Ephesians 5:1-33 CEB

[1] Therefore, imitate God like dearly loved children. [2] Live your life with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. He was a sacrificial offering that smelled sweet to God. [3] Sexual immorality, and any kind of impurity or greed, shouldn’t even be mentioned among you, which is right for holy persons. [4] Obscene language, silly talk, or vulgar jokes aren’t acceptable for believers. Instead, there should be thanksgiving. [5] Because you know for sure that persons who are sexually immoral, impure, or greedy—which happens when things become gods—those persons won’t inherit the kingdom of Christ and God. [6] Nobody should deceive you with stupid ideas. God’s anger comes down on those who are disobedient because of this kind of thing. [7] So you shouldn’t have anything to do with them. [8] You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light. [9] Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth. [10] Therefore, test everything to see what’s pleasing to the Lord, [11] and don’t participate in the unfruitful actions of darkness. Instead, you should reveal the truth about them. [12] It’s embarrassing to even talk about what certain persons do in secret. [13] But everything exposed to the light is revealed by the light. [14] Everything that is revealed by the light is light. Therefore, it says, “Wake up, sleeper!” “Get up from the dead,” “and Christ will shine on you.” [15] So be careful to live your life wisely, not foolishly. [16] Take advantage of every opportunity because these are evil times. [17] Because of this, don’t be ignorant, but understand the Lord’s will. [18] Don’t get drunk on wine, which produces depravity. Instead, be filled with the Spirit in the following ways: [19] speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; sing and make music to the Lord in your hearts; [20] always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; [21] and submit to each other out of respect for Christ. [22] For example, wives should submit to their husbands as if to the Lord. [23] A husband is the head of his wife like Christ is head of the church, that is, the savior of the body. [24] So wives submit to their husbands in everything like the church submits to Christ. [25] As for husbands, love your wives just like Christ loved the church and gave himself for her. [26] He did this to make her holy by washing her in a bath of water with the word. [27] He did this to present himself with a splendid church, one without any sort of stain or wrinkle on her clothes, but rather one that is holy and blameless. [28] That’s how husbands ought to love their wives—in the same way as they do their own bodies. Anyone who loves his wife loves himself. [29] No one ever hates his own body, but feeds it and takes care of it just like Christ does for the church [30] because we are parts of his body. [31] “This is why a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife, and the two of them will be one body”. [32] Marriage is a significant allegory, and I’m applying it to Christ and the church. [33] In any case, as for you individually, each one of you should love his wife as himself, and wives should respect their husbands.