The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians

⭑ Berean Study Bible :: World English Bible Catholic ⭑

- Chapter 5 -

Be imitators of God, therefore, as beloved children,

and walk in love, just as Christ loved us

(a)

and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.

But 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.

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

For 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.

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

Therefore do not be partakers with them.

Children of Light

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

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

Test and prove what pleases the Lord.

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

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

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible,(b) for everything that is illuminated becomes a light itself.

So it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

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

redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

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

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

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

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

Wives and Husbands

(Song of Solomon 1:1–17; 1 Peter 3:1–7)

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.(c)

Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For we are members of His body.(d)

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

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

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

Footnotes

(a)5:2 NE and WH Christ loved you

(b)5:13 SBL begins verse 14 after visible,

(d)5:30 BYZ and TR include—of His flesh and of His bones.

(e)5:31 Genesis 2:24 (see also LXX)

Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children.

Walk in love, even as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance.

But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints;

nor filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate, but rather giving of thanks.

Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor unclean person, nor covetous man (who is an idolater), has any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.

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

Therefore don’t be partakers with them.

Children of Light

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

for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,

proving what is well pleasing to the Lord.

Have no fellowship with the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even reprove them.

For it is a shame even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret.

But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light.

Therefore he says, “Awake, you who sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

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

redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Therefore, don’t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Don’t be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

giving thanks always concerning all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;

Wives and Husbands

(Song of Solomon 1:1–17; 1 Peter 3:1–7)

subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ.

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body.

But as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their own husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the assembly and gave himself up for her,

that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

that he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without defect.

Even so husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.

For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord also does the assembly,

because we are members of his body, of his flesh and bones.

“For this cause a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife. Then the two will become one flesh.”(a)

This mystery is great, but I speak concerning Christ and the assembly.

Nevertheless each of you must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Footnotes

(a)5:31 ℘ Genesis 2:24