The Unity of the Body
1 I urge you, then—I who am a prisoner because I serve the Lord: live a life that measures up to the standard God set when he called you. 2 Be always humble, gentle, and patient. Show your love by being tolerant with one another. 3 Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope to which God has called you. 5 There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 there is one God and Father of all people, who is Lord of all, works through all, and is in all.
7 Each one of us has received a special gift in proportion to what Christ has given. 8 As the scripture says,
“When he went up to the very heights,
he took many captives with him;
he gave gifts to people.”
9 Now, what does “he went up” mean? It means that first he came down to the lowest depths of the earth. 10 So the one who came down is the same one who went up, above and beyond the heavens, to fill the whole universe with his presence. 11 It was he who “gave gifts to people”; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. 12 He did this to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ. 13 And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ's full stature. 14 Then we shall no longer be children, carried by the waves and blown about by every shifting wind of the teaching of deceitful people, who lead others into error by the tricks they invent. 15 Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, who is the head. 16 Under his control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love.
The New Life in Christ
17 In the Lord's name, then, I warn you: do not continue to live like the heathen, whose thoughts are worthless 18 and whose minds are in the dark. They have no part in the life that God gives, for they are completely ignorant and stubborn. 19 They have lost all feeling of shame; they give themselves over to vice and do all sorts of indecent things without restraint.
20 That was not what you learned about Christ! 21 You certainly heard about him, and as his followers you were taught the truth that is in Jesus. 22 So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to—the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires. 23 Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, 24 and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.
25 No more lying, then! Each of you must tell the truth to the other believer, because we are all members together in the body of Christ. 26 If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. 27 Don't give the Devil a chance. 28 If you used to rob, you must stop robbing and start working, in order to earn an honest living for yourself and to be able to help the poor. 29 Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you. 30 And do not make God's Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God's mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free. 31 Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. 32 Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.
Okukara noruwano mombongo
1 Nu nambano ami ngu mbi ri omupandekwa motjimbe tjokutja mbi karera Muhona, me mu rongo kutja mu hupe otja komaisaneno ngunga amwa isanewa na wo i Ndjambi. 2 Aruhe risusupariseye nu mu rire ozongozu nu mu kare nomuretima. Nu zarasaneye norusuvero. 3 Kondjeye okuṱakamisa oruwano ndu mu pewa i Ombepo ya Ndjambi. Nohange ndji za ku Ndjambi ngai mu waneke kumwe. 4 Eṱe oweṱe orutu rumwe uriri, neṱe atuhe tuna Ombepo imwe uriri, punga ape nomaundjiro yemwe uriri Ndjambi ke mu isanena. 5 Muhona iumwe uriri, nongamburiro iimwe uriri, nombapitisimo iimwe uriri. 6 Ndjambi nu Ihe yovandu avehe eye iumwe uriri. Eye oMuhona waavehe, nu u ungura mu avehe nu u ri mu avehe.
7 Auhe mokati ketu wa pewa otjiungura tjapeke tjotjari otja kotjisanekero Kristus tje tu pa. 8 Omatjangwa opu maye zu okutja:
“Eye tja ronda kombandambanda
wa twaerera ovahuurwa ovengi
nu wa yandja oviyandjewa kovandu.”
9 Nambano ingwi okutja “Eye wa ronda” maku hee tjike? Okwo maku hee kutja eye rutenga wa punda kehi nguno kombanda yehi. 10 Nu ingwi ngwa pundire kehi ongunga e ri ye ngwi ngwa rondere kombanda yomayuru aehe kutja e keurise avihe. 11 Nu “oviyandjewa” Eye “mbya yandja” ovyo mbi: Tjiva we ve toorora okurira ovaapostele, tjiva okurira ovaprofete, tjiva okurira ovazuvarise vombuze Ombwa, tjiva okurira ovanene wombongo na tjiva okurira ovahonge. 12 Eye we ve toororera okurongerisa otjiwaṋa tja Ndjambi otjiungura tjoukriste, kokutja ve tunge orutu rwa Kristus. 13 Eṱe atuhe otji matu kaworongana moruwano rumwe mongamburiro yetu na mondjiviro yetu yOmuna wa Ndjambi, notji matu rire ovandu mbe kura okuvaza omuseka ohamukwao na imbwi owa Kristus. 14 Notji tu hi nokuuhara amatu rire ovanatje rukwao; eṱe katu tji nakukandakandisiwa rukwao tjimuna ozongazona nokuhingwa i ombepo ngamwa aihe yomahongero omapukise, ovahonge woposyo tji mave vanga okutupopa nomapopero nomatjendje wawo. 15 Nu moruveze rwanao, mena rorusuvero eṱe matu panḓere pokuhungira ouatjiri, nu komuhingo mbwi matu kuru okusana ku Kristus, ngu ri otjiuru tjombongo. 16 Nu mu ye omu mu za orutu aruhe. Ouṋepo auhe worutu u yenenasana, nu auhe pamwe au rire otjiṋa tjimwe; norutu otji ru ritunga oruini morusuvero.
Ongarero ombe mu Kristus
17 Mena ra Muhona ami me mu rongo tjinene: Amu panḓere pokuhupa otja ovandu mbe ha tjiwa ombango ya Ndjambi. Omerizemburukiro wawo owo opouriri, 18 omeripuriro wawo owo onḓorera. Nowo kave norupa momuinyo Ndjambi mbwe yandja, tjinga ave ha vanga okutjiwa Ndjambi nu tjinga averi ovirangaranga. 19 Owo kave tji nahoṋi nangarire kaṱiṱi; ve riyandja oveni kouvi ngamwa auhe, nu ve tjita ouhakohoke nokuhinomeritjaerero.
20 Neṋe katji mwe rihonga Kristus nao. 21 Eṋe, tjiri, mwe mu zuva, neṋe mbu mu ri ovakongorere ve mwa hongwa imbwi ouatjiri mbu ri mu Jesus. 22 Hukureye omundu omukuru ngwe mu kareka mongarero yeṋu onguru, ingwi omundu omukuru ngwaa nyonwa i ozonḓuma ze ozombukise. 23 Omitima vyeṋu nomeripuriro weṋu vi sokuyarurwa koupe. 24 Neṋe mamu sokuzara omundu omupe ngwa utwa kosaneno ya Ndjambi nu ngu riraisa mongarero osemba nondjapuke youatjiri.
25 Opu mwa sokuisa okukora ovizeze; auhe nga hungire ouatjiri komukambure omukwao, atuhe pamwe tjinga atu ri ouṋepo morutu rwa Kristus. 26 Amu tjiti ourunde nandi mwa ṱomazenge, nu hanganeye eyuva ngunda ari hiya hita, 27 Satan amu mu pe oruveze kutja e mu kambure. 28 Omundu ngwaa vaka, a ha vaka rukwao; nu nga ute okuungura e rimwine omuini ondjambi ombwa, nu a yenene okuvatera ovasyona. 29 Ngaamu hungire omambo omatwe novinyo vyeṋu; nungwari hungireye omambo omawa nomatunge otja pu pe ri ohepero, kokutja inga ngu mamu hungire, ye yandje onyuṋe kovapuratena. 30 Amu yandja oruhoze kOmbepo Ondjapuke ya Ndjambi, orondu eye me mu haka notjihako okurira ouini wa Ndjambi keyuva ronguturiro. 31 Iseye ongore ngamwa aihe, nomapindi nomazenge. Amu rokoha nokuyamburura ovakweṋu, nu amu tjiti otjiṋa ngamwa atjihe otjivi. 32 Karasaneye nouwa nomitima omitarazu, nu mu isirasane otja Ndjambi wina punga e mu isira mu Kristus.
