1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord,
beg youto walk worthily ofthe calling with
which you were called,

2 with all low liness and humility, with
patience, bearing withone another inlove,

3 being eager to keep the unity of the
Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit, even
as you also were called in one hope of your
calling,

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 one God and Father of all, who is over
all and through all and in us all.

7 But to each one of us, the grace was
given according to the measure of the gift
of Christ.

8 Therefore he says, “When he ascended on high,
he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to people.”*

9 Now this, “He ascended”, what is it but
that he also first descended into the lower
parts of the earth?

10 He who descended is the one who also
ascended far above allthe heavens, that he
might fill all things.

11 He gave some to be apostles; and
some, prophets; and some, evangelists;
and some, shepherds† and teachers;

12 for the perfecting of the saints, to the
work of serving, to the building up of the
body of Christ,

13 until we all attain to the unity of the
faith and of the knowledge of the Son of
God, to a full grown man, to the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

14 that we may no longer be children,
tossed back and forth and carried about
with every wind of doctrine, by the
trickery of men, in craftiness,
after the wiles of error;

15 but speaking truth in love, we may
grow up in all things into him who is the
head, Christ,

16 from whom all the body, being fitted
and knit together through that which every
joint supplies, according to the working
in measure of each individual part,
makes the body increase to the building up
of itself in love.