11 And ^mhe gave the ⁿapostles, the prophets, the ^oevangelists, the ^pshepherds¹ and teachers,² 12 ^qto equip the saints for the work of ministry, for ^rbuilding up ^sthe body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to ^tthe unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, ^uto mature manhood,³ to the measure of the stature of ^vthe fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, ^wtossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in ^xdeceitful schemes. 15 Rather, ^yspeaking the truth in love, we are to ^zgrow up in every way into him who is ^athe head, into Christ, 16 ^bfrom whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, ^cwhen each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Warning Against Apostasy

11 About this we have much to say, and it is ^chard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again ^dthe basic principles of the oracles of God. You need ^emilk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is ^fa child. 14 But solid food is for ^gthe mature, for those who have their powers ^hof discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.