Epeha 4

1 Koia ahau, ta te Ariki herehere, ka whakahau nei i a koutou kia rite ta koutou haere ki te karangatanga i karangatia ai koutou,

I, then, the prisoner for the Master's sake, entreat you to live and act as becomes those who have received the call that you have received--

2 Kia papaku rawa te ngakau, kia mahaki, kia manawanui, kia ata hanga tetahi ki tetahi, i runga i te aroha;

with all lowliness of mind and unselfishness, and with patience, bearing with one another lovingly, and earnestly striving to maintain,

3 Me whai kia mau te kotahitanga o te Wairua, he mea paihere na te rangimarie.

in the uniting bond of peace, the unity given by the Spirit.

4 Kotahi tonu te tinana, kotahi te Wairua, pera hoki me to koutou karangatanga, kotahi tonu te mea o to koutou karangatanga hei tumanakotanga atu;

There is but one body and but one Spirit, as also when you were called you had one and the same hope held out to you.

5 Kotahi Ariki, kotahi whakapono, kotahi iriiri,

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

6 Kotahi Atua, ko te Matua o nga mea katoa, kei runga nei ia i nga mea katoa, puta noa ia i nga mea katoa, kei roto hoki i te katoa.

and one God and Father of all, who rules over all, acts through all, and dwells in all.

7 Kua oti ia te aroha noa te homai ki tenei, ki tenei, o tatou, i runga i te mehua o ta te Karaiti homaitanga.

Yet to each of us individually grace was given, measured out with the munificence of Christ.

8 Na reira hoki ia i mea ai, I tona kakenga ki runga, whakaraua ana e ia nga whakarau, a hoatu mea ana ia ma nga tangata.

For this reason Scripture says: "He re-ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and gave gifts to men."

9 Na ko tenei, I kake ia ki runga i te aha, mehemea kahore ia i matua heke ki nga wahi o raro rawa o te whenua?

(Now this "re-ascended" --what does it mean but that He had first descended into the lower regions of the earth?

10 Tera i heke ra, ko ia ano i kake atu nei ki runga ake i nga rangi katoa, kia ki ai nga mea katoa i a ia.

He who descended is the same as He who ascended again far above all the Heavens in order to fill the universe.)

11 A homai ana e ia ko etahi hei apotoro; ko etahi hei poropiti; ko etahi hei kaikauwhau i te rongopai; ko etahi hei hepara, hei kaiwhakaako;

And He Himself appointed some to be Apostles, some to be Prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers,

12 Kia tino rite ai te hunga tapu mo te mahi minita, mo te hanga i te whare, ara i te tinana o te Karaiti:

in order fully to equip His people for the work of serving--for the building up of Christ's body--

13 Kia tae katoa ra ano tatou ki te kotahitanga o te whakapono, o te matauranga hoki ki te Tama a te Atua, kia tino tangata, kia eke ki te mehua o te tino kaumatuatanga e tutuki ai ki to te Karaiti:

till we all of us arrive at oneness in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and at mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ.

14 Kia mutu ai to tatou tamarikitanga, te akina, te kahakahakina e nga hau katoa o te whakaako, he whakawiringa ke na te tangata, he maminga, he whakapohehe;

So we shall no longer be babes nor shall we resemble mariners tossed on the waves and carried about with every changing wind of doctrine according to men's cleverness and unscrupulous cunning, making use of every shifting device to mislead.

15 Engari kia korero pono ai i runga i te aroha, kia tupu ai tatou ki roto ki a ia i nga mea katoa, ko te nei ia, ko te Karaiti:

But we shall lovingly hold to the truth, and shall in all respects grow up into union with Him who is our Head, even Christ.

16 Nona nei te tinana katoa, he mea whakapiri marie, he mea ata hono e nga meatanga a nga hononga katoa, whakarite rawa ki te nui o te mahinga a ia wahi, a ia wahi, e mea ana i te tinana kia neke ake, hei whare e hanga ana i a ia i runga i te aroha.

Dependent on Him, the whole body--its various parts closely fitting and firmly adhering to one another-- grows by the aid of every contributory link, with power proportioned to the need of each individual part, so as to build itself up in a spirit of love.

17 Na ko taku tenei e ki nei, e whakaatu nei i roto i te Ariki, kia kati ta koutou haere pera me era atu Tauiwi, e haere nei i roto i te whakahihi o to ratou hinengaro,

Therefore I warn you, and I implore you in the name of the Master, no longer to live as the Gentiles in their perverseness live,

18 Kua oti nei te whakapouri o ratou whakaaro, kua tangata ke ki to te Atua ora, i te kuware o roto i a ratou, he pakeke hoki no o ratou ngakau:

with darkened understandings, having by reason of the ignorance which is deep-seated in them and the insensibility of their moral nature, no share in the Life which God gives.

19 Kahore o ratou ohoohonga, a tukua ana ratou e ratou ano ki te hiahia taikaha; riro pu ratou ki te mahi i nga mea poke katoa.

Such men being past feeling have abandoned themselves to impurity, greedily indulging in every kind of profligacy.

20 Ko koutou ia kihai i pera to koutou ako i a te Karaiti;

But these are not the lessons which you have learned from Christ;

21 Ki te mea kua rongo koutou ki a ia, kua whakaakona e ia ki nga mea e rite ana ki te pono i roto i a Ihu:

if at least you have heard His voice and in Him have been taught--and this is true Christian teaching--

22 Kia whakarerea e koutou te tangata tawhito, he ahua no to koutou whakahaere o mua; he mea pirau nei hoki ia i runga i nga hiahia tinihanga;

to put away, in regard to your former mode of life, your original evil nature which is doomed to perish as befits its misleading impulses,

23 Kia whakahoutia te wairua o to koutou hinengaro;

and to get yourselves renewed in the temper of your minds and clothe yourselves

24 Kia kakahuria iho hoki ki a koutou te tangata hou, no ta te Atua nei te hanganga i runga i te tika, i te tapu o te pono.

with that new and better self which has been created to resemble God in the righteousness and holiness which come from the truth.

25 Heoi whakarerea atu te teka; kia pono te korero ki tona hoa, ki ona hoa: he wahi hoki tatou tetahi no tetahi.

For this reason, laying aside falsehood, every one of you should speak the truth to his fellow man; for we are, as it were, parts of one another.

26 Kia riri, a kaua e hara: kei toene te ra ki to koutou riri:

If angry, beware of sinning. Let not your irritation last until the sun goes down;

27 Kaua hoki tetahi wahi e tukua ki te rewera.

and do not leave room for the Devil.

28 Ko te tangata tahae, me whakamutu tana tahae: engari me mahi, ko ona ringa ano hei mahi i te mea pai, kia whai rawa ai ia hei hoatutanga mana ki te rawakore.

He who has been a thief must steal no more, but, instead of that, should work with his own hands in honest industry, so that he may have something of which he can give the needy a share.

29 Kei puta tetahi kupu kino i o koutou mangai, engari hei te mea e tau ana hei hanga i te pai, kia whiwhi ai ki te pai nga tangata e rongo ana.

Let no unwholesome words ever pass your lips, but let all your words be good for benefiting others according to the need of the moment, so that they may be a means of blessing to the hearers.

30 Kaua hoki e whakapouritia te Wairua Tapu o te Atua, nana nei koutou i hiri mo te ra o te whakaoranga.

And beware of grieving the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you have been sealed in preparation for the day of Redemption.

31 Kia wehea rawatia atu i roto i a koutou te nanakia, te riri, te aritarita, te ngaungau, te korero kino, me te mauahara katoa:

Let all bitterness and all passionate feeling, all anger and loud insulting language, be unknown among you--and also every kind of malice.

32 Kia ngawari to koutou tikanga tetahi ki tetahi, kia pai te ngakau, me te hohou roa iho i te rongo tetahi ki tetahi, kia pera ano me te Atua i hohou nei i te rongo ki a koutou i roto i a te Karaiti.

On the contrary learn to be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ has also forgiven you.