Ephesians 5

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Imitators of God

¹Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children,

¹Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children,

²and walk in love, just as Christ loved us^a and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.

²and walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave Himself up for us as an offering and a sacrifice to God, into a fragrance of a sweet smell.

³But among you, as is proper among the saints, there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed.

³But let sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness not even be named among you, just as is proper to saints,

⁴Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk, or crude joking, which are out of character, but rather thanksgiving.

⁴and shamefulness, and foolish talk, or crude joking, which are not fitting, but rather thanksgiving.

⁵For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure, or greedy person (that is, an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

⁵For this you know, realizing that every sexually immoral person, or impure person, or covetous person (who is an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

⁶Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.

⁶Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

⁷Therefore do not be partakers with them.

Children of Light

⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light,

⁸For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light—

⁹for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth.

⁹for the fruit of the light is in all goodness and righteousness and truth—

¹⁰Test and prove what pleases the Lord.

¹⁰discerning what is well-pleasing to the Lord.

¹¹Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.

¹¹And do not have fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even expose them.

¹²For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

¹²For it is shameful even to speak of the things being done by them in secret.

¹³But everything exposed by the light becomes visible,^a for everything that is illuminated becomes a light itself.

¹³But everything being exposed by the light is made manifest, for everything being made manifest is light.

¹⁴So it is said:

“Wake up, O sleeper,

rise up from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”

¹⁴Therefore it says: “Awake you, the one sleeping, and rise up out from the dead, and Christ will shine upon you.”

¹⁵Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

¹⁵Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

¹⁶redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

¹⁷Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

¹⁷Because of this, do not be foolish, but understand what is the will of the Lord.

¹⁸Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

¹⁸And do not be drunk with wine, in which is debauchery, but be filled in the Spirit,

¹⁹Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord,

¹⁹speaking to each other in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,

²⁰always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁰giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to the God and Father.

Wives and Husbands

²¹Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.^a

²¹Be submitting to one another in fear of Christ:

²²Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.

²²wives, to your own husbands as to the Lord;

²³For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, His body, of which He is the Savior.

²³for the husband is head of the wife as also Christ is the head of the church, He Himself Savior of the body.

²⁴Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

²⁴But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives to their husbands in everything.

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her

²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her,

²⁶to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,

²⁶so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water in the word,

²⁷and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.

²⁷so that He might present to Himself the church in glory, not having spot or wrinkle or any of such things, but that she may be holy and blameless.

²⁸In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

²⁸So also husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. The one loving his own wife loves himself.

²⁹Indeed, no one ever hated his own body, but he nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church.

²⁹For no one at any time hated his own flesh, but he nourishes and cherishes it just as Christ also does the church.

³⁰For we are members of His body.^a

³⁰For we are members of His body.

³¹“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”^a

³¹“Because of this, a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will be into one flesh.”

³²This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and the church.

³²This mystery is great, but I speak as to Christ and as to the church.

³³Nevertheless, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

³³However, you also, every one, let each so love his wife as himself; and the wife, that she may respect the husband.