1Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children,

2and walk in love, as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us,5:2 2Th 2:13; Ti 2:14 a sacrificial and fragrant offering to God.

3But sexual immorality5:3 1Th 4:3 and any impurity5:3 1Th 4:7 or greed5:3 Lk 12:15; Rm 1:29; Eph 4:19; Col 3:5; 1Th 2:5; 2Pt 2:3,14 should not even be heard of5:3 Or be named among you, as is proper for saints.

4Obscene and foolish talking or crude joking are not suitable, but rather giving thanks.

5For know and recognize this: Every sexually immoral5:5 1Co 5:9 or impure5:5 2Co 6:17 or greedy5:5 1Co 5:10–11; 6:10 person, who is an idolater, does not have an inheritance in the kingdom5:5 Mk 1:15 of Christ and of God.

6Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, for God’s wrath5:6 Rm 2:5; Rv 6:16 is coming on the disobedient5:6 Lit sons of disobedience because of these things.

7Therefore, do not become their partners.

8For you were once darkness, but now you are light5:8 Ps 36:9; Jn 12:46 in the Lord. Walk as children of light5:8 Is 2:5; Lk 16:8; Jn 12:35–36 — 

9for the fruit of the light5:9 Other mss read fruit of the Spirit consists of all goodness, righteousness, and truth5:9 Eph 5:17 — 

10testing5:10 Rm 12:2 what is pleasing5:10 Lk 18:18 to the Lord.

11Don’t participate in the fruitless5:11 Gl 5:22; Ti 3:14 works of darkness, but instead expose them.

12For it is shameful even to mention what is done by them in secret.

13Everything exposed by the light is made visible,5:13 1Jn 1:2

14for what makes everything visible is light. Therefore it is said:

15Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk — not as unwise people but as wise — 

16making the most of the time,5:16 Lit buying back the time5:16 Col 4:5 because the days are evil.

17So don’t be foolish, but understand5:17 Jr 31:31–34; Ezk 36:26–27; Rm 12:2; Php 1:9–10; 1Th 5:21 what the Lord’s will5:17 Ps 143:10; Pr 16:9; Gl 1:4; Eph 1:9 is.

18And don’t get drunk5:18 Lk 12:45; Jn 2:10; 1Th 5:7; Rv 17:2 with wine,5:18 Gn 9:21; Dt 7:13; Ps 4:7; Pr 3:10; Lk 5:37 which leads to reckless living, but be filled by the Spirit:5:18 Lk 1:15; Ac 13:52

19speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music with your heart to the Lord,

20giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

21submitting to one another in the fear of Christ.5:18–21 Col 3:16–17; 1Pt 1:17

22Wives,5:22 1Pt 3:1 submit5:22 Other mss omit submit5:22 Gn 3:16; 1Co 11:3,7–9,11–12; Col 3:18; Ti 2:4–5; 1Pt 3:1–6 to your husbands5:22 1Pt 3:1 as to the Lord,

23because the husband is the head of the wife5:23 1Co 11:3 as Christ is the head5:23 Col 2:10 of the church. He is the Savior of the body.5:23 Col 3:18–4:1

24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything.

25Husbands, love your wives,5:25 Col 3:19; 1Pt 3:7 just as Christ loved5:25 Jn 3:16; 1Co 13:1; 2Th 2:13 the church and gave himself5:25 Ti 2:14 for her

26to make her holy, cleansing5:26 Or having cleansed her with the washing of water by the word.

27He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.5:27 Jd 24

28In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

29For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church,

30since we are members of his body.5:30 Other mss add and of his flesh and of his bones

31For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife,5:31 1Pt 3:1 and the two will become one flesh.5:31Gn 2:245:31 Gn 2:24

32This mystery5:32 1Co 2:7 is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church.

33To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.