Ephesians 5
New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel
Ephesians chapter 5 is given here in full, verse by verse, in the English Majority Text Version (EMTV), with the Byzantine Majority Text set beneath each verse. The text follows the Byzantine textual tradition used in the Orthodox Church.
3 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint John Chrysostom.
Ephesians 5
1Therefore be imitators of God as beloved children.Γίνεσθε οὖν μιμηταὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὡς τέκνα ἀγαπητά·
2And walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a fragrant aroma.καὶ περιπατεῖτε ἐν ἀγάπῃ, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησεν ἡμᾶς, καὶ παρέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν προσφορὰν καὶ θυσίαν τῷ Θεῷ εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας.
3But sexual immorality and all uncleanness or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;Πορνεία δὲ καὶ πᾶσα ἀκαθαρσία ἢ πλεονεξία μηδὲ ὀνομαζέσθω ἐν ὑμῖν, καθὼς πρέπει ἁγίοις·
4neither wickedness, nor foolish talk or crude joking, which are not proper, but rather thanksgiving.καὶ αἰσχρότης, καὶ μωρολογία, ἢ εὐτραπελία, τὰ οὐκ ἀνήκοντα· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον εὐχαριστία.
5For this you know, that no fornicator, or unclean person, nor covetous person, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστε γινώσκοντες, ὅτι πᾶς πόρνος, ἢ ἀκάθαρτος, ἢ πλεονέκτης, ὅς ἐστιν εἰδωλολάτρης, οὐκ ἔχει κληρονομίαν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ.
6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.Μηδεὶς ὑμᾶς ἀπατάτω κενοῖς λόγοις· διὰ ταῦτα γὰρ ἔρχεται ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπὶ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῆς ἀπειθείας.
7Therefore do not be participants with them.Μὴ οὖν γίνεσθε συμμέτοχοι αὐτῶν·
8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light—ἦτε γάρ ποτε σκότος, νῦν δὲ φῶς ἐν Κυρίῳ· ὡς τέκνα φωτὸς περιπατεῖτε—
9for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, righteousness, and truth,ὁ γὰρ καρπὸς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐν πάσῃ ἀγαθωσύνῃ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἀληθείᾳ—
10proving what is well-pleasing to the Lord.δοκιμάζοντες τί ἐστιν εὐάρεστον τῷ Κυρίῳ·
11And have no partnership with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.καὶ μὴ συγκοινωνεῖτε τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς ἀκάρποις τοῦ σκότους, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐλέγχετε·
12For it is shameful even to speak of those things being done by them in secret.τὰ γὰρ κρυφῇ γινόμενα ὑπ᾽ αὐτῶν αἰσχρόν ἐστι καὶ λέγειν.
13But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.Τὰ δὲ πάντα ἐλεγχόμενα ὑπὸ τοῦ φωτὸς φανεροῦται· πᾶν γὰρ τὸ φανερούμενον φῶς ἐστι.
14Therefore He says: “Awake, you who are sleeping, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”Διὸ λέγει, Ἔγειρε ὁ καθεύδων καὶ ἀνάστα ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, καὶ ἐπιφαύσει σοι ὁ Χριστός.
15See then that you walk carefully, not as unwise, but as wise,Βλέπετε οὖν πῶς ἀκριβῶς περιπατεῖτε, μὴ ὡς ἄσοφοι, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς σοφοί,
16redeeming the time, because the days are evil.ἐξαγοραζόμενοι τὸν καιρόν, ὅτι αἱ ἡμέραι πονηραί εἰσι.
17Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.Διὰ τοῦτο μὴ γίνεσθε ἄφρονες, ἀλλὰ συνιέντες τί τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Κυρίου.
18And do not get drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,Καὶ μὴ μεθύσκεσθε οἴνῳ, ἐν ᾧ ἐστιν ἀσωτία, ἀλλὰ πληροῦσθε ἐν Πνεύματι,
19speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord,λαλοῦντες ἑαυτοῖς ψαλμοῖς καὶ ὕμνοις καὶ ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς, ᾄδοντες καὶ ψάλλοντες ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν τῷ Κυρίῳ,
20giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,εὐχαριστοῦντες πάντοτε ὑπὲρ πάντων ἐν ὀνόματι τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ πατρί,
21subjecting yourselves to one another in the fear of God.ὑποτασσόμενοι ἀλλήλοις ἐν φόβῳ Θεοῦ.
22Wives, subject yourselves to your own husbands, as to the Lord,Αἱ γυναῖκες, τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν ὑποτάσσεσθε, ὡς τῷ Κυρίῳ.
23because the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body.Ὅτι ἀνήρ ἐστι κεφαλὴ τῆς γυναικός, ὡς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς κεφαλὴ τῆς ἐκκλησίας, καὶ αὐτός ἐστι σωτὴρ τοῦ σώματος.
24But just as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives be to their own husbands in everything.Ἀλλ᾽ ὥσπερ ἡ ἐκκλησία ὑποτάσσεται τῷ Χριστῷ, οὕτω καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες τοῖς ἰδίοις ἀνδράσιν ἐν παντί.
25Husbands, love your own wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,Οἱ ἄνδρες, ἀγαπᾶτε τὰς γυναῖκας ἑαυτῶν, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησε τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ ἑαυτὸν παρέδωκεν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς·
26in order that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing of water by the word,ἵνα αὐτὴν ἁγιάσῃ, καθαρίσας τῷ λουτρῷ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐν ῥήματι,
27that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and blameless.ἵνα παραστήσῃ αὐτὴν ἑαυτῷ ἔνδοξον τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, μὴ ἔχουσαν σπίλον ἢ ῥυτίδα ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα ᾖ ἁγία καὶ ἄμωμος.
28So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he that loves his own wife loves himself.Οὕτως ὀφείλουσιν οἱ ἄνδρες ἀγαπᾶν τὰς ἑαυτῶν γυναῖκας ὡς τὰ ἑαυτῶν σώματα. Ὁ ἀγαπῶν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα, ἑαυτὸν ἀγαπᾷ·
29For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as also the Lord does the church.οὐδεὶς γάρ ποτε τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σάρκα ἐμίσησεν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐκτρέφει καὶ θάλπει αὐτήν, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Κύριος τὴν ἐκκλησίαν·
30For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.ὅτι μέλη ἐσμὲν τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ, ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὀστέων αὐτοῦ.
31“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.”Ἀντὶ τούτου καταλείψει ἄνθρωπος τὸν πατέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν μητέρα, καὶ προσκολληθήσεται πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔσονται οἱ δύο εἰς σάρκα μίαν.
32This is a great mystery, but I speak in reference to Christ and to the church.Τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο μέγα ἐστίν· ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω εἰς Χριστὸν καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐκκλησίαν.
33Nevertheless you also individually, let each one love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respect her husband.Πλὴν καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ καθ᾽ ἕνα, ἕκαστος τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα οὕτως ἀγαπάτω ὡς ἑαυτόν· ἡ δὲ γυνὴ ἵνα φοβῆται τὸν ἄνδρα.
The Fathers on Ephesians 5
Saint John Chrysostom comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Ephesians 5:5–6Saint John Chrysostom“For this ye know of a surety, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, which is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no man deceive you with empty words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience.”
Read Homilies on the Epistle to the Ephesians →
On Ephesians 5:15–17Saint John ChrysostomHe is still cleansing away the root of bitterness, still cutting off the very groundwork of anger.[387] For what is he saying? “Look carefully how ye walk.” “They are sheep in the midst of wolves,” and he charges them to be also “as doves.” For “ye shall be harmless,” saith he, “as doves.” (Matt. x. 16.) Forasmuch t...
Read Homilies on the Epistle to the Ephesians →
On Ephesians 5:22–24Open Ephesians 5 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint John Chrysostom“Wives, be in subjection unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the Church: being Himself the Saviour of the body. But as the Church is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their husbands in everything
Read Homilies on the Epistle to the Ephesians →