Ephesians 4

1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,

I beg you, then – I who am a prisoner in the Master’s cause – to live lives worthy of the call that you have received;

2 with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

always humble and gentle, patient, bearing lovingly with one another,

3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

and striving to maintain in the bond of peace the unity given by the Spirit.

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

There is but one body and one Spirit, just as there was but one hope set before you when you received your call.

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

There is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism.

6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in us all.

There is but one God and Father of all – the God who is over all, pervades all, and is in all.

7 But to each one of us, the grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Everyone of us, however, has been entrusted with some charge, each in accordance with the extent of the gift of the Christ.

8 Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to people.”

That is why it is said – ‘When he went up on high, he led his captives into captivity. And gave gifts to humanity.’

9 Now this, “He ascended”, what is it but that he also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

Now surely this ‘going up’ must imply that he had already gone down into the world beneath.

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

He who went down is the same as he who went up – up beyond the highest heaven, so that he might fill all things with his presence.

11 He gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers;

And he it is who gave to the church apostles, prophets, missionaries, pastors, and teachers,

12 for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ,

to fit his people for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of the Christ.

13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

And this will continue, until we all attain to that unity which is given by faith and by a fuller knowledge of the Son of God; until we reach maturity – the full standard of the perfection of the Christ.

14 that we may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error;

Then we will no longer be like infants, tossed backward and forward, blown about by every breath of human teaching and by people’s trickery and craftiness;

15 but speaking truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ,

but holding the truth in a spirit of love, we will grow into complete union with him who is our head – Christ himself.

16 from whom all the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part, makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.

For from him the whole body, closely joined and knit together by the contact of every part with the source of its life, derives its power to grow, in proportion to the vigour of each individual part; and so is being built up in a spirit of love.

17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

This, then, as one in union with the Lord, I implore: Do not continue to live such purposeless lives as the Gentiles live,

18 being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardening of their hearts.

with their powers of discernment darkened, cut off from the life of God, owing to the ignorance that prevails among them and to the hardness of their hearts.

19 They, having become callous, gave themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Lost to all sense of shame, they have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, in order to practice every kind of impurity without restraint.

20 But you didn’t learn Christ that way,

But far different is the lesson you learned from the Christ – if, that is, you really listened to him,

21 if indeed you heard him and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus:

and through union with him were taught the truth, as it is to be found in Jesus.

22 that you put away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man that grows corrupt after the lusts of deceit,

For you learned with regard to your former way of living that you must cast off your old nature, which, yielding to deluding passions, grows corrupt;

23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

that the spirit of your minds must be constantly renewed;

24 and put on the new man, who in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.

and that you must clothe yourselves in that new nature which was created to resemble God, with the righteousness and holiness springing from the truth.

25 Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

Since, therefore, you have cast off what is false, you must every one of you speak the truth to your neighbors. For we are united to one another like the parts of a body.

26 “Be angry, and don’t sin.” Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath,

Be angry, yet do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger;

27 and don’t give place to the devil.

and give no opportunity to the devil.

28 Let him who stole steal no more; but rather let him labor, producing with his hands something that is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need.

Let the person who steals steal no longer, but rather they should toil with their hands at honest work, so that they may have something to share with anyone in need.

29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building others up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Never let any foul word pass your lips, but only such good words as the occasion demands, so that they may be a help to those who hear them.

30 Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

And do not grieve God’s Holy Spirit; for it was through that Spirit that God sealed you as his, against the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, outcry, and slander be put away from you, with all malice.

Let all bitterness, passion, anger, brawling, and abusive language be banished from among you, as well as all malice.

32 And be kind to one another, tender hearted, forgiving each other, just as God also in Christ forgave you.

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, ready to forgive one another, just as God, in Christ, forgave you.