Ephesians 4
Jubilee Bible 2000
4 ¶ I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation with which ye are called,
2 ¶ with all humility and meekness, with tolerance, forbearing one another in love,
3 being diligent to guard the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling,
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all.
7 But unto each one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of the Christ.
8 Therefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men.
9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?
10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all the heavens, that he might fulfill all things.)
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers,
12 for the perfecting of the saints in the work of the ministry, unto the edifying of the body of the Christ
13 until we all come forth in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the coming of age of the Christ:
14 That we no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive,
15 but following the truth in charity, let us grow up into him in all things, who is the head, the Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and well tied together among itself by the nourishment that every connecting bond supplies, by the operation of each member according to measure they have received, making increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in charity.
17 ¶ This I say, therefore, and require in the Lord that from now on ye not walk as the other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their own senses,
18 having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart,
19 who, after losing all sense of feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness.
20 But ye have not so learned of the Christ,
21 if so be that ye have heard him and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus,
22 that ye put off everything concerning the old way of life, that is, the old man who corrupts himself according to deceitful desires,
23 and be renewed in the spirit of your understanding
24 and that ye put on the new man, which is created in conformity to God in righteousness and in the holiness of the truth.
25 Therefore, leaving the lie, speak every man truth with his neighbour, for we are members one of another.
26 Be ye angry and sin not; let not the sun go down upon your wrath,
27 neither give place to the devil.
28 Let him that stole steal no more, but rather let him labour, working with his hands that which is good, that he may have to give to him that is in need.
29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good for edification, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God with which ye are sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evil speaking be taken away from you, with all malice,
32 and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God has forgiven you in Christ.
Ephesians 4
The Voice
4 As a prisoner of the Lord, I urge you: Live a life that is worthy of the calling He has graciously extended to you. 2 Be humble. Be gentle. Be patient. Tolerate one another in an atmosphere thick with love. 3 Make every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit has already created, with peace binding you together.
Now that Paul has described the new world as God would have it, he urges believers to live out their callings with humility, patience, and love: to walk as Jesus walked. These are the ways of Jesus. Paul encourages them to do whatever it takes to hold onto the unity that binds people together in peace. He does not ask them to create that unity; this has already been accomplished through the work of the Rescuer and His Spirit. Rather, he calls believers to guard that unity—a more modest but no less significant task—because that unity is founded on God’s oneness and work in the world.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were all called to pursue one hope. 5 There is one Lord Jesus, one living faith, one ceremonial washing through baptism,[a] and 6 one God—the Father over all who is above all, through all, and in all. 7 This God has given to each of us grace in full measure according to the Anointed’s gift 8 as the Scripture says,
When He ascended to the heights,
He put captivity in chains;
And in His triumph, He gave gifts to the people.[b]
9 (Well, when it says “He ascended,” then that must mean that He had descended earlier to the lower levels, that is, to the earth. 10 The One who descended is the same One who rose from the dead to ascend far above all the heavens so that He could fill all things.)
11 It was the risen One who handed down to us such gifted leaders—some emissaries,[c] some prophets, some evangelists, as well as some pastor-teachers— 12 so that God’s people would be thoroughly equipped to minister and build up the body of the Anointed One. 13 These ministries will continue until we are unified in faith and filled with the knowledge of the Son of God, until we stand mature in His teachings and fully formed in the likeness of the Anointed, our Liberating King. 14 Then we will no longer be like children, tossed around here and there upon ocean waves, picked up by every gust of religious teaching spoken by liars or swindlers or deceivers. 15 Instead, by truth spoken in love, we are to grow in every way into Him—the Anointed One, the head. 16 He joins and holds together the whole body with its ligaments providing the support needed so each part works to its proper design to form a healthy, growing, and mature body that builds itself up in love.
17 Therefore, as a witness of the Lord, I insist on this: that you no longer walk in the outsiders’ ways—with minds devoted to worthless pursuits. 18 They are blind to true understanding. They are strangers and aliens to the kind of life God has for them because they live in ignorance and immorality and because their hearts are cold, hard stones. 19 And now, since they’ve lost all natural feelings, they have given themselves over to sensual, greedy, and reckless living. They stop at nothing to satisfy their impure appetites.
20 But this is not the path of the Anointed One, which you have learned. 21 If you have heard Jesus and have been taught by Him according to the truth that is in Him, 22 then you know to take off your former way of life, your crumpled old self—that dark blot of a soul corrupted by deceitful desire and lust— 23 to take a fresh breath and to let God renew your attitude and spirit. 24 Then you are ready to put on your new self, modeled after the very likeness of God: truthful, righteous, and holy.
25 So put away your lies and speak the truth to one another because we are all part of one another. 26 When you are angry, don’t let it carry you into sin.[d] Don’t let the sun set with anger in your heart or 27 give the devil room to work. 28 If you have been stealing, stop. Thieves must go to work like everyone else and work honestly with their hands so that they can share with anyone who has a need. 29 Don’t let even one rotten word seep out of your mouths. Instead, offer only fresh words that build others up when they need it most. That way your good words will communicate grace to those who hear them. 30 It’s time to stop bringing grief to God’s Holy Spirit; you have been sealed with the Spirit, marked as His own for the day of rescue. 31 Banish bitterness, rage and anger, shouting and slander, and any and all malicious thoughts—these are poison. 32 Instead, be kind and compassionate. Graciously forgive one another just as God has forgiven you through the Anointed, our Liberating King.
Copyright © 2013, 2020 by Ransom Press International
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.