1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation by which ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 [There is] one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who [is] above all, and through all, and in you all. 7 But to every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. 9 Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. 11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, [and] cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive: 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, [even] Christ: 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love. 17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over to lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But ye have not so learned Christ; 21 If indeed ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: 22 That ye put off concerning the former manner of life the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts: 23 And be renewed in the Spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. 28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with [his] hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace to the hearers. 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed to the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians · Noah Webster's Bible (1833)
Ephesians 4 Noah Webster's Bible (1833)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Cross references (32)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Colossians 1:10; Philippians 1:27; 1 Thessalonians 2:12; 1 Thessalonians 4:1–2; 2 Peter 1:3
- 2 Colossians 3:12–13; 1 Corinthians 13:7; 1 Corinthians 13:4–5; Matthew 11:29; Romans 15:1
- 3 1 Corinthians 1:10; Colossians 3:13–15; 1 Corinthians 12:12–13; John 13:34; Romans 14:17–19
- 4 Ephesians 2:18; Romans 12:4–5; 1 Corinthians 12:4–13; 1 Corinthians 12:20; Ephesians 4:1
- 5 1 Corinthians 8:6; 1 Corinthians 12:13; 1 Peter 3:21; Romans 3:30; Galatians 3:26–28
- 6 Romans 11:36; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Malachi 2:10; Galatians 3:26–28; Galatians 4:3–7
- 7 Romans 12:3; 1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 12:7–11; Ephesians 3:2; Romans 12:6–8
- 8 Psalm 68:18; Colossians 2:15
- 9 John 3:13; Matthew 12:40; Proverbs 30:4; John 6:33; Psalm 63:9
- 10 Hebrews 7:26; Hebrews 4:14; Ephesians 1:20–23; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 9:23–24
- 11 Jeremiah 3:15; 1 Corinthians 12:28–29; Ephesians 2:20; 2 Timothy 4:5; Acts 20:28
- 12 1 Thessalonians 5:11–14; Ephesians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Romans 15:14; 1 Corinthians 14:4–5
- 13 Colossians 1:28; John 17:21; Ephesians 4:3; Ephesians 4:5; Jeremiah 32:38–39
- 14 Hebrews 13:9; Romans 16:17–18; 1 Corinthians 14:20; 1 John 4:1; Hebrews 5:12–14
- 15 1 John 3:18; Ephesians 4:25; Zechariah 8:16; 1 Peter 1:22; 2 Peter 3:18
- 16 Colossians 2:19; John 15:5; Colossians 2:2; 1 Corinthians 13:13–14:1; Ephesians 4:15
- 17 Romans 1:21; 1 Peter 4:3–4; 1 Thessalonians 4:1–2; Colossians 3:5–8; Ephesians 2:1–3
- 18 Matthew 13:15; Ephesians 2:12; Romans 1:21–23; John 12:40; 1 Thessalonians 4:5
- 19 Colossians 3:5; Romans 1:24–26; 1 Timothy 4:2; Jude 11; 2 Peter 2:12–14
- 20 Titus 2:11–14; John 6:45; Matthew 11:29; 1 John 2:27; Luke 24:47
- 21 1 John 5:20; Ephesians 1:13; Hebrews 3:7–8; 1 John 5:10–12; John 14:17
- 22 Romans 6:6; Hebrews 12:1; James 1:21; 1 Peter 2:1–2; Hebrews 3:13
- 23 Romans 12:2; Romans 8:6; Psalm 51:10; Colossians 3:10; 1 Peter 1:13
- 24 Colossians 3:10–14; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 13:14; Ephesians 2:10; Ephesians 6:11
- 25 Colossians 3:9; Zechariah 8:16; Proverbs 12:22; Romans 12:5; Ephesians 4:15
- 26 James 1:19; Psalm 4:4; Psalm 37:8; Ephesians 4:31–32; Ecclesiastes 7:9
- 27 James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:16; Ephesians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 2:10–11
- 28 1 Timothy 6:18; Galatians 6:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:11–12; Exodus 20:15; 2 Thessalonians 3:11–12
- 29 Colossians 4:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Ecclesiastes 10:12; Proverbs 15:7; Colossians 3:8–9
- 30 1 Thessalonians 5:19; Isaiah 63:10; Ephesians 1:13–14; Acts 7:51; Genesis 6:6
- 31 Colossians 3:8; Ecclesiastes 7:9; Titus 3:2–3; 1 Peter 2:1; James 1:19
- 32 Colossians 3:12–13; Matthew 6:14–15; Mark 11:25; 1 Peter 3:8–9; 2 Corinthians 2:10
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
When the blessed Paul exhorts us to anything of special importance, so truly wise and spiritual as he is, he grounds his exhortation upon things in Heaven: this itself being a lesson he had learned from the Lord. Thus he saith also elsewhere, "Walk in love, even as Christ also hath loved us." (ch. v.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 13 (1889)
It is declared then in these Scriptures, "Be ye angry, and sin not," and, "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath." Happy is he who remembers this, which I believe to be the case with you.
Now, that this God is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Paul the apostle also has declared, [saying,] "There is one God, the Father, who is above all, and through all things, and in us all." I have indeed proved already that there is only one God; but I shall further demonstrate this from the apostles themselves, and from …
But that orator was of the kind that I so loved as I wished myself to be such a one; and I erred through an inflated pride, and was "carried about with every wind," but yet was piloted by Thee, though very secretly.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
For this cause Paul also, when urging us in another way to reconciliation, said, "Let not the sun go down upon your wrath." For much as Christ by this argument of the sacrifice, so there Paul by that of the day, is urging us on to the self-same point.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)