Colossians 3:18–4:1; Ephesians 5:22–6:9

red bookmark icon blue bookmark icon gold bookmark icon
Colossians 3:18–4:1

Rules for Christian Households

18 uWives, submit to your husbands, as vis fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and wdo not be harsh with them. 20 Children, obey your parents xin everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 Bondservants, obey xin everything those who are your earthly masters,1 not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 yWhatever you do, work heartily, zas for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord ayou will receive the inheritance as your reward. bYou are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

Masters, treat your bondservants2 justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.


Ephesians 5:22–6:9

Wives and Husbands

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

25 gHusbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and hgave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by ithe washing of water jwith the word, 27 so 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. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because nwe are members of his body. 31 oTherefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and pthe two shall become one flesh. 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, qlet each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she rrespects her husband.

Children and Parents

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

Bondservants and Masters

vBondservants,2 obey your earthly masters3 with fear and trembling, wwith a sincere heart, xas you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as ypeople-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, zknowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, awhether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, 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.