far above all hierarchies, authorities, powers, and dominions, and all titles that can be bestowed not only in this world but in the world to come.

But God is so rich in mercy that because of the great love he had for us,

But now through your union with Christ Jesus you who were once far away have through the blood of Christ been brought near.

So you are no longer foreigners or strangers, but you are fellow-citizens of God's people and members of his family.

There is but one body and one Spirit, just as there is but one hope that belongs to the summons you received.

There is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

But each one of us has been given mercy in Christ's generous measure.

Be angry, but do not sin. The sun must not go down upon your anger;

No bad word must ever pass your lips, but only words that are good and suited to improve the occasion, so that they will be a blessing to those who hear them.

But immorality or any form of vice or greed must not be so much as mentioned among you; that would not be becoming in God's people.

For once you were sheer darkness, but now, as Christians, you are light itself. You must live like children of light,

Be very careful, then, about the way you live. Do not act thoughtlessly, but like sensible men,

So do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.

Do not get drunk on wine, for that is profligacy, but be filled with the Spirit,

in order to bring the church to himself in all her beauty, without a flaw or a wrinkle or anything of the kind, but to be consecrated and faultless.

for no one ever hates his own person, but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ does with the church,

This is a great secret, but I understand it of Christ and the church.

But each one of you must love his wife just as he loves himself, and the wife, too, must respect her husband.

You fathers, too, must not irritate your children, but you must bring them up with Christian training and instruction.

not with mere external service, as though you had only men to please, but like slaves of Christ, carrying out the will of God.

For we have to struggle, not with enemies of flesh and blood, but with the hierarchies, the authorities, the master-spirits of this dark world, the spirit-forces of evil on high.