The Complete Jewish Bible CJB
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 So imitate God, as his dear children;
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Let it then be your desire to be like God, as well-loved children;
2 and live a life of love, just as also the Messiah loved us, indeed, on our behalf gave himself up as an offering, as a slaughtered sacrifice to God with a pleasing fragrance.
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And be living in love, even as Christ had love for you, and gave himself up for us, an offering to God for a perfume of a sweet smell.
3 Among you there should not even be mentioned sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or greed; these are utterly inappropriate for God's holy people.
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But evil acts of the flesh and all unclean things, or desire for others' property, let it not even be named among you, as is right for saints;
4 Also out of place are obscenity and stupid talk or coarse language; instead, you should be giving thanks.
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And let there be no low behaviour, or foolish talk, or words said in sport, which are not right, but in place of them the giving of praise.
5 For of this you can be sure: every sexually immoral, impure or greedy person - that is, every idol-worshipper - has no share in the Kingdom of the Messiah and of God.
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Being certain of this, that no man who gives way to the passions of the flesh, no unclean person, or one who has desire for the property of others, or who gives worship to images, has any heritage in the kingdom of Christ and God.
6 Let no one deceive you with empty talk; for it is because of these things that God's judgment is coming on those who disobey him.
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Do not be turned from the right way by foolish words; for because of these things the punishment of God comes on those who do not put themselves under him.
7 So don't become partners with them!
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Have no part with such men;
8 For you used to be darkness; but now, united with the Lord, you are light. Live like children of light,
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For you at one time were dark, but now are light in the Lord: let your behaviour be that of children of light
9 for the fruit of the light is in every kind of goodness, rightness and truth -
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(Because the fruit of the light is in all righteousness and in everything which is good and true),
10 try to determine what will please the Lord.
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Testing by experience what is well-pleasing to the Lord;
11 Have nothing to do with the deeds produced by darkness, but instead expose them,
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And have no company with the works of the dark, which give no fruit, but make their true quality clear;
12 for it is shameful even to speak of the things these people do in secret.
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For the things which are done by them in secret it is shame even to put into words.
13 But everything exposed to the light is revealed clearly for what it is,
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But all things, when their true quality is seen, are made clear by the light: because everything which is made clear is light.
14 since anything revealed is a light. This is why it says, "Get up, sleeper! Arise from the dead, and the Messiah will shine on you!"
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For this reason he says, Be awake, you who are sleeping, and come up from among the dead, and Christ will be your light.
15 Therefore, pay careful attention to how you conduct your life - live wisely, not unwisely.
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Take care then how you are living, not as unwise, but as wise;
16 Use your time well, for these are evil days.
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Making good use of the time, because the days are evil.
17 So don't be foolish, but try to understand what the will of the Lord is.
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For this reason, then, do not be foolish, but be conscious of the Lord's pleasure.
18 Don't get drunk with wine, because it makes you lose control. Instead, keep on being filled with the Spirit -
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And do not take overmuch wine by which one may be overcome, but be full of the Spirit;
19 sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to each other; sing to the Lord and make music in your heart to him;
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Joining with one another in holy songs of praise and of the Spirit, using your voice in songs and making melody in your heart to the Lord;
20 always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.
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Giving praise at all times for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God, even the Father;
21 Submit to one another in fear of the Messiah.
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Letting yourselves be ruled by one another in the fear of Christ.
22 Wives should submit to their husbands as they do to the Lord;
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Wives, be under the authority of your husbands, as of the Lord.
23 because the husband is head of the wife, just as the Messiah, as head of the Messianic Community, is himself the one who keeps the body safe.
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For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the church, being himself the saviour of the body.
24 Just as the Messianic Community submits to the Messiah, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.
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And as the church is under Christ's authority, so let wives be under the rule of their husbands in all things.
25 As for husbands, love your wives, just as the Messiah loved the Messianic Community, indeed, gave himself up on its behalf,
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Husbands, have love for your wives, even as Christ had love for the church, and gave himself for it;
26 in order to set it apart for God, making it clean through immersion in the mikveh, so to speak,
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So that he might make it holy, having made it clean with the washing of water by the word,
27 in order to present the Messianic Community to himself as a bride to be proud of, without a spot, wrinkle or any such thing, but holy and without defect.
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And might take it for himself, a church full of glory, not having one mark or fold or any such thing; but that it might be holy and complete.
28 This is how husbands ought to love their wives - like their own bodies; for the man who loves his wife is loving himself.
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Even so it is right for husbands to have love for their wives as for their bodies. He who has love for his wife has love for himself:
29 Why, no one ever hated his own flesh! On the contrary, he feeds it well and takes care of it, just as the Messiah does the Messianic Community,
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For no man ever had hate for his flesh; but he gives it food and takes care of it, even as Christ does for the church;
30 because we are parts of his Body.
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Because we are parts of his body.
31 "Therefore a man will leave his father and mother and remain with his wife, and the two will become one."f
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For this cause will a man go away from his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.
32 There is profound truth hidden here, which I say concerns the Messiah and the Messianic Community.
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This is a great secret: but my words are about Christ and the church.
33 However, the text also applies to each of you individually: let each man love his wife as he does himself, and see that the wife respects her husband.
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But do you, everyone, have love for his wife, even as for himself; and let the wife see that she has respect for her husband.
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.