Ephesians 5:22–6:9

Wives and Husbands

²²Wives, ^asubmit ^bcto your own husbands ^das to the Lord, ²³for the husband is the head of the wife ^eas Christ is the head ^fof the church. He is the Savior of the body. ^g24Now as the church submits to Christ, so wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. ²⁵Husbands, love your wives, ^hjust as Christ loved ⁱthe church and gave Himself ^jfor her ²⁶to make her holy, cleansing ^kher with the washing of water by the word. ²⁷He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. ^l28In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, ³⁰since we are members of His body. ^m

³¹For this reason a man will leave

his father and mother

and be joined to his wife, ⁿ

and the two will become one flesh. ^op

³²This mystery ^qis profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³To sum up, each one of you is to love his wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.

Children and Parents

6Children, obey ^ryour parents as you would the Lord, ^sbecause this is right. ²Honor your father and mother, which is the first commandment ^twith a promise, ³so that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life in the land. ^uvw4Fathers, don’t stir up anger ^xin your children, but bring them up in the training ^yand instruction of the Lord.

Slaves and Masters

⁵Slaves, obey your human ^zmasters ^awith fear and trembling, ^bin the sincerity ^cof your heart, as to Christ. ⁶Don’t work only while being watched, in order to please men, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s will ^dfrom your heart. ^e7Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to men, ^f8knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord. ⁹And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threatening ^gthem, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism ^hwith Him. ⁱ