1So I, the prisoner of the Lord, beg you to live in a way worthy of the calling you were called to.
2Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient. Put up with one another in love.
3Work hard to keep the unity of the Spirit, held together by the bond of peace.
4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called.
5There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in you all.
7But grace has been given to every one of us, in the measure that Christ gives it.
8That is why it says, "When he went up on high, he led captives with him, and he gave gifts to people."
9(Now if he went up, this must mean that he also came down first, to the lower parts of the earth.
10The one who came down is the same one who went up far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.)
11And he gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers.
12He did this to make the saints complete, for the work of serving, and for the building up of the body of Christ.
13This goes on until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, and become a full-grown man, measuring up to the full stature of Christ.
14Then we will no longer be children, tossed here and there and blown about by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of men and their clever scheming, by which they lie in wait to deceive.
15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow up in every way into him who is the head, that is, Christ.
16From him the whole body is joined and held firmly together, each joint giving what it has. As each part does its own work, the body grows and builds itself up in love.
17So this is what I say, and I declare it in the Lord: you must no longer live as the other Gentiles live, in the emptiness of their minds.
18Their understanding is darkened. They are cut off from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, which comes from the blindness of their hearts.
19They have stopped feeling anything, and have given themselves over to shameless lust, doing every kind of unclean thing greedily.
20But that is not how you learned Christ,
21if indeed you have heard him and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22that you take off the old self, which belonged to your old way of living, and is being ruined by deceitful desires;
23and that you be made new in the spirit of your mind;
24and that you put on the new self, which is created to be like God, in righteousness and true holiness.
25So put away lying. Let each of you speak the truth to his neighbour, for we belong to one another as parts of one body.
26Be angry, and do not sin. Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.
27And do not give the devil any place.
28The one who stole must steal no more. Instead let him work hard, doing good with his own hands, so that he has something to give to anyone in need.
29Let no rotten talk come out of your mouth, but only what is good and helps to build others up, so that it gives grace to those who hear it.
30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, shouting and evil speaking, along with every kind of spite.
32Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God has forgiven you for Christ's sake.