Ephesians 5

1Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children. 2And walk in love, as the Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, # 2Th 2:13; Ti 2:14 a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God. 3But sexual immorality # 1Th 4:3 and any impurity # 1Th 4:7 or greed # Lk 12:15; Rm 1:29; Eph 4:19; Col 3:5; 1Th 2:5; 2Pt 2:3,14 should not even be heard of # Or be named among you, as is proper for saints. 4Coarse and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks. 5For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral # 1Co 5:9 or impure # 2Co 6:17 or greedy # 1Co 5:10-11; 6:10 person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom # Mk 1:15 of the Messiah and of God.

Light versus Darkness

6Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath # Rm 2:5; Rv 6:16 is coming on the disobedient because of these things. # Lit sons of disobedience 7Therefore, do not become their partners. 8For you were once darkness, but now you are light # Ps 36:9; Jn 12:46 in the Lord. Walk as children of light # Is 2:5; Lk 16:8; Jn 12:35-36 — 9for the fruit of the light # Other mss read fruit of the Spirit results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth # Eph 5:17 — 10discerning # Rm 12:2 what is pleasing # Lk 18:18 to the Lord. 11Don’t participate in the fruitless # Gl 5:22; Ti 3:14 works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret. 13Everything exposed by the light is made clear, # 1Jn 1:2 14for what makes everything clear is light. Therefore it is said:

Get up, sleeper, # Pr 6:4 and rise up from the dead, # Jn 5:25

and the Messiah will shine on you. # This poem may have been an early Christian hymn based on several passages in Isaiah; Is 9:2; 26:19; 40:1; 51:17; 52:1; 60:1. # Is 26:19; 51:17; 52:1; 60:1; Mal 4:2; Lk 1:78-79; Rm 13:11

Consistency in the Christian Life

15Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk — not as unwise people but as wise — 16making the most of the time, # Lit buying back the time # Col 4:5 because the days are evil. 17So don’t be foolish, but understand # Jr 31:31-34; Ezk 36:26-27; Rm 12:2; Php 1:9-10; 1Th 5:21 what the Lord’s will # Ps 143:10; Pr 16:9; Gl 1:4; Eph 1:9 is. 18And don’t get drunk # Lk 12:45; Jn 2:10; 1Th 5:7; Rv 17:2 with wine, # Gn 9:21; Dt 7:13; Ps 4:7; Pr 3:10; Lk 5:37 which leads to reckless actions, but be filled by the Spirit: # Lk 1:15; Ac 13:52

19speaking to one another

in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs,

singing and making music

from your heart to the Lord,

20giving thanks always for everything

to God the Father

in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

21submitting to one another

in the fear of Christ. # Col 3:16-17; 1Pt 1:17

Wives and Husbands

22Wives, # 1Pt 3:1 submit # Other mss omit submit # Gn 3:16; 1Co 11:3,7-9,11-12; Col 3:18; Ti 2:4-5; 1Pt 3:1-6 to your own husbands # 1Pt 3:1 as to the Lord, 23for the husband is the head of the wife # 1Co 11:3 as Christ is the head # Col 2:10 of the church. He is the Savior of the body. # Col 3:18–4:1 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25Husbands, love your wives, # Col 3:19; 1Pt 3:7 just as Christ loved # Jn 3:16; 1Co 13:1; 2Th 2:13 the church and gave Himself # Ti 2:14 for her 26to make her holy, cleansing # Or having cleansed her with the washing of water by the word. 27He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. # Jd 24 28In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30since we are members of His body. # Other mss add and of His flesh and of His bones

31For this reason a man will leave

his father and mother

and be joined to his wife, # 1Pt 3:1

and the two will become one flesh. # Gn 2:24 # Gn 2:24

32This mystery # 1Co 2:7 is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.

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Ephesians 5: HCSB

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