Ephesians 5:1-16

Easy-to-Read Version

5 You are God’s dear children, so try to be like him. ² Live a life of love. Love others just as Christ loved us. He gave himself for us—a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice to God.

³ But there must be no sexual sin among you. There must not be any kind of evil or selfishly wanting more and more, because such things are not right for God’s holy people. ⁴ Also, there must be no evil talk among you. Don’t say things that are foolish or filthy. These are not for you. But you should be giving thanks to God. ⁵ You can be sure of this: No one will have a place in the kingdom of Christ and of God if that person commits sexual sins, or does evil things, or is a person who selfishly wants more and more. A greedy person like that is serving a false god.

⁶ Don’t let anyone fool you with words that are not true. God gets very angry when people who don’t obey him talk like that. ⁷ So don’t have anything to do with them. ⁸ In the past you were full of darkness, but now you are full of light in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light. ⁹ This light produces every kind of goodness, right living, and truth. ¹⁰ Try to learn what pleases the Lord. ¹¹ Have no part in the things that people in darkness do, which produce nothing good. Instead, tell everyone how wrong those things are. ¹² Actually, it is shameful to even talk about the things those people do in secret. ¹³ But the light makes clear how wrong those things are. ¹⁴ Yes, everything is made clear by the light. This is why we say,

¹⁵ So be very careful how you live. Live wisely, not like fools. ¹⁶ I mean that you should use every opportunity you have for doing good, because these are evil times.