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Ephesians 4-6
Easy-to-Read Version
Ephesians 4-6
Easy-to-Read Version
The Unity of the Body
4 So, as a prisoner for the Lord, I beg you to live the way God’s people should live, because he chose you to be his. 2 Always be humble and gentle. Be patient and accept each other with love. 3 You are joined together with peace through the Spirit. Do all you can to continue as you are, letting peace hold you together. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, and God chose you to have one hope. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism. 6 There is one God and Father of us all, who rules over everyone. He works through all of us and in all of us.
7 Christ gave each one of us a special gift. Everyone received what he wanted to give them. 8 That is why the Scriptures say,
“He went up high into the sky;
he took prisoners with him,
and he gave gifts to people.” (A)
9 When it says, “He went up,” what does it mean? It means that he first came down low to earth. 10 So Christ came down, and he is the same one who went up. He went up above the highest heaven in order to fill everything with himself. 11 And that same Christ gave these gifts to people: He made some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to go and tell the Good News, and some to care for and teach God’s people.[a] 12 Christ gave these gifts to prepare God’s holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger. 13 This work must continue until we are all joined together in what we believe and in what we know about the Son of God. Our goal is to become like a full-grown man—to look just like Christ and have all his perfection.
14 Then we will no longer be like babies. We will not be people who are always changing like a ship that the waves carry one way and then another. We will not be influenced by every new teaching we hear from people who are trying to deceive us—those who make clever plans and use every kind of trick to fool others into following the wrong way. 15 No, we will speak the truth with love. We will grow to be like Christ in every way. He is the head, 16 and the whole body depends on him. All the parts of the body are joined and held together, with each part doing its own work. This causes the whole body to grow and to be stronger in love.
The Way You Should Live
17 I have something from the Lord to tell you. I warn you: Don’t continue living like those who don’t believe. Their thoughts are worth nothing. 18 They have no understanding, and they know nothing because they refuse to listen. So they cannot have the life that God gives. 19 They have lost their feeling of shame and use their lives to do what is morally wrong. More and more they want to do all kinds of evil. 20 But that way of life is nothing like what you learned when you came to know Christ. 21 I know that you heard about him, and in him you were taught the truth. Yes, the truth is in Jesus. 22 You were taught to leave your old self. This means that you must stop living the evil way you lived before. That old self gets worse and worse, because people are fooled by the evil they want to do. 23 You must be made new in your hearts and in your thinking. 24 Be that new person who was made to be like God, truly good and pleasing to him.
25 So you must stop telling lies. “You must always speak the truth to each other,”[b] because we all belong to each other in the same body. 26 “When you are angry, don’t let that anger make you sin,”[c] and don’t stay angry all day. 27 Don’t give the devil a way to defeat you. 28 Whoever has been stealing must stop it and start working. They must use their hands for doing something good. Then they will have something to share with those who are poor.
29 When you talk, don’t say anything bad. But say the good things that people need—whatever will help them grow stronger. Then what you say will be a blessing to those who hear you. 30 And don’t make the Holy Spirit sad. God gave you his Spirit as proof that you belong to him and that he will keep you safe until the day he makes you free. 31 Never be bitter, angry, or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. 32 Be kind and loving to each other. Forgive each other the same as God forgave you through Christ.
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,
“Wake up, you who are sleeping!
Rise from death,
and Christ will shine on you.”
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. 17 So don’t be foolish with your lives, but learn what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, which will ruin your life, but be filled with the Spirit. 19 Encourage each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord. 20 Always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Wives and Husbands
21 Be willing to serve each other out of respect for Christ.
22 Wives, be willing to serve your husbands the same as the Lord. 23 A husband is the head of his wife, just as Christ is the head of the church. Christ is the Savior of the church, which is his body. 24 The church serves under Christ, so it is the same with you wives. You should be willing to serve your husbands in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives the same as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it. 26 He died to make the church holy. He used the telling of the Good News to make the church clean by washing it with water. 27 Christ died so that he could give the church to himself like a bride in all her beauty. He died so that the church could be holy and without fault, with no evil or sin or any other thing wrong in it.
28 And husbands should love their wives like that. They should love their wives as they love their own bodies. The man who loves his wife loves himself, 29 because no one ever hates his own body, but feeds and takes care of it. And that is what Christ does for the church 30 because we are parts of his body. 31 The Scriptures say, “That is why a man will leave his father and mother and join his wife, and the two people will become one.”[d] 32 That secret truth is very important—I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 But each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself. And a wife must respect her husband.
Children and Parents
6 Children, obey your parents the way the Lord wants, because this is the right thing to do. 2 The command says, “You must respect your father and mother.”[e] This is the first command that has a promise with it. 3 And this is the promise: “Then all will go well with you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”[f]
4 Fathers, don’t make your children angry, but raise them with the kind of teaching and training you learn from the Lord.
Slaves and Masters
5 Slaves, obey your masters here on earth with fear and respect. And do this with a heart that is true, just as you obey Christ. 6 You must do this not just to please your masters while they are watching, but all the time. Since you are really slaves of Christ, you must do with all your heart what God wants. 7 Do your work, and be happy to do it. Work as though it is the Lord you are serving, not just an earthly master. 8 Remember that the Lord will give everyone a reward for doing good. Everyone, slave or free, will get a reward for the good things they do.
9 Masters, in the same way, be good to your slaves. Don’t say things to scare them. You know that the one who is your Master and their Master is in heaven, and he treats everyone the same.
Wear the Full Armor of God
10 To end my letter I tell you, be strong in the Lord and in his great power. 11 Wear the full armor of God. Wear God’s armor so that you can fight against the devil’s clever tricks. 12 Our fight is not against people on earth. We are fighting against the rulers and authorities and the powers of this world’s darkness. We are fighting against the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places. 13 That is why you need to get God’s full armor. Then on the day of evil, you will be able to stand strong. And when you have finished the whole fight, you will still be standing.
14 So stand strong with the belt of truth tied around your waist, and on your chest wear the protection of right living. 15 On your feet wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong. 16 And also use the shield of faith with which you can stop all the burning arrows that come from the Evil One. 17 Accept God’s salvation as your helmet. And take the sword of the Spirit—that sword is the teaching of God. 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times. Pray with all kinds of prayers, and ask for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready. Never give up. Always pray for all of God’s people.
19 Also pray for me—that when I speak, God will give me words so that I can tell the secret truth about the Good News without fear. 20 I have the work of speaking for that Good News, and that is what I am doing now, here in prison. Pray that when I tell people the Good News, I will speak without fear as I should.
Final Greetings
21 I am sending you Tychicus, the brother we love. He is a faithful servant of the Lord’s work. He will tell you everything that is happening with me. Then you will know how I am and what I am doing. 22 That’s why I am sending him—to let you know how we are and to encourage you.
23 I pray that God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will give peace and love with faith to all the brothers and sisters there. 24 God’s grace to all of you who love our Lord Jesus Christ with love that never ends.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 4:11 to care for … people Literally, “to be shepherds and teachers.”
- Ephesians 4:25
Quote from Zech. 8:16. - Ephesians 4:26
Quote from Ps. 4:4 (Greek version). - Ephesians 5:31
Quote from Gen. 2:24. - Ephesians 6:2
Quote from Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16. - Ephesians 6:3
Quote from Ex. 20:12; Deut. 5:16.
Ephesians 4-6
New International Version
Ephesians 4-6
New International Version
Unity and Maturity in the Body of Christ
4 As a prisoner(A) for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy(B) of the calling(C) you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another(D) in love.(E) 3 Make every effort to keep the unity(F) of the Spirit through the bond of peace.(G) 4 There is one body(H) and one Spirit,(I) just as you were called to one hope when you were called(J); 5 one Lord,(K) one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all,(L) who is over all and through all and in all.(M)
7 But to each one of us(N) grace(O) has been given(P) as Christ apportioned it. 8 This is why it[a] says:
9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended(S) higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)(T) 11 So Christ himself gave(U) the apostles,(V) the prophets,(W) the evangelists,(X) the pastors and teachers,(Y) 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ(Z) may be built up(AA) 13 until we all reach unity(AB) in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God(AC) and become mature,(AD) attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.(AE)
14 Then we will no longer be infants,(AF) tossed back and forth by the waves,(AG) and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.(AH) 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love,(AI) we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head,(AJ) that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows(AK) and builds itself up(AL) in love,(AM) as each part does its work.
Instructions for Christian Living
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer(AN) live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.(AO) 18 They are darkened in their understanding(AP) and separated from the life of God(AQ) because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.(AR) 19 Having lost all sensitivity,(AS) they have given themselves over(AT) to sensuality(AU) so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned 21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off(AV) your old self,(AW) which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;(AX) 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;(AY) 24 and to put on(AZ) the new self,(BA) created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.(BB)
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully(BC) to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.(BD) 26 “In your anger do not sin”[d]:(BE) Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.(BF) 28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work,(BG) doing something useful with their own hands,(BH) that they may have something to share with those in need.(BI)
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths,(BJ) but only what is helpful for building others up(BK) according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God,(BL) with whom you were sealed(BM) for the day of redemption.(BN) 31 Get rid of(BO) all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.(BP) 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another,(BQ) forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.(BR) 5 1 Follow God’s example,(BS) therefore, as dearly loved children(BT) 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us(BU) and gave himself up for us(BV) as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.(BW)
3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality,(BX) or of any kind of impurity, or of greed,(BY) because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk(BZ) or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.(CA) 5 For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a person is an idolater(CB)—has any inheritance(CC) in the kingdom of Christ and of God.[e](CD) 6 Let no one deceive you(CE) with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath(CF) comes on those who are disobedient.(CG) 7 Therefore do not be partners with them.
8 For you were once(CH) darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light(CI) 9 (for the fruit(CJ) of the light consists in all goodness,(CK) righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord.(CL) 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness,(CM) but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light(CN) becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light. 14 This is why it is said:
15 Be very careful, then, how you live(CR)—not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity,(CS) because the days are evil.(CT) 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.(CU) 18 Do not get drunk on wine,(CV) which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,(CW) 19 speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit.(CX) Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks(CY) to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Instructions for Christian Households(CZ)
21 Submit to one another(DA) out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands(DB) as you do to the Lord.(DC) 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church,(DD) his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands(DE) in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives,(DF) just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her(DG) 26 to make her holy,(DH) cleansing[f] her by the washing(DI) with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself(DJ) as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.(DK) 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives(DL) as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body.(DM) 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.”[g](DN) 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33 However, each one of you also must love his wife(DO) as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.(DP) 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”[h](DQ)
4 Fathers,[i] do not exasperate your children;(DR) instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.(DS)
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect(DT) and fear, and with sincerity of heart,(DU) just as you would obey Christ.(DV) 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ,(DW) doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,(DX) 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do,(DY) whether they are slave or free.
9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours(DZ) is in heaven, and there is no favoritism(EA) with him.
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord(EB) and in his mighty power.(EC) 11 Put on the full armor of God,(ED) so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,(EE) but against the rulers, against the authorities,(EF) against the powers(EG) of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.(EH) 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God,(EI) so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,(EJ) with the breastplate of righteousness in place,(EK) 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.(EL) 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,(EM) with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.(EN) 17 Take the helmet of salvation(EO) and the sword of the Spirit,(EP) which is the word of God.(EQ)
18 And pray in the Spirit(ER) on all occasions(ES) with all kinds of prayers and requests.(ET) With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying(EU) for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me,(EV) that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly(EW) make known the mystery(EX) of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador(EY) in chains.(EZ) Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Final Greetings
21 Tychicus,(FA) the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are,(FB) and that he may encourage you.(FC)
23 Peace(FD) to the brothers and sisters,[j] and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.[k]
Footnotes
- Ephesians 4:8 Or God
- Ephesians 4:8 Psalm 68:18
- Ephesians 4:9 Or the depths of the earth
- Ephesians 4:26 Psalm 4:4 (see Septuagint)
- Ephesians 5:5 Or kingdom of the Messiah and God
- Ephesians 5:26 Or having cleansed
- Ephesians 5:31 Gen. 2:24
- Ephesians 6:3 Deut. 5:16
- Ephesians 6:4 Or Parents
- Ephesians 6:23 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.
- Ephesians 6:24 Or Grace and immortality to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International
New International Version (NIV) 
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