^aTherefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, 2 and ^awalk in love, just as Christ also ^bloved ¹us and ^cgave Himself up for us, an ^doffering and a sacrifice to God ²as a ^efragrant aroma.

3 But ^asexual immorality ¹or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among ²saints; 4 nor ^afilthiness and foolish talk, or coarse jesting, which ^bare not fitting, but rather ^cgiving of thanks. 5 For this you know with certainty, that ^ano one sexually immoral or impure or greedy, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom ^bof Christ and God.

6 ^aLet no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things ^bthe wrath of God comes upon ^cthe sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be ^apartakers with them, 8 for ^ayou were formerly ^bdarkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as ^cchildren of light 9 (for ^athe fruit of that light consists in all ^bgoodness and righteousness and truth), 10 ^1atrying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 ^aAnd do not participate in the unfruitful ^bworks of ^cdarkness, but instead even ^1dexpose them. 12 For it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible ^awhen they are ¹exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14 For this reason ¹it says,“^aAwake, sleeper,And arise from ^bthe dead,And Christ ^cwill shine on you.”

15 Therefore look carefully how you ^awalk, not ^bas unwise but as wise, 16 ^aredeeming the time, because ^bthe days are evil. 17 On account of this, do not be foolish, but ^aunderstand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And ^ado not get drunk with wine, ¹for that is ^bdissipation, but be ^cfilled with the Spirit, 19 ^aspeaking to ¹one another in ^bpsalms and ^chymns and spiritual ^dsongs, ^esinging and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 ^aalways giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to ^1bGod, even the Father; 21 ^1aand being subject to one another in the ^2bfear of Christ.

22 ^aWives, ^bbe subject to your own husbands, ^cas to the Lord. 23 For ^athe husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the ^bhead of the church, He Himself ^cbeing the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

25 ^aHusbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and ^bgave Himself up for her, 26 ^aso that He might sanctify her, having ^bcleansed her by the ^cwashing of water with ^dthe word, 27 that He might ^apresent to Himself the church ¹in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she would be ^bholy and blameless. 28 So husbands ought also to ^alove their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are ^amembers of His ^bbody. 31 ^aFOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. 32 This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to ^alove his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she ^1brespects her husband.

^aTherefore become imitators of God copy Him and follow His example, as well-beloved children imitate their father; 2 ^aand walk continually in love that is, value one another—practice empathy and compassion, unselfishly seeking the best for others, just as Christ also ^bloved you and ^cgave Himself up for us, an ^doffering and sacrifice to God slain for you, so that it became a ^esweet fragrance. Ezek 20:41

3 But ^asexual immorality and all moral impurity indecent, offensive behavior or greed must not even be hinted at among you, as is proper among saints for as believers our way of life, whether in public or in private, reflects the validity of our faith. 4 Let there be no ^afilthiness and silly talk, or coarse obscene or vulgar joking, because such things ^bare not appropriate for believers; but instead speak of your ^cthankfulness to God. 5 For be sure of this: ^ano immoral, impure, or greedy person—for that one is in effect an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom ^bof Christ and God for such a person places a higher value on something other than God.

6 ^aLet no one deceive you with empty arguments that encourage you to sin, for because of these things ^bthe wrath of God comes upon ^cthe sons of disobedience those who habitually sin. Lev 18:24, 25 7 So do not ^aparticipate or even associate with them in the rebelliousness of sin. 8 For ^aonce you were ^bdarkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as ^cchildren of Light live as those who are native-born to the Light 9 (for ^athe fruit the effect, the result of the Light consists in all ^bgoodness and righteousness and truth), 10 ^atrying to learn by experience what is pleasing to the Lord and letting your lifestyles be examples of what is most acceptable to Him—your behavior expressing gratitude to God for your salvation. 11 ^aDo not participate in the worthless and unproductive ^bdeeds of ^cdarkness, but instead ^dexpose them by exemplifying personal integrity, moral courage, and godly character; 12 for it is disgraceful even to mention the things that such people practice in secret. 13 But all things become visible ^awhen they are exposed by the light of God’s precepts, for ¹it is light that makes everything visible. 14 For this reason He says,“^aAwake, sleeper,And arise from ^bthe dead,And Christ ^cwill shine as dawn upon you and give you light.” Is 26:19; 51:17; 52:1; 60:1, 2

15 Therefore see that you ^awalk carefully living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil, not ^bas the unwise, but as wise sensible, intelligent, discerning people, 16 ^1amaking the very most of your time on earth, recognizing and taking advantage of each opportunity and using it with wisdom and diligence, because ^bthe days are filled with evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish and thoughtless, but ^aunderstand and firmly grasp what the will of the Lord is. 18 ^aDo not get drunk with wine, for that is ^bwickedness (corruption, stupidity) , but be ^cfilled with the Holy Spirit and constantly guided by Him. Prov 23:20 19 ^1aSpeak to one another in ^bpsalms and ^chymns and spiritual ^dsongs, offering praise by ^esinging and making melody with your heart to the Lord; 20 ^aalways giving thanks to ^bGod the Father for all things, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; 21 ^abeing subject to one another out of ^breverence for Christ.

22 ^aWives, be subject ^1bto your own husbands, ^cas a service to the Lord. 23 For ^athe husband is head of the wife, as Christ is ^bhead of the church, Himself ^cbeing the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives should be subject to their husbands in everything respecting both their position as protector and their responsibility to God as head of the house.

25 ^aHusbands, love your wives seek the highest good for her and surround her with a caring, unselfish love, just as Christ also loved the church and ^bgave Himself up for her, 26 ^aso that He might sanctify the church, having ^bcleansed her by the ^cwashing of water with ^dthe word of God, 27 so that in turn He might ^apresent the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be ^bholy set apart for God and blameless. 28 Even so husbands should and are morally obligated to ^alove their own wives as being in a sense their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own body, but instead he nourishes and protects and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are ^amembers (parts) of His ^bbody. 31 ^aFOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND HIS MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED and be faithfully devoted TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ¹ONE FLESH. Gen 2:24 32 This mystery of two becoming one is great; but I am speaking with reference to the relationship of Christ and the church. 33 However, each man among you without exception is to ^alove his wife as his very own self with behavior worthy of respect and esteem, always seeking the best for her with an attitude of lovingkindness, and the wife must see to it that she ^brespects and delights in her husband that she notices him and prefers him and treats him with loving concern, treasuring him, honoring him, and holding him dear. 1+@Pet 3:2

^aTherefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and ^awalk in love, just as Christ also ^bloved ¹you and ^cgave Himself up for us, an ^doffering and a sacrifice to God ²as a ^efragrant aroma.

3 But ^asexual immorality ¹or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among ²saints; 4 and there must be no ^afilthiness ¹or foolish talk, or vulgar joking, which ^bare not fitting, but rather ^cgiving of thanks. 5 For this you know with certainty, that ^ano sexually immoral or ¹impure or greedy person, which ²amounts to an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom ^bof Christ and God.

6 ^aSee that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things ^bthe wrath of God comes upon ^cthe ¹sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become ^apartners with them; 8 for ^ayou were once ^bdarkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as ^cchildren of light 9 (for ^athe fruit of the light consists in all ^bgoodness, righteousness, and truth), 10 ^1aas you try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 ^aDo not participate in the useless ^bdeeds of ^cdarkness, but instead even ^dexpose them; 12 for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. 13 But all things become visible ^awhen they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light. 14 For this reason ¹it says,“^aAwake, sleeper,And arise from ^bthe dead,And Christ ^cwill shine on you.”

15 So then, ¹be careful how you ^awalk, not ^bas unwise people but as wise, 16 ^1amaking the most of your time, because ^bthe days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but ^aunderstand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And ^ado not get drunk with wine, ¹in which there is ^bdebauchery, but be ^cfilled with the Spirit, 19 ^aspeaking to ¹one another in ^bpsalms and ^chymns and spiritual ^dsongs, ^esinging and making melody with your hearts to the Lord; 20 ^aalways giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our ^bGod and Father; 21 ^1aand subject yourselves to one another in the ^2bfear of Christ.

22 ^aWives, ^bsubject yourselves to your own husbands, ^cas to the Lord. 23 For ^athe husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the ^bhead of the church, He Himself ^cbeing the Savior of the body. 24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.

25 ^aHusbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and ^bgave Himself up for her, 26 ^aso that He might sanctify her, having ^bcleansed her by the ^cwashing of water with ^dthe word, 27 that He might ^apresent to Himself the church ¹in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be ^bholy and blameless. 28 So husbands also ought to ^alove their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself; 29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30 because we are ^aparts of His ^bbody. 31 ^aFOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND HIS MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. 32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless, as for you individually, each husband is to ^alove his own wife the same as himself, and the wife must see to it that she ^brespects her husband.