Ephesians 5:16
New International Version
making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

New Living Translation
Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.

English Standard Version
making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Berean Standard Bible
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Berean Literal Bible
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

King James Bible
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

New King James Version
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

New American Standard Bible
making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

NASB 1995
making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

NASB 1977
making the most of your time, because the days are evil.

Legacy Standard Bible
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Amplified Bible
making the very most of your time [on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence], because the days are [filled with] evil.

Christian Standard Bible
making the most of the time, because the days are evil.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
making the most of the time, because the days are evil.

American Standard Version
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Contemporary English Version
These are evil times, so make every minute count.

English Revised Version
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Make the most of your opportunities because these are evil days.

Good News Translation
Make good use of every opportunity you have, because these are evil days.

International Standard Version
making the best use of your time because the times are evil.

Majority Standard Bible
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

NET Bible
taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

New Heart English Bible
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Webster's Bible Translation
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Weymouth New Testament
Buy up your opportunities, for these are evil times.

World English Bible
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
redeeming the time, because the days are evil;

Berean Literal Bible
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Young's Literal Translation
redeeming the time, because the days are evil;

Smith's Literal Translation
Making purchase of time, for the days are evil.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
But as wise: redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Catholic Public Domain Version
but like the wise: atoning for this age, because this is an evil time.

New American Bible
making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil.

New Revised Standard Version
making the most of the time, because the days are evil.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Who take advantage of their opportunity, for these are difficult days.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Who redeem their opportunities because the days are evil.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Godbey New Testament
buying in the opportunity, because the days are evil.

Haweis New Testament
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Mace New Testament
weighing the circumstances of the season, because the times are dangerous.

Weymouth New Testament
Buy up your opportunities, for these are evil times.

Worrell New Testament
buying up the opportunity, because the days are evil.

Worsley New Testament
redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Children of Light
15Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.…

Cross References
Colossians 4:5
Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time.

Romans 13:11-12
And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. / The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Galatians 6:10
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.

James 4:14
You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

1 Peter 4:2-3
Consequently, he does not live out his remaining time on earth for human passions, but for the will of God. / For you have spent enough time in the past carrying out the same desires as the Gentiles: living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing, and detestable idolatry.

1 Corinthians 7:29-31
What I am saying, brothers, is that the time is short. From now on those who have wives should live as if they had none; / those who weep, as if they did not; those who are joyful, as if they were not; those who make a purchase, as if they had nothing; / and those who use the things of this world, as if not dependent on them. For this world in its present form is passing away.

2 Corinthians 6:2
For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!

Matthew 24:42-44
Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day on which your Lord will come. / But understand this: If the homeowner had known in which watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. / For this reason, you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.

Luke 16:8
The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the sons of this age are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the sons of light.

John 9:4
While it is daytime, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

Ecclesiastes 12:1
Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of adversity come and the years approach of which you will say, “I find no pleasure in them,”

Proverbs 6:6-8
Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise. / Without a commander, without an overseer or ruler, / it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food at harvest.

Proverbs 10:5
He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

Proverbs 27:1
Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.

Psalm 90:12
So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.


Treasury of Scripture

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Redeeming.

Ecclesiastes 9:10
Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Romans 13:11
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed.

Galatians 6:10
As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.

the days.

Ephesians 6:13,15
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand…

Psalm 37:19
They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

Ecclesiastes 11:2
Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.

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Ephesians 5
1. After general exhortations to love;
3. to flee sexual immorality;
4. and all uncleanness;
7. not to converse with the wicked;
15. to walk carefully;
18. and to be filled with the Spirit;
22. he descends to the particular duties, how wives ought to obey their husbands;
25. and husbands ought to love their wives,
32. even as Christ does his church.














making the most of
The Greek word here is "ἐξαγοραζόμενοι" (exagorazomenoi), which can be translated as "redeeming" or "buying back." This term suggests a sense of urgency and intentionality. In a historical context, it evokes the image of a marketplace transaction, where one must seize the opportunity to purchase something valuable before it is gone. Spiritually, it implies that believers are called to actively and wisely use every moment for God's purposes, recognizing the fleeting nature of time and the importance of aligning our actions with God's will.

your time
The Greek word for "time" is "καιρόν" (kairon), which refers to a specific, opportune moment rather than chronological time (chronos). This distinction emphasizes the importance of recognizing and acting upon the unique opportunities God provides in our lives. In a scriptural context, it calls believers to discernment and readiness, to be attuned to God's timing and to act in ways that reflect His kingdom values. The phrase challenges Christians to evaluate how they invest their time, ensuring it is used for eternal purposes rather than temporal distractions.

because the days are evil
The word "evil" is translated from the Greek "πονηραί" (ponērai), which denotes not just moral evil but also hardship and difficulty. Historically, the early Christians faced persecution and moral decay in the Roman Empire, much like the challenges believers encounter today. This phrase serves as a reminder of the spiritual battle that exists in the world and the pervasive influence of sin. It calls Christians to vigilance and perseverance, encouraging them to stand firm in their faith and to be a light in a dark world. The acknowledgment of evil days underscores the urgency of making the most of our time, as the world is in desperate need of the hope and truth found in Christ.

(16) Redeeming the time.--Or rather, the opportunity, whenever it arises. The meaning of this phrase (used also in Colossians 4:5) is clearly illustrated by its use (although in a bad sense) in Daniel 2:8, "I know that you would gain the time"--i.e., catch the opportunity to escape from difficulty. To "redeem" is "to buy up for oneself"--not having essentially the idea of ransom or redemption, which attaches to the use of the word in Galatians 3:13; Galatians 4:5, only from the nature of the context. As applied to opportunity, it carries with it the idea, first of making sacrifice for it, then quickness in seizing it, and sagacity in using it to the utmost, whether by silence or by speech, by facing or avoiding danger, by yielding to a crisis (see Romans 12:11) or conquering it. The reason given that "the days are evil" must be taken in the widest sense, of all that induces temptation to swerve out of the "strictness" of the right way. The general lesson is that which is drawn by our Lord in the parable of the Unjust Steward--to apply the wisdom of the buyers and sellers of the world to the work of "the children of light."

Verse 16. - Redeeming the time, because the days are evil; or, buying up for yourselves the opportunity, the idea being that of a merchant who, knowing the value of an article and the good use to which he can put it, buys it up. The opportunity is the opportunity of spreading the light and acting according to it; and the reason assigned, "because the days are evil," indicates that, owing to the prevalence of evil, there is much need for the light over which the Christian has control. It may be hinted likewise that the prevalence of evil is apt to cool the love and diminish the zeal of the Christian; hence the need for special eagerness of spirit in the matter - he must greedily watch for his opportunity.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
redeeming
ἐξαγοραζόμενοι (exagorazomenoi)
Verb - Present Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 1805: From ek and agorazo; to buy up, i.e. Ransom; figuratively, to rescue from loss.

the
τὸν (ton)
Article - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

time,
καιρόν (kairon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2540: Fitting season, season, opportunity, occasion, time. Of uncertain affinity; an occasion, i.e. Set or proper time.

because
ὅτι (hoti)
Conjunction
Strong's 3754: Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.

the
αἱ (hai)
Article - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

days
ἡμέραι (hēmerai)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 2250: A day, the period from sunrise to sunset.

are
εἰσιν (eisin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

evil.
πονηραί (ponērai)
Adjective - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 4190: Evil, bad, wicked, malicious, slothful.


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NT Letters: Ephesians 5:16 Redeeming the time because the days (Ephes. Eph. Ep)
Ephesians 5:15
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