International Standard Version

New American Standard Bible 1995

1I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to live in a way that is worthy of the calling to which you have been called,

1Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

2demonstrating all expressions of humility, gentleness, and patience, accepting one another in love.

2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love,

3Do your best to maintain the unity of the Spirit by means of the bond of peace.

3being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4There is one body and one Spirit. Likewise, you were called to the one hope of your calling.

4There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling;

5There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

5one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6one God and Father of all, who is above all, through all, and in all.

6one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.

7Now to each one of us grace has been given proportionate to the measure of the Messiah's gift.

7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

8That is why God says, "When he went up to the highest place, he led captives into captivity and gave gifts to people."

8Therefore it says, "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN."

9Now what does this "he went up" mean except that he also had gone down into the lower parts of the earth?

9(Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?

10The one who went down is the same one who went up above all the heavens so that all things would be fulfilled.

10He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, so that He might fill all things.)

11And it is he who gifted some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, and still others to be pastors and teachers,

11And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

12to equip the saints, to do the work of ministry, and to build up the body of the Messiah

12for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

13until all of us are united in the faith and in the full knowledge of God's Son, and until we attain mature adulthood and the full standard of development in the Messiah.

13until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

14Then we will no longer be little children, tossed like waves and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people's trickery, or by clever strategies that would lead us astray.

14As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

15Instead, by speaking the truth in love, we will grow up completely and become one with the head, that is, one with the Messiah,

15but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,

16in whom the whole body is united and held together by every ligament with which it is supplied. As each individual part does its job, the body builds itself up in love.

16from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

17Therefore, I tell you and insist on in the Lord not to live any longer like the gentiles live, thinking worthless thoughts.

17So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

18They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart.

18being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;

19Since they have lost all sense of shame, they have abandoned themselves to sensuality and practice every kind of sexual perversion without restraint.

19and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

20However, that is not the way you came to know the Messiah.

20But you did not learn Christ in this way,

21Surely you have listened to him and have been taught by him, since truth is in Jesus.

21if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus,

22Regarding your former way of life, you were taught to strip off your old nature, which is being ruined by its deceptive desires,

22that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,

23to be renewed in your mental attitude,

23and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24and to clothe yourselves with the new nature, which was created according to God's image in righteousness and true holiness.

24and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

25Therefore, stripping off falsehood, "let each of us speak the truth to his neighbor," for we belong to one another.

25Therefore, laying aside falsehood, SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE of you WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are members of one another.

26"Be angry, yet do not sin." Do not let the sun set while you are still angry,

26BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

27and do not give the devil an opportunity to work.

27and do not give the devil an opportunity.

28The thief must no longer steal but must work hard and do what is good with his own hands, so that he might earn something to give to the needy.

28He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

29Let no filthy talk be heard from your mouths, but only what is good for building up people and meeting the need of the moment. This way you will administer grace to those who hear you.

29Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.

30Do not grieve the Holy Spirit, by whom you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption.

30Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, quarreling, and slander be put away from you, along with all hatred.

31Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

32And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another just as God has forgiven you in the Messiah.

32Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org