1 Wees dan navolgers van God soos geliefde kinders;
2 en wandel in liefde, soos Christus ons ook liefgehad het en Hom vir ons oorgegee het as 'n gawe en offer aan God tot 'n lieflike geur.
3 Maar hoerery en allerhande onreinheid of hebsug moet onder julle selfs nie genoem word nie, soos dit die heiliges betaam;
4 ook nie gemeenheid en dwase of lawwe praatjies wat nie pas nie, maar liewer danksegging.
5 Want dit moet julle weet dat geen hoereerder of onreine of gierigaard, wat 'n afgodedienaar is, 'n erfdeel het in die koninkryk van Christus en van God nie.
6 Laat niemand julle met ydel woorde verlei nie, want daardeur kom die toorn van God oor die kinders van die ongehoorsaamheid.
7 Wees dan nie hulle deelgenote nie.
8 Want vroeër was julle duisternis, maar nou is julle lig in die Here -- wandel soos kinders van die lig.
9 Want die vrug van die Gees bestaan in alle goedheid en geregtigheid en waarheid.
10 En beproef wat die Here welbehaaglik is;
11 en hou nie gemeenskap met die onvrugbare werke van die duisternis nie, maar bestraf dit liewer.
12 Want wat in die geheim deur hulle gedoen word, is skandelik selfs om te noem.
13 Maar al die dinge wat deur die lig bestraf word, word openbaar; want alles wat openbaar word, is lig.
14 Daarom sê Hy: Ontwaak, jy wat slaap, en staan op uit die dode, en Christus sal oor jou skyn.
15 Pas dan op dat julle nougeset wandel, nie as onwyse nie, maar as wyse;
16 en koop die tyd uit, omdat die dae boos is.
17 Daarom moet julle nie onverstandig wees nie, maar verstaan wat die wil van die Here is.
18 Moenie dronk word van wyn nie -- daarin is losbandigheid; maar word met die Gees vervul.
19 Spreek onder mekaar met psalms en lofsange en geestelike liedere; en sing en psalmsing in julle hart tot eer van die Here,
20 terwyl julle God die Vader altyd vir alles dank in die Naam van onse Here Jesus Christus,
21 en aan mekaar onderdanig is in die vrees van God.
22 Vroue, wees aan julle eie mans onderdanig, soos aan die Here.
23 Want die man is die hoof van die vrou, soos Christus ook Hoof is van die gemeente; en Hy is die Verlosser van die liggaam.
24 Maar soos die gemeente aan Christus onderdanig is, so moet die vroue dit ook in alles aan hul eie mans wees.
25 Manne, julle moet jul eie vroue liefhê, soos Christus ook die gemeente liefgehad en Homself daarvoor oorgegee het
26 om dit te heilig, nadat Hy dit gereinig het met die waterbad deur die woord,
27 sodat Hy die gemeente voor Hom kon stel, verheerlik, sonder vlek of rimpel of iets dergeliks; maar dat dit heilig en sonder gebrek sou wees.
28 So behoort die mans hulle eie vroue lief te hê soos hul eie liggame. Wie sy eie vrou liefhet, het homself lief;
29 want niemand het ooit sy eie vlees gehaat nie, maar hy voed en koester dit, net soos die Here die gemeente.
30 Want ons is lede van sy liggaam, van sy vlees en van sy bene.
31 Daarom moet die man sy vader en sy moeder verlaat en sy vrou aankleef en hulle twee sal een vlees word.
32 Hierdie verborgenheid is groot, maar ek sê dit met die oog op Christus en die gemeente.
33 In alle geval moet elkeen van julle ook afsonderlik sy eie vrou liefhê net soos homself, en die vrou moet die man eerbiedig.
1 Let it then be your desire to be like God, as well-loved children;
2 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 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 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 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 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 Have no part with such men;
8 For you at one time were dark, but now are light in the Lord: let your behaviour be that of children of light
9 (Because the fruit of the light is in all righteousness and in everything which is good and true),
10 Testing by experience what is well-pleasing to the Lord;
11 And have no company with the works of the dark, which give no fruit, but make their true quality clear;
12 For the things which are done by them in secret it is shame even to put into words.
13 But all things, when their true quality is seen, are made clear by the light: because everything which is made clear is light.
14 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 Take care then how you are living, not as unwise, but as wise;
16 Making good use of the time, because the days are evil.
17 For this reason, then, do not be foolish, but be conscious of the Lord's pleasure.
18 And do not take overmuch wine by which one may be overcome, but be full of the Spirit;
19 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 Giving praise at all times for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God, even the Father;
21 Letting yourselves be ruled by one another in the fear of Christ.
22 Wives, be under the authority of your husbands, as of the Lord.
23 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 And as the church is under Christ's authority, so let wives be under the rule of their husbands in all things.
25 Husbands, have love for your wives, even as Christ had love for the church, and gave himself for it;
26 So that he might make it holy, having made it clean with the washing of water by the word,
27 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 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 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.
31 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 This is a great secret: but my words are about Christ and the church.
33 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.