To the Ephesians 5:1-33
5 Therefore, become imitators of God,+ as beloved children,
2 and go on walking in love,+ just as the Christ also loved us*+ and gave himself for us* as an offering and a sacrifice, a sweet fragrance to God.+
3 Let sexual immorality* and every sort of uncleanness or greediness not even be mentioned among you,+ just as is proper for holy people;+
4 neither shameful conduct nor foolish talking nor obscene jesting+—things that are not befitting—but rather the giving of thanks.+
5 For you know this, recognizing it for yourselves, that no sexually immoral person*+ or unclean person or greedy person,+ which means being an idolater, has any inheritance in the Kingdom of the Christ and of God.+
6 Let no man deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.
7 Therefore, do not be sharers with them;
8 for you were once darkness, but you are now light+ in connection with the Lord.+ Go on walking as children of light,
9 for the fruitage of the light consists of every sort of goodness and righteousness and truth.+
10 Keep on making sure of what is acceptable+ to the Lord;
11 and stop sharing in the unfruitful works that belong to the darkness;+ rather, expose them for what they are.
12 For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention.
13 Now all the things that are being exposed* are made evident by the light, for everything that is being made evident is light.
14 Therefore, it is said: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead,+ and the Christ will shine upon you.”+
15 So keep strict watch that how you walk is not as unwise but as wise persons,
16 making the best use of your time,*+ because the days are wicked.
17 On this account stop being unreasonable, but keep perceiving what the will of Jehovah* is.+
18 Also, do not get drunk with wine,+ in which there is debauchery,* but keep getting filled with spirit.
19 Speak to one another* with psalms, praises to God, and spiritual songs, singing+ and accompanying yourselves with music+ in your hearts to Jehovah,*+
20 always giving thanks+ to our God and Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.+
21 Be in subjection to one another+ in fear of Christ.
22 Let wives be in subjection to their husbands+ as to the Lord,
23 because a husband is head of his wife+ just as the Christ is head of the congregation,+ he being a savior of this body.
24 In fact, as the congregation is in subjection to the Christ, wives should also be to their husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, continue loving your wives,+ just as the Christ also loved the congregation and gave himself up for it,+
26 in order that he might sanctify it, cleansing it with the bath of water by means of the word,+
27 so that he might present the congregation to himself in its splendor, without a spot or a wrinkle or any of such things,+ but holy and without blemish.+
28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. A man who loves his wife loves himself,
29 for no man ever hated his own body,* but he feeds and cherishes it, just as the Christ does the congregation,
30 because we are members of his body.+
31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and his mother and he will stick to* his wife, and the two will be one flesh.”+
32 This sacred secret+ is great. Now I am speaking about Christ and the congregation.+
33 Nevertheless, each one of you must love his wife+ as he does himself; on the other hand, the wife should have deep respect for her husband.+
Footnotes
^ Or possibly, “you.”
^ Or possibly, “you.”
^ Or “reproved.”
^ Lit., “buying out the appointed time.”
^ Or “unruliness.”
^ Or possibly, “to yourselves.”
^ Lit., “flesh.”
^ Or “remain with.”
