Ephesians 4
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1As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.1I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to live in a way that is worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.2demonstrating all expressions of humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another in love.
3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.3Do your best to maintain the unity of the Spirit by means of the bond of peace.
4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;4There is one body and one Spirit. Likewise, you were called to the one hope of your calling.
5one Lord, one faith, one baptism;5There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.6one God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in all.
7But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.7Now to each one of us grace has been given proportionate to the measure of the Messiah's gift.
8This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people."8That is why God says, "When he went up to the highest place, he led captives into captivity and gave gifts to people."
9(What does "he ascended" mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions?9Now what does this "he went up" mean except that he also had gone down into the lower parts of the earth?
10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)10The one who went down is the same one who went up above all the heavens so that all things would be fulfilled.
11So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,11And it is he who gifted some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, and still others to be pastors and teachers,
12to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up12to equip the saints, to do the work of ministry, and to build up the body of the Messiah
13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.13until all of us are united in the faith and in the full knowledge of God's Son, and until we attain mature adulthood and the full standard of development in the Messiah.
14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.14Then we will no longer be little children, tossed like waves and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, or by clever strategies that would lead us astray.
15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.15Instead, by speaking the truth in love, we will grow up completely and become one with the head, that is, one with the Messiah,
16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.16in whom the whole body is united and held together by every ligament with which it is supplied. As each individual part does its job, the body builds itself up in love.
17So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.17Therefore, I tell you and insist on in the Lord not to live any longer like the gentiles live, thinking worthless thoughts.
18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.
19Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.19Since they have lost all sense of shame, they have abandoned themselves to sensuality and practice every kind of sexual perversion without restraint.
20That, however, is not the way of life you learned20However, that is not the way you came to know the Messiah.
21when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.21Surely you have listened to him and have been taught by him, since truth is in Jesus.
22You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;22Regarding your former way of life, you were taught to strip off your old nature, which is being ruined by its deceptive desires,
23to be made new in the attitude of your minds;23to be renewed in your mental attitude,
24and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.24and to clothe yourselves with the new nature, which was created according to God's image in righteousness and true holiness.
25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.25Therefore, stripping off falsehood, "let each of us speak the truth to his neighbor," for we belong to one another.
26"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,26"Be angry, yet do not sin." Do not let the sun set while you are still angry,
27and do not give the devil a foothold.27and do not give the devil an opportunity to work.
28Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.28The thief must no longer steal but must work hard and do what is good with his own hands, so that he might earn something to give to the needy.
29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.29Let no filthy talk be heard from your mouths, but only what is good for building up people and meeting the need of the moment. This way you will administer grace to those who hear you.
30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.30Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.
31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.31Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, quarreling, and slander be put away from you, along with all hatred.
32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.32And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another just as God has forgiven you in the Messiah.
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Ephesians 3
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