Parallel Bible results for "Ephesians 4"

Ephesians 4

NCV

NIV

1 I am in prison because I belong to the Lord. God chose you to be his people, so I urge you now to live the life to which God called you.
1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
2 Always be humble, gentle, and patient, accepting each other in love.
2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
3 You are joined together with peace through the Spirit, so make every effort to continue together in this way.
3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, and God called you to have one hope.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;
5 There is one Lord, one faith, and one baptism.
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
6 There is one God and Father of everything. He rules everything and is everywhere and is in everything.
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7 Christ gave each one of us the special gift of grace, showing how generous he is.
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
8 That is why it says in the Scriptures, "When he went up to the heights, he led a parade of captives, and he gave gifts to people."
8 This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”
9 When it says, "He went up," what does it mean? It means that he first came down to the earth.
9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions ?
10 So Jesus came down, and he is the same One who went up above all the heaven. Christ did that to fill everything with his presence.
10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)
11 And Christ gave gifts to people -- he made some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to go and tell the Good News, and some to have the work of caring for and teaching God's people.
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers,
12 Christ gave those gifts to prepare God's holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger.
12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up
13 This work must continue until we are all joined together in the same faith and in the same knowledge of the Son of God. We must become like a mature person, growing until we become like Christ and have his perfection.
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be babies. We will not be tossed about like a ship that the waves carry one way and then another. We will not be influenced by every new teaching we hear from people who are trying to fool us. They make plans and try any kind of trick to fool people into following the wrong path.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.
15 No! Speaking the truth with love, we will grow up in every way into Christ, who is the head.
15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ.
16 The whole body depends on Christ, and all the parts of the body are joined and held together. Each part does its own work to make the whole body grow and be strong with love.
16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
17 In the Lord's name, I tell you this. Do not continue living like those who do not believe. Their thoughts are worth nothing.
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
18 They do not understand, and they know nothing, because they refuse to listen. So they cannot have the life that God gives.
18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.
19 They have lost all feeling of shame, and they use their lives for doing evil. They continually want to do all kinds of evil.
19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, and they are full of greed.
20 But what you learned in Christ was not like this.
20 That, however, is not the way of life you learned
21 I know that you heard about him, and you are in him, so you were taught the truth that is in Jesus.
21 when you heard about Christ and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.
22 You were taught to leave your old self -- to stop living the evil way you lived before. That old self becomes worse, because people are fooled by the evil things they want to do.
22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
23 But you were taught to be made new in your hearts,
23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
24 to become a new person. That new person is made to be like God -- made to be truly good and holy.
24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 So you must stop telling lies. Tell each other the truth, because we all belong to each other in the same body.
25 Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.
26 When you are angry, do not sin, and be sure to stop being angry before the end of the day.
26 “In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,
27 Do not give the devil a way to defeat you.
27 and do not give the devil a foothold.
28 Those who are stealing must stop stealing and start working. They should earn an honest living for themselves. Then they will have something to share with those who are poor.
28 Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.
29 When you talk, do not say harmful things, but say what people need -- words that will help others become stronger. Then what you say will do good to those who listen to you.
29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
30 And do not make the Holy Spirit sad. The Spirit is God's proof that you belong to him. God gave you the Spirit to show that God will make you free when the final day comes.
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil.
31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
32 Be kind and loving to each other, and forgive each other just as God forgave you in Christ.
32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quoted by permission.  Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®.  NIV®.  Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica.  All rights reserved worldwide.