Scripture Reference Window
    Browser "Back" or "Alt+Left_Arrow" to return.

Ephesians 4:12-32 GW
(12) Their purpose is to prepare God's people, to serve, and to build up the body of Christ. (13) This is to continue until all of us are united in our faith and in our knowledge about God's Son, until we become mature, until we measure up to Christ, who is the standard. (14) Then we will no longer be little children, tossed and carried about by all kinds of teachings that change like the wind. We will no longer be influenced by people who use cunning and clever strategies to lead us astray. (15) Instead, as we lovingly speak the truth, we will grow up completely in our relationship to Christ, who is the head. (16) He makes the whole body fit together and unites it through the support of every joint. As each and every part does its job, he makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. (17) So I tell you and encourage you in the Lord's name not to live any longer like other people in the world. Their minds are set on worthless things. (18) They can't understand because they are in the dark. They are excluded from the life that God approves of because of their ignorance and stubbornness. (19) Since they no longer have any sense of shame, they have become promiscuous. They practice every kind of sexual perversion with a constant desire for more. (20) But that is not what you learned from Christ's teachings. (21) You have certainly heard his message and have been taught his ways. The truth is in Jesus. (22) You were taught to change the way you were living. The person you used to be will ruin you through desires that deceive you. (23) However, you were taught to have a new attitude. (24) You were also taught to become a new person created to be like God, truly righteous and holy. (25) So then, get rid of lies. Speak the truth to each other, because we are all members of the same body. (26) Be angry without sinning. Don't go to bed angry. (27) Don't give the devil any opportunity to work. (28) Thieves must quit stealing and, instead, they must work hard. They should do something good with their hands so that they'll have something to share with those in need. (29) Don't say anything that would hurt another person. Instead, speak only what is good so that you can give help wherever it is needed. That way, what you say will help those who hear you. (30) Don't give God's Holy Spirit any reason to be upset with you. He has put his seal on you for the day you will be set free from the world of sin. (31) Get rid of your bitterness, hot tempers, anger, loud quarreling, cursing, and hatred. (32) Be kind to each other, sympathetic, forgiving each other as God has forgiven you through Christ.

Ephesians 4:12-32 NWT
12 with a view to the readjustment of the holy ones, for ministerial work, for the building up of the body of the Christ, 13 until we all attain to the oneness in the faith and in the accurate knowledge of the Son of God, to a full-grown man, to the measure of stature that belongs to the fullness of the Christ; 14 in order that we should no longer be babes, tossed about as by waves and carried hither and thither by every wind of teaching by means of the trickery of men, by means of cunning in contriving error. 15 But speaking the truth, let us by love grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ. 16 From him all the body, by being harmoniously joined together and being made to cooperate through every joint that gives what is needed, according to the functioning of each respective member in due measure, makes for the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. 17 This, therefore, I say and bear witness to in [the] Lord, that you no longer go on walking just as the nations also walk in the unprofitableness of their minds, 18 while they are in darkness mentally, and alienated from the life that belongs to God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the insensibility of their hearts. 19 Having come to be past all moral sense, they gave themselves over to loose conduct to work uncleanness of every sort with greediness. 20 But you did not learn the Christ to be so, 21 provided, indeed, that you heard him and were taught by means of him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that you should put away the old personality which conforms to your former course of conduct and which is being corrupted according to his deceptive desires; 23 but that you should be made new in the force actuating your mind, 24 and should put on the new personality which was created according to God's will in true righteousness and loyalty. 25 Wherefore, now that you have put away falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, because we are members belonging to one another. 26 Be wrathful, and yet do not sin; let the sun not set with you in a provoked state, 27 neither allow place for the Devil. 28 Let the stealer steal no more, but rather let him do hard work, doing with his hands what is good work, that he may have something to distribute to someone in need. 29 Let a rotten saying not proceed out of your mouth, but whatever saying is good for building up as the need may be, that it may impart what is favorable to the hearers. 30 Also, do not be grieving God's holy spirit, with which you have been sealed for a day of releasing by ransom. 31 Let all malicious bitterness and anger and wrath and screaming and abusive speech be taken away from you along with all badness. 32 But become kind to one another, tenderly compassionate, freely forgiving one another just as God also by Christ freely forgave you.

Ephesians 4:12-32 CEV
(12) so that his people would learn to serve and his body would grow strong. (13) This will continue until we are united by our faith and by our understanding of the Son of God. Then we will be mature, just as Christ is, and we will be completely like him. (14) We must stop acting like children. We must not let deceitful people trick us by their false teachings, which are like winds that toss us around from place to place. (15) Love should always make us tell the truth. Then we will grow in every way and be more like Christ, the head (16) of the body. Christ holds it together and makes all of its parts work perfectly, as it grows and becomes strong because of love. (17) As a follower of the Lord, I order you to stop living like stupid, godless people. (18) Their minds are in the dark, and they are stubborn and ignorant and have missed out on the life that comes from God. They no longer have any feelings about what is right, (19) and they are so greedy that they do all kinds of indecent things. (20) But that isn't what you were taught about Jesus Christ. He is the truth, and you heard about him and learned about him. (21) (SEE 4:20) (22) You were told that your foolish desires will destroy you and that you must give up your old way of life with all its bad habits. (23) Let the Spirit change your way of thinking (24) and make you into a new person. You were created to be like God, and so you must please him and be truly holy. (25) We are part of the same body. Stop lying and start telling each other the truth. (26) Don't get so angry that you sin. Don't go to bed angry (27) and don't give the devil a chance. (28) If you are a thief, quit stealing. Be honest and work hard, so you will have something to give to people in need. (29) Stop all your dirty talk. Say the right thing at the right time and help others by what you say. (30) Don't make God's Spirit sad. The Spirit makes you sure that someday you will be free from your sins. (31) Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don't yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude. (32) Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.

Ephesians 4:12-32 GNB
(12) He did this to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ. (13) And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ's full stature. (14) Then we shall no longer be children, carried by the waves and blown about by every shifting wind of the teaching of deceitful people, who lead others into error by the tricks they invent. (15) Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, who is the head. (16) Under his control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love. (17) In the Lord's name, then, I warn you: do not continue to live like the heathen, whose thoughts are worthless (18) and whose minds are in the dark. They have no part in the life that God gives, for they are completely ignorant and stubborn. (19) They have lost all feeling of shame; they give themselves over to vice and do all sorts of indecent things without restraint. (20) That was not what you learned about Christ! (21) You certainly heard about him, and as his followers you were taught the truth that is in Jesus. (22) So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to---the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires. (23) Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, (24) and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy. (25) No more lying, then! Each of you must tell the truth to the other believer, because we are all members together in the body of Christ. (26) If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. (27) Don't give the Devil a chance. (28) If you used to rob, you must stop robbing and start working, in order to earn an honest living for yourself and to be able to help the poor. (29) Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you. (30) And do not make God's Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God's mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free. (31) Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. (32) Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.

Use browser "Back Arrow" or "Alt + Left_Arrow" keys to previous page. | Home

You will note the reference windows often include more than one translation of the Bible. The reason is to strive to gain the best possible understanding of the original Hebrew and Greek. Since we don't speak those languages, we rely on those who have come before and made the effort to translate those texts into English for us. Considering several translations gives the benefit of the understanding of several translation committees or individuals.
The Translations we quote are:

ALT - Analytical Literal Translation

ASV - American Standard Version (by the American revision committee in 1897).

BBE - 1965 Bible in Basic English

Bishops - 1568 Bishop's Bible

CEV - Contemporary English Version

Coverdale - 1535 Miles Coverdale Bible

Darby - 1889 Darby Bible

DRB - 1899 Douay-Rheims Bible

ESV - English Standard Version

GNB - Good News Bible

GW - God's Word Bible

ISV - International Standard Version

KJV - King James Version

LitNT - Literal New Testament

LITV - Literal Translation of the Holy Bible

MKJV - Modern King James Version

Murdock - 1851 James Murdock New Testament

NWT - New World Translation

RV - Revised Version

Webster - 1833 Webster Bible

WTNT - 1525-26 William Tyndale New Testament Wycliffe - 1394 Wycliffe Bible YLT - Young's Literal Translation