1 Y o, que estoy preso por causa del Señor, les ruego que vivan como es digno del llamamiento que han recibido,

I am being held in prison because of working for the Lord. I ask you from my heart to live and work the way the Lord expected you to live and work.

2 y que sean humildes y mansos, y tolerantes y pacientes unos con otros, en amor.

Live and work without pride. Be gentle and kind. Do not be hard on others. Let love keep you from doing that.

3 P rocuren mantener la unidad del Espíritu en el vínculo de la paz.

Work hard to live together as one by the help of the Holy Spirit. Then there will be peace.

4 A sí como ustedes fueron llamados a una sola esperanza, hay también un cuerpo y un Espíritu,

There is one body and one Spirit. There is one hope in which you were called.

5 u n Señor, una fe, un bautismo,

There is one Lord and one faith and one baptism.

6 y un Dios y Padre de todos, el cual está por encima de todos, actúa por medio de todos, y está en todos.

There is one God. He is the Father of us all. He is over us all. He is the One working through us all. He is the One living in us all.

7 P ero a cada uno de nosotros se nos ha dado la gracia conforme a la medida del don de Cristo.

Loving-favor has been given to each one of us. We can see how great it is by the gift of Christ.

8 P or esto dice: «Subiendo a lo alto, llevó consigo a los cautivos, Y dio dones a los hombres.»

The Holy Writings say, “When Christ went up to heaven, He took those who were held with Him. He gave gifts to men.”

9 Y al decir «subiendo», ¿qué quiere decir, sino que también primero había descendido a lo más profundo de la tierra?

When they say, “He went up,” what does it mean but that He had first gone down to the deep parts of the earth?

10 E l que descendió, es el mismo que también ascendió por encima de todos los cielos, para llenarlo todo.

Christ Who went down into the deep also went up far above the heavens. He did this to fill all the world with Himself.

11 Y él mismo constituyó a unos, apóstoles; a otros, profetas; a otros, evangelistas; a otros, pastores y maestros,

Christ gave gifts to men. He gave to some the gift to be missionaries, some to be preachers, others to be preachers who go from town to town. He gave others the gift to be church leaders and teachers.

12 a fin de perfeccionar a los santos para la obra del ministerio, para la edificación del cuerpo de Cristo,

These gifts help His people work well for Him. And then the church which is the body of Christ will be made strong.

13 h asta que todos lleguemos a estar unidos por la fe y el conocimiento del Hijo de Dios; hasta que lleguemos a ser un hombre perfecto, a la medida de la estatura de la plenitud de Cristo;

All of us are to be as one in the faith and in knowing the Son of God. We are to be full-grown Christians standing as high and complete as Christ is Himself.

14 p ara que ya no seamos niños fluctuantes, arrastrados para todos lados por todo viento de doctrina, por los engaños de aquellos que emplean con astucia artimañas engañosas,

Then we will not be as children any longer. Children are like boats thrown up and down on big waves. They are blown with the wind. False teaching is like the wind. False teachers try everything possible to make people believe a lie,

15 s ino para que profesemos la verdad en amor y crezcamos en todo en Cristo, que es la cabeza,

but we are to hold to the truth with love in our hearts. We are to grow up and be more like Christ. He is the leader of the church.

16 d e quien todo el cuerpo, bien concertado y unido entre sí por todas las coyunturas que se ayudan mutuamente, según la actividad propia de cada miembro, recibe su crecimiento para ir edificándose en amor. La nueva vida en Cristo

Christ has put each part of the church in its right place. Each part helps other parts. This is what is needed to keep the whole body together. In this way, the whole body grows strong in love. The Old and the New Life

17 P ero esto quiero decirles en el nombre del Señor, y en esto quiero insistir: no vivan ya como la gente sin Dios, que vive de acuerdo a su mente vacía.

I tell you this in the name of the Lord: You must not live any longer like the people of the world who do not know God. Their thoughts are foolish.

18 E sa gente tiene el entendimiento entenebrecido; por causa de la ignorancia que hay en ellos, y por la dureza de su corazón, viven ajenos de la vida que proviene de Dios.

Their minds are in darkness. They are strangers to the life of God. This is because they have closed their minds to Him and have turned their hearts away from Him.

19 D espués de que perdieron toda sensibilidad, se entregaron al libertinaje para cometer con avidez toda clase de impureza.

They do not care anymore about what is right or wrong. They have turned themselves over to the sinful ways of the world and are always wanting to do every kind of sinful act they can think of.

20 P ero eso no lo aprendieron ustedes de Cristo,

But you did not learn anything like this from Christ.

21 s i es que en verdad oyeron su mensaje y fueron enseñados por él, de acuerdo con la verdad que está en Jesús.

If you have heard of Him and have learned from Him,

22 E n cuanto a su pasada manera de vivir, despójense de su vieja naturaleza, la cual está corrompida por los deseos engañosos;

put away the old person you used to be. Have nothing to do with your old sinful life. It was sinful because of being fooled into following bad desires.

23 r enuévense en el espíritu de su mente,

Let your minds and hearts be made new.

24 y revístanse de la nueva naturaleza, creada en conformidad con Dios en la justicia y santidad de la verdad.

You must become a new person and be God-like. Then you will be made right with God and have a true holy life.

25 P or eso cada uno de ustedes debe desechar la mentira y hablar la verdad con su prójimo; porque somos miembros los unos de los otros.

So stop lying to each other. Tell the truth to your neighbor. We all belong to the same body.

26 E nójense, pero no pequen; reconcíliense antes de que el sol se ponga,

If you are angry, do not let it become sin. Get over your anger before the day is finished.

27 y no den lugar al diablo.

Do not let the devil start working in your life.

28 E l que antes robaba, que no vuelva a robar; al contrario, que trabaje y use sus manos para el bien, a fin de que pueda compartir algo con quien tenga alguna necesidad.

Anyone who steals must stop it! He must work with his hands so he will have what he needs and can give to those who need help.

29 N o pronuncien ustedes ninguna palabra obscena, sino sólo aquellas que contribuyan a la necesaria edificación y que sean de bendición para los oyentes.

Watch your talk! No bad words should be coming from your mouth. Say what is good. Your words should help others grow as Christians.

30 N o entristezcan al Espíritu Santo de Dios, con el cual ustedes fueron sellados para el día de la redención.

Do not make God’s Holy Spirit have sorrow for the way you live. The Holy Spirit has put a mark on you for the day you will be set free.

31 D esechen todo lo que sea amargura, enojo, ira, gritería, calumnias, y todo tipo de maldad.

Put out of your life all these things: bad feelings about other people, anger, temper, loud talk, bad talk which hurts other people, and bad feelings which hurt other people.

32 E n vez de eso, sean bondadosos y misericordiosos, y perdónense unos a otros, así como también Dios los perdonó a ustedes en Cristo.

You must be kind to each other. Think of the other person. Forgive other people just as God forgave you because of Christ’s death on the cross.