Ephesians, 4

1. I, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you therefore to lead a life worthy of the vocation to which you were called.

1. I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,

2. With all humility and gentleness, and with patience, support each other in love.

2. With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;

3. Take every care to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together.

3. Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as one hope is the goal of your calling by God.

4. [There is] one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

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

5. One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6. and one God and Father of all, over all, through all and within all.

6. One God and Father of all, who [is] above all, and through all, and in you all.

7. On each one of us God's favour has been bestowed in whatever way Christ allotted it.

7. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8. That is why it says: He went up to the heights, took captives, he gave gifts to humanity.

8. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

9. When it says, 'he went up', it must mean that he had gone down to the deepest levels of the earth.

9. (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?

10. The one who went down is none other than the one who went up above all the heavens to fill all things.

10. He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

11. And to some, his 'gift' was that they should be apostles; to some prophets; to some, evangelists; to some, pastors and teachers;

11. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12. to knit God's holy people together for the work of service to build up the Body of Christ,

12. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13. until we all reach unity in faith and knowledge of the Son of God and form the perfect Man, fully mature with the fullness of Christ himself.

13. Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

14. Then we shall no longer be children, or tossed one way and another, and carried hither and thither by every new gust of teaching, at the mercy of all the tricks people play and their unscrupulousness in deliberate deception.

14. That we [henceforth] be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15. If we live by the truth and in love, we shall grow completely into Christ, who is the head

15. But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, [even] Christ:

16. by whom the whole Body is fitted and joined together, every joint adding its own strength, for each individual part to work according to its function. So the body grows until it has built itself up in love.

16. From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

17. So this I say to you and attest to you in the Lord, do not go on living the empty-headed life that the gentiles live.

17. This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

18. Intellectually they are in the dark, and they are estranged from the life of God, because of the ignorance which is the consequence of closed minds.

18. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

19. Their sense of right and wrong once dulled, they have abandoned all self-control and pursue to excess every kind of uncleanness.

19. Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

20. Now that is hardly the way you have learnt Christ,

20. But ye have not so learned Christ;

21. unless you failed to hear him properly when you were taught what the truth is in Jesus.

21. If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

22. You were to put aside your old self, which belongs to your old way of life and is corrupted by following illusory desires.

22. That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

23. Your mind was to be renewed in spirit

23. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

24. so that you could put on the New Man that has been created on God's principles, in the uprightness and holiness of the truth.

24. And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

25. So from now on, there must be no more lies. Speak the truth to one another, since we are all parts of one another.

25. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

26. Even if you are angry, do not sin: never let the sun set on your anger

26. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

27. or else you will give the devil a foothold.

27. Neither give place to the devil.

28. Anyone who was a thief must stop stealing; instead he should exert himself at some honest job with his own hands so that he may have something to share with those in need.

28. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with [his] hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

29. No foul word should ever cross your lips; let your words be for the improvement of others, as occasion offers, and do good to your listeners;

29. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

30. do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God who has marked you with his seal, ready for the day when we shall be set free.

30. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

31. Any bitterness or bad temper or anger or shouting or abuse must be far removed from you -- as must every kind of malice.

31. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

32. Be generous to one another, sympathetic, forgiving each other as readily as God forgave you in Christ.

32. And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.