¹ I THEN, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, that ye walk worthy of the vocation with which ye are called,

² with all humility and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in love;

³ careful to preserve unity of spirit, in the bond of peace.

⁴ There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye have been called to 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 hath the grace been given, according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

⁸ Wherefore the Scripture saith, “When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men¹.”

1. Psa. lxviii. 18.

⁹ Now this, that he ascended, what does it imply? but that he also first descended into the more internal parts of the earth?

¹⁰ He that descended is the same also, who ascended above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

¹¹ And he himself appointed, some indeed apostles, and some prophets; and others preachers of the Gospel; and others pastors and teachers;

¹² for the perfecting the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edification of the body of Christ:

¹³ until we all attain in the unity of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a state of complete manhood, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

¹⁴ that we should be no longer infants, floating on the waves, and carried about with every wind of novel doctrine, by the juggling of men, by their craftiness after the delusive wiles of error;

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 nicely joined together, and firmly connected by every joint of exact proportion, according to the energy exerted in the measure of every several part, causeth the increase of the body unto the edification of itself in love.

¹⁷ This then I urge and testify in the Lord, that ye walk no more as the other Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind,

¹⁸ darkened in understanding; alienated from the life of God through the ignorance which is in them; through the blindness of their hearts:

¹⁹ who insensible to remorse, have delivered themselves over in lasciviousness, to the practice of all impurity, with insatiable avidity.

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 respecting your former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful passions;

²³ but be renewed in the spirit of your minds;

²⁴ and put on the new man, which is created godlike, in righteousness and true holiness.

²⁵ Wherefore putting away lying, speak truth, every one with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

²⁶ Are ye provoked; and do you not sin? let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

²⁷ nor give place to the devil.

²⁸ Let him that stole steal no more; but rather labour hard, working with his hands that which is good, that he may have something to give to him that is in want.

²⁹ Let no loose discourse proceed out of your mouth, but whatever is good for useful edification, that it may communicate grace to the hearers.

³⁰ And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye have been sealed unto the day of redemption.

³¹ Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and scandal, be removed from you, with all malice:

³² but be ye kind one to another, full of sensibility, forgiving mutually, even as God in Christ hath forgiven you.