1 Do as God does. After all, you are his dear children. 2 Let love be your guide. Christ loved us and offered his life for us as a sacrifice that pleases God.
3 You are God's people, so don't let it be said that any of you are immoral or indecent or greedy. 4 Don't use dirty or foolish or filthy words. Instead, say how thankful you are. 5 Being greedy, indecent, or immoral is just another way of worshiping idols. You can be sure people who behave in this way will never be part of the kingdom that belongs to Christ and to God.
Living as People of Light
6 Don't let anyone trick you with foolish talk. God punishes everyone who disobeys him and says foolish things. 7 So don't have anything to do with anyone like that.
8 You used to be like people living in the dark, but now you are people of the light because you belong to the Lord. So act like people of the light 9 and make your light shine. Be good and honest and truthful, 10 as you try to please the Lord. 11 Don't take part in doing those worthless things that are done in the dark. Instead, show how wrong they are. 12 It is disgusting even to talk about what is done in the dark. 13 But the light will show what these things are really like. 14 Light shows up everything, just as the Scriptures say,
“Wake up from your sleep
and rise from death.
Then Christ will shine on you.”
15 Act like people with good sense and not like fools. 16 These are evil times, so make every minute count. 17 Don't be stupid. Instead, find out what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don't destroy yourself by getting drunk, but let the Spirit fill your life. 19 When you meet together, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, as you praise the Lord with all your heart. 20 Always use the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to thank God the Father for everything.
Wives and Husbands
21 Honor Christ and put others first. 22 A wife should put her husband first, as she does the Lord. 23 A husband is the head of his wife, as Christ is the head and the Savior of the church, which is his own body. 24 Wives should always put their husbands first, as the church puts Christ first.
25 A husband should love his wife as much as Christ loved the church and gave his life for it. 26 He made the church holy by the power of his word, and he made it pure by washing it with water. 27 Christ did this, so he would have a glorious and holy church, without faults or spots or wrinkles or any other flaws.
28 In the same way, a husband should love his wife as much as he loves himself. A husband who loves his wife shows he loves himself. 29 None of us hate our own bodies. We provide for them and take good care of them, just as Christ does for the church, 30 because we are each part of his body. 31 As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother to get married, and he becomes like one person with his wife.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I understand it to mean Christ and his church. 33 So each husband should love his wife as much as he loves himself, and each wife should respect her husband.
Kutjilila mu tjedza
1 Ndizo kee ibeni bayedzi be Ndzimu, se bana banodika. 2 Mutjilile mu ludo, koga sa Kirisiti akatida, kapa butjilo gugwe ku Ndzimu nge kwedu, guli tjipo ne tjibhayilo tje motsha kunli.
3 Koga kuwalilana thobo kusakalingisana ne kuwalilana kunobhatisa shoni ne bugovu, zwisitongohwika zwili mu muli, ngobe azwizofanila bayengemali. 4 Kusibe ne ndebo dzinobhatisa shoni kene zwilebo zwe bulengwe kene kudadilana kunotukana kwe bulengwe, ngobe kose ikoku akuzofanila, koga ngakube ne kutenda. 5 Muzibe kuti akuna nthu unowalilana kusakalingisana kene unowalilana kunobhatisa shoni kene una tjiba, unonga nthu unonamata midzimu unowana gobe mu bushe gwa Kirisiti ne gwe Ndzimu.
6 Kushaye unomutjebela nge matama asi iwo, ngobe ndi nge zwithu zwakajali zwinothama kuti bushongola gwe Ndzimu gudelukile bathu basingauhwe. 7 Ndizo musishingidzane nabo. 8 Makatongobe muli zhalima, koga ngwenu mabe tjedza muna She. Tjilani se bana be tjedza, 9 ngobe mbuzilo ye tjedza inowang'wa mu tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakalulwama ne tjina malebeswa kakale 10 mugwisile kuzwidiya zwithu zwinoshathisa She. 11 Musi yendidzane ne mishingo isina mbuzilo ye zhalima, koga muidusile patjena. 12 Ngobe kobhatisa shoni, na iko kuleba zwabanoshinga pakasumbikala. 13 Koga tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinodusigwa patjena nge tjedza tjoboneka, 14 ngobe tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinodwila patjena i tjedza. Ndizo kuyi,
“Muka, iwe wakayizela,
muka mu bafi,
ngobe Kirisiti unowokupenyela.”
15 Ibeni ne njele kuti motjila tjini, kusi se basakatjenjela, koga se bakatjenjela, 16 mushingisa zubuyanana tjibaka tjimwe ne tjimwe, ngobe iyawa mazhuba mabi. 17 Ndizo musibe manaba, koga hwisisani kuti kuda kwa She ini.
18 Musilaladzisiwe nge nkumbi we zhambi, ngobe ikoku kokwebela ku budakwa. Koga zhalani Meya yakayengemala. 19 Imbani mose Njimbo, imbani njimbo dzinokudza Ndzimu nenge njimbo dze tjimeya. Mbilani She nge mimoyo yenyu yose. 20 Muboke misi yose ku Ndzimu Tate ngekwe tjimwe ne tjimwe, nge zina la She wedu Jesu Kirisiti.
Bakadzi ne balume
21 Mube ne kuzwiyisilana pasi pakati kwenyu, ngobe moteta Kirisiti.
22 Bakadzi, muzwiyise pasi kwe balume benyu, se kuna She. 23 Ngobe nlume nsholo we nkadzi, sa Kirisiti ali nsholo we gubungano mbili uwe, kakale ndiye Ntjidzi wawo. 24 Se gubungano lizwiyisa pasi kuna Kirisiti, ndizo bakadzibo ngabazwiyise pasi ku balume babo, mu tjimwe ne tjimwe.
25 Balume, idani bakadzi benyu, sa Kirisiti akada gubungano, kakale kalifila, 26 kuliyengemadza nge kulisuka nge vula nenge dama, 27 kuti alizwiamutjilile mu kunaka kwalo kose, lisina shambgwa lisakashweshwana, kakale lisina tjimwe itoyi, koga lakayengemala lisina nlandu. 28 Sa ikoko balume bakafanila kuda bakadzi babo se mibili yabo. Iye unoda nkadzi uwe unozwida. 29 Akuna wakatongoshima mbili uwe, koga unoujisa kautjengeta, sa Kirisiti ethama ku gubungano, 30 ngobe ti ndungululo dze mbili uwe. 31 “Ngekwa ikoku, nlume unowosiya tate babe na mmeyabe kabhatana ne nkadzi uwe, ngono ibaba babili banowobe mbili nng'ompela.” 32 Oku masazibgwe makulu kwazo, ngono ati ikoku ndokufanisa na Kirisiti ne gubungano. 33 Nenguba kwakajalo mmwe ne mmwe wenyubo, ngaade nkadzi uwe sekwa anozwida, nkadzi iye wakafanila teta nlume uwe.