Ephesians 5

Wycliffe Bible

5 Therefore be ye followers of God, as most dear-worthy sons;

² and walk ye in love, as [and] Christ loved us, and gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God, into the odour of sweetness.

³ And fornication, and all uncleanness, or avarice, be not named among you, as it becometh holy men;

⁴ either filth, or folly speech, or buffoonery [or harlotry], that pertaineth not to profit, but more rather doing of thankings [but more doing of thankings].

⁵ For know ye this, and understand, that each lecher, or unclean man, or covetous [man], that serveth to maumets^[a], hath not heritage in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

⁶ No man deceive you by vain words; for why for these things the wrath of God came upon the sons of unbelief.

⁷ Therefore do not ye be made partners of them.

⁸ For ye were sometime darknesses, but now ye be light in the Lord. Walk ye as the sons of light [Walk as the sons of light].

⁹ For the fruit of light is in all goodness, and rightwiseness, and truth.

¹⁰ And prove ye what thing is well pleasing to God. [Proving what is well pleasing to God.]

¹¹ And do not ye commune to unfruitous works of darknesses; but more rather reprove ye [them].

¹² For what things be done of them in privy, it is foul, yea, to speak.

¹³ And all things that be reproved of the light, be openly showed; for all thing that is showed, is light. [Forsooth all things that be reproved of the light, be made open; forsooth all thing that is made open, is light.]

¹⁴ For which thing he saith, Rise thou that sleepest, and rise up from death, and Christ shall lighten thee.^[b]

¹⁵ Therefore, brethren, see ye, how warily ye shall go; not as unwise men, but as wise men,

¹⁶ again-buying the time, for the days be evil.

¹⁷ Therefore do not ye be made unwise, but understanding which is the will of God [which is the will of the Lord].

¹⁸ And do not ye be drunk of wine, in which is lechery [in which is luxury], but be ye filled with the Holy Ghost;

¹⁹ and speak ye to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and saying psalm in your hearts to the Lord; [speaking to yourselves in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and saying psalm in your heart to the Lord;]

²⁰ evermore doing thankings for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God and to the Father [to God and the Father.]

²¹ Be ye subject together in the dread of Christ.

²² Women, be they subject to their husbands, as to the Lord,

²³ for the man is head of the woman, as Christ is head of the church; he is Saviour of his body.

²⁴ But as the church is subject to Christ, so [and] women to their husbands in all things.

²⁵ Men, love ye your wives, as [and] Christ loved the church, and gave himself for it,

²⁶ to make it holy; and cleansed it with the washing of water [that he should make it holy; cleansing it with the washing of water], in the word of life,

²⁷ to give the church glorious to himself, that it had no wem, nor rivelling, or any such thing^[c], but that it be holy and undefouled.

²⁸ So and men shall love their wives, as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife, loveth himself;

²⁹ for no man hated ever his own flesh, but nourisheth and fostereth it, as [and] Christ doeth the church.

³⁰ And we be members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. [For we be members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.]

³¹ For this thing a man shall forsake his father and mother, and he shall draw to his wife; and they shall be twain in one flesh [and he shall cleave to his wife; and they shall be two in one flesh].

³² This sacrament is great; yea, I say in Christ, and in the church.

³³ Nevertheless ye all, each man love his wife as himself; and the wife dread her husband.