| English Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, | 1Therefore I, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received, |
| 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, | 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, accepting one another in love, |
| 3eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. | 3diligently keeping the unity of the Spirit with the peace that binds us. |
| 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— | 4There is one body and one Spirit--just as you were called to one hope at your calling-- |
| 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, | 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, |
| 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. | 6one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. |
| 7But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. | 7Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of the Messiah's gift. |
| 8Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” | 8For it says: When He ascended on high, He took prisoners into captivity; He gave gifts to people. |
| 9(In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? | 9But what does "He ascended" mean except that He descended to the lower parts of the earth? |
| 10He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) | 10The One who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. |
| 11And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, | 11And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, |
| 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, | 12for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, |
| 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, | 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness. |
| 14so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. | 14Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. |
| 15Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, | 15But speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into Him who is the head--Christ. |
| 16from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. | 16From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part. |
| 17Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. | 17Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their thoughts. |
| 18They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. | 18They are darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them and because of the hardness of their hearts. |
| 19They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. | 19They became callous and gave themselves over to promiscuity for the practice of every kind of impurity with a desire for more and more. |
| 20But that is not the way you learned Christ!— | 20But that is not how you learned about the Messiah, |
| 21assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, | 21assuming you heard about Him and were taught by Him, because the truth is in Jesus. |
| 22to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, | 22You took off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires; |
| 23and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, | 23you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; |
| 24and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. | 24you put on the new self, the one created according to God's likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth. |
| 25Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. | 25Since you put away lying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another. |
| 26Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, | 26Be angry and do not sin. Don't let the sun go down on your anger, |
| 27and give no opportunity to the devil. | 27and don't give the Devil an opportunity. |
| 28Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. | 28The thief must no longer steal. Instead, he must do honest work with his own hands, so that he has something to share with anyone in need. |
| 29Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. | 29No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear. |
| 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. | 30And don't grieve God's Holy Spirit. You were sealed by Him for the day of redemption. |
| 31Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. | 31All bitterness, anger and wrath, shouting and slander must be removed from you, along with all malice. |
| 32Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. | 32And be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ. |
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