Ephesians 5:21–6:9

^21ysubmitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Wives and Husbands

^22zWives, ^asubmit to your own husbands, ^bas to the Lord. ²³For ^cthe husband is the head of the wife even as ^dChrist is the head of the church, his body, and is ^ehimself its Savior. ²⁴Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit ^fin everything to their husbands.

^25gHusbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and ^hgave himself up for her, ²⁶that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by ⁱthe washing of water ^jwith the word, ²⁷so ^kthat he might present the church to himself in splendor, ^lwithout spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.^{1 28}In the same way ^mhusbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, ³⁰because ⁿwe are members of his body. ^31o“Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and ^pthe two shall become one flesh.” ³²This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. ³³However, ^qlet each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she ^rrespects her husband.

Children and Parents

6^sChildren, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ^2t“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), ³“that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” ⁴Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, ^ubut bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Bondservants and Masters

^5vBondservants,¹ obey your earthly masters² with fear and trembling, ^wwith a sincere heart, ^xas you would Christ, ⁶not by the way of eye-service, as ^ypeople-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, ⁷rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, ^8zknowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, ^awhether he is a bondservant or is free. ⁹Masters, do the same to them, ^band stop your threatening, knowing that ^che who is both their Master⁴ and yours is in heaven, and that ^dthere is no partiality with him.