members, are we of his body; —

31 "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."

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

32 That is a great truth hitherto kept secret: I mean the truth concerning Christ and the Church.

This sacred secret, is, great, —I, however, am speaking as to Christ and [as to] the assembly; —

33 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.

Nevertheless, ye also, do ye, individually, each man be so loving, his own wife, as himself, and, the wife, [see] that she reverence her husband.