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, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

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

2. with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love,

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

3. eager to maintain 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, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call,

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 us all, who is above all and through all and in all.

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

7. But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

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

8. Therefore it is said, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men."

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

9. (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended 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 who descended is he who also ascended far above all the 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 his gifts were that some should be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, 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. to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up 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. until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to 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. so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles.

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

15. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into 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, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and upbuilds 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. Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds;

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. they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of 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. they have become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of uncleanness.

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

20. You did not so learn Christ! --

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

21. assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in 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. Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts,

23. Your mind was to be renewed in spirit

23. and be renewed in the spirit of your minds,

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 put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and 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. Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbor, 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 angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

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

27. and give no opportunity 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 the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.

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 evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear.

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 do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for 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 clamor and slander 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 kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.