1 Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, beg you that you walk worthy of the invitation with which you are called,
2 With all lowliness and meekness, with uncomplaining patience, putting up with one another in love;
3 exerting yourselves to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one Body, and one Spirit, just as you are called in one divinely inspired expectation of your calling;
5 One Lord, one supernatural belief and trust, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, Who is over all things, and through all things, and in each one of you.
7 But divine power for righteousness, holiness, and redemption is given to every one of us according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
8 Therefore, He says, When He ascended up on high, "He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men." *
9 (Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the Earth?
10 He who descended is the same also Who ascended up far above all heavens to consummate all things.)
11 And He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; *
12 For the total equipping of the Christians into the work of service, into the building up of the Body of Christ:
13 Until we all come into the unity of the supernatural belief and trust, and precise and correct knowledge of the mature Son of God, into a totally complete and mature man, into the measure of the maturity of the fulfilled Christ,
14 so that from now on we are no longer children, tossed to and fro, and driven with every strong and tempestuous wind of teaching by people's deception and cunning false wisdom by which they trick and lead astray. *
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, Who is the Head, Christ,
16 from whom the whole Body, closely joined together and knit together by that which every connection supplies, according to the efficient working in the measuring out of every one, makes growth of the body into the building up of itself in love. * * * *
17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that from now on you don't walk as other Gentiles walk, in the frailty of their minds,
18 having the mind covered in darkness, being alienated from the genuine and absolute fullness of life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their innermost mind,
19 who being past feeling have given themselves over to uncontrolled lust into performing lustful, wasteful, luxurious living in each one--with a desire to have ever more.
20 But you have not learned Christ in this way,
21 if you have heard Him, and have been taught by Him, seeing that the truth is in Jesus,
22 so that you lay aside whatever is concerning the former whole manner of life according to the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful desire for forbidden things.
23 And be made new in your spirit and your mind. *
24 And that you clothe yourself with the New Man, Who, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness. *
25 Therefore putting away lying, everyone speak truth with his or her neighbor, for we are members of one another.
26 Be angry without wandering from the path; don't let the Sun go down on your wrath.
27 Don't grant any portion to the devil.
28 Let the one who stole steal no more: but, more readily, let that person labor, working with his or her hands, which is good, to have something to give to the one who needs.
29 Don't let worthless utterance proceed out of your mouth but that which is good to use for building up so that it may supply divine power for righteousness, holiness, and redemption to the hearers. *
30 And don't grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by Whom you are sealed to the day of total release from bondage to sin. *
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice,
32 and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you.