Ephesians 5 : Easy-to-Read Version
5 You are God's children that he loves. So try to be like God. 2Live a life of love. Love other people the same as Christ loved us. Christ gave himself for us--he was a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice* to God. 3But there must be no sexual sin among you. There must not be any kind of evil or selfishly wanting more and more. Why? Because those things are not right for God's holy people.* 4Also, there must be no evil talk among you. You must not speak foolishly or tell evil jokes. These things are not right for you. But you should be giving thanks to God. 5You can be sure of this: No person will have a place in the kingdom of Christ and of God if that person does sexual sins, or does evil things, or is a person who always wants more and more for himself. A person who always wants more and more for himself is serving a false god. 6Don't let any person fool you by telling you things that are not true. Those evil things make God angry with the people who don't obey. 7So don't do those things with them. 8In the past you were [full of] darkness (sin), but now you are [full of] light (goodness) in the Lord. So live like children who belong to the light. 9Light brings every kind of goodness, right living, and truth. 10Try to learn what pleases the Lord. 11Don't do the things that people in darkness do. Doing those things brings nothing good. But [do the good things to] show that those things in darkness are wrong. 12It is really very shameful to even talk about the things those people in darkness do in secret. 13But when we show that those things are wrong, the light makes all those things easy to see. 14And everything that is made easy to see can become light. This is why we say: "Wake up, you sleeping person! Rise from death, and Christ will shine on you." 15So be very careful how you live. Don't live like people who are not wise. But live wisely. 16I mean that you should use every chance you have for doing good, because these are evil times. 17So don't be foolish with your lives. But learn what the Lord wants you to do. 18Don't be drunk with wine. That will ruin (destroy) you spiritually. But be filled with the Spirit.* 19Communicate to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord. 20Always give thanks to God the Father for everything. Give him thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Wives and Husbands
21Be willing to obey each other. Do this because you respect Christ. 22Wives, be under the authority of (obey) your husbands, the same as the Lord. 23The husband is the head of the wife, the same as Christ is the head of the church. The church is Christ's body--Christ is the Savior of the body. 24The church is under the authority of Christ. So it is the same with you wives. You should be under the authority of your husbands in everything. 25Husbands, love your wives the same as Christ loved the church. Christ died for the church. 26He died to make the church holy.* Christ used the telling of the Good News* to make the church clean by washing it with water. 27Christ died so that he could give the church to himself [like a bride] full of glory (beauty). He died so that the church could be pure and without fault, with no evil or sin or any other thing wrong in the church. 28And husbands should love their wives like that. They should love their wives like they love their own bodies. The man who loves his wife loves himself. 29Why? Because no person ever hates his own body. Every person feeds and takes care of his body. And that is what Christ does for the church, 30because we are parts of his body. 31[The Scripture* says], "So a man will leave his father and mother and join his wife. And the two people will become one."* 32That secret truth is very important--I am talking about Christ and the church. 33But each one of you must love his wife like he loves himself. And a wife must respect her husband.
sacrifice An offering or gift to God. holy people God's people are called holy because they are made pure through Christ and belong only to God. Spirit, Holy Spirit Also called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, and the Comforter. Joined with God and Christ, he does God's work among people in the world. holy God's people are called holy because they are made pure through Christ and belong only to God. Good News The news that God has made a way for people to have their sins forgiven and live with him forever. Scriptures Holy Writings--the Old Testament. "So a man ... one" Quote from Gen. 2:24.