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5
Ephesians 5:1-6
Imitate God, do everything in a way that shows love, and do not let anyone persuade you to live immorally, because God will punish those who disobey him.
1 ◄Imitate/Behave like► God, because he loves you who are as though you were [SIM] his children. 2 Do everything in a way that shows that you love people, just like Christ loved us and willingly died for us. He offered himself to God as a sacrifice that was very pleasing to God, just like Jewish priests offered sweet-smelling animal sacrifices to God [MET]. 3 Do not commit any kind of immoral act [DOU], and do not desire more things than you need. Do not act in such a way that others could even ◄spread rumors/talk► about your acting in such ways, because it is not appropriate/fitting for God's people to do such things. 4 Do not use obscene/shameful language when you talk to people. Do not talk foolishly. Do not use vulgar/indecent language, because it is not appropriate/fitting that God's people should talk like that. Instead, tell people how much you thank God for all he does for you. 5 You can be sure of this: No person who is sexually immoral or who acts indecently/shamefully will be among those people whom God rules over [MET] in heaven. Neither will those who desire more things than they need. Such people worship their possessions instead of worshipping God. 6 Do not let anyone deceive you by suggesting that God will really not punish people who commit such sins, because God certainly will punish [MTY] those who habitually disobey him by doing such things.
Ephesians 5:7-21
Live righteously, and expose the evil deeds that evil people do, because when you do that, those people who do those evil things will come to know the truth.
7 So, do not commit the same kind of deeds that such people do, 8 because formerly you did not know God's truth [MET], as those who are in darkness do not know what is around them. But now it is as though you are in the light [MET] because you know God's truth because of your relationship with the Lord Jesus. So do those things that those who know God's truth [MET] should do. 9 Keep in mind that as light [MET] produces things that are good, those who know God's truth should do those things that are good, righteous, and honest. 10 And as you do that, try ◄to find out/to discover► what pleases the Lord. 11 Do not do the worthless deeds that the people ◄who are in spiritual darkness/who do not know God's truth► [MET] do. Instead, let others know that those people's deeds are worthless. 12 It is shameful for God's people to even talk among themselves about those evil deeds that evil people do secretly and habitually. 13 But when God's people rebuke those evil people about their deeds, it will be clear/evident how evil their deeds really are, just like everything exposed to the light becomes visible {as light [MET] reveals everything that we cannot see in the darkness}. 14 Just like something on which a light shines reflects that light [MET], whoever has learned God's truth reveals that truth to others. That is why we believers say this:
You who are not aware of your sins, become aware of them [MET]!
It is as though you are sound asleep, so wake up!
Be like dead people who are becoming alive again!
Christ will cause you to know God's truth, just like a light [MET]
that shines causes people to know what is in the darkness.
15 So be very careful how you behave. Do not behave as foolish people do. Instead, behave as wise people do. 16 Use your time carefully, because in these days [MTY] people do extremely evil deeds. 17 Because of that, do not be foolish. Instead, understand what the Lord Jesus wants you to do, and do it!
18 Do not become drunk by drinking alcoholic drinks, since people are unable to control their behavior when they are drunk. Instead, let God's Spirit control your behavior at all times [MTY]. 19 Sing to each other ◄Psalms/songs with words from the Scriptures►, sing other songs that the congregation knows, and songs that God's Spirit gives you. Sing these Psalms and other songs sincerely to praise the Lord Jesus. 20 At all times thank God, who is our heavenly Father, for everything, because of what the Lord Jesus Christ [MTY] has done for you. 21 Humbly submit yourselves to each other because you reverence Christ, who is our example.
Ephesians 5:22-6:9
Instructions about how wives and husbands, children and parents, and slaves and masters should behave toward each other.
22-23 Because husbands have authority over [MET] their wives, just as all of us believers form one group under the authority of Christ, you women should submit yourselves to the authority of your husbands just as you submit yourselves to the Lord Jesus. He is the one who saves all his people from the guilt of their sins. 24 Just like all believers submit themselves to the authority of Christ, the women must submit themselves completely to the authority of their husbands.
25 Each of you husbands, love your wife as Christ loved all of us who would become believers, with the result that he willingly died for our sake, 26 in order that he might ◄set us apart for himself/cause us to belong to him►. That is, by revealing his message to us, he wanted to remove the guilt of our sin, just like people remove dirt from something by washing it [MET]. 27 Christ did that in order that he might cause all of us believers to be a glorious group of people that belong to him, people that do not have any moral flaws/imperfections, but instead might be completely pure [DOU] when he gathers us ◄to his presence/to himself►. 28 In the same way, each man should love his wife as he loves his own body. Men who love their wives, it is as though they love themselves. 29-30 This is shown by the fact that no one ever hated his own body. Instead, he feeds his own body and cares for it, just like Christ also cares for all us believers. We have become one group of believers that belongs to him [MET]. 31 What someone has written in the Scriptures about people who marry is this,
When a man and a woman marry, they should ◄ permanently leave/no longer live with► their fathers and mothers. They should be joined as husband and wife, and the two of them shall become as though they were one [MET] person.
32 It is very difficult to understand the meaning of these things that God has now revealed to me, but I am telling you that those words also refer to the relationship between Christ and all those who belong to him. 33 However, as for you, each man must love his wife just as he loves himself, and each woman must respect her husband.

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Note: The Old Testament in this translation is still being worked on, and is in draft form. Updates will be posted at eBible.org/t4t/.

© 2008-2017 Ellis W. Deibler, Jr.