¹Basi, mimi niliye mfungwa kwa kuwa namtumikia Bwana, nawasihi muishi maisha yanayostahili wito mlioitiwa.

¹Call upon you, then, do I — the prisoner of the Lord — to walk worthily of the calling with which ye were called,

²Muwe daima wanyenyekevu, wapole na wenye saburi; vumilianeni ninyi kwa ninyi kwa mapendo.

²with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love,

³Fanyeni bidii ya kuhifadhi umoja uletwao na Roho kwa kuzingatia amani iliyo kati yenu.

³being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of the peace;

⁴Kuna mwili mmoja na Roho mmoja, kama vile tumaini mliloitiwa na Mungu ni moja.

⁴one body and one Spirit, according as also ye were called in one hope of your calling;

⁵Kuna Bwana mmoja, imani moja na ubatizo mmoja;

⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism,

⁶kuna Mungu mmoja na Baba wa wote, ambaye yuko juu ya wote, afanya kazi katika yote na yuko katika yote.

⁶one God and Father of all, who [is] over all, and through all, and in you all,

⁷Kila mmoja wetu amepewa neema kadiri ya kipimo alichojaliwa na Kristo.

⁷and to each one of you was given the grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ,

⁸Kama yasemavyo Maandiko: "Alipopaa mbinguni juu kabisa, alichukua mateka; aliwapa watu zawadi."

⁸wherefore, he saith, `Having gone up on high he led captive captivity, and gave gifts to men,` —

⁹Basi, inaposemwa: "alipaa juu," ina maana gani? Maana yake ni kwamba, kwanza alishuka mpaka chini kabisa duniani.

⁹and that, he went up, what is it except that he also went down first to the lower parts of the earth?

¹⁰Basi, huyo aliyeshuka hapa duniani, ndiye aliyepaa juu ya mbingu zote apate kuujaza ulimwengu.

¹⁰he who went down is the same also who went up far above all the heavens, that He may fill all things —

¹¹Ndiye aliyewapa watu zawadi: wengine aliwajalia wawe mitume, wengine manabii, wengine wawe waeneza Habari Njema, wengine wachungaji na walimu.

¹¹and He gave some [as] apostles, and some [as] prophets, and some [as] proclaimers of good news, and some [as] shepherds and teachers,

¹²Alifanya hivyo apate kuwatayarisha watu wote wa Mungu kwa ajili ya kazi ya huduma ya Kikristo ili kuujenga mwili wa Kristo,

¹²unto the perfecting of the saints, for a work of ministration, for a building up of the body of the Christ,

¹³na hivyo sote tuufikie umoja wa imani na kumjua Mwana wa Mungu; tuwe watu waliokomaa na kuufikia utimilifu wake Kristo mwenyewe.

¹³till we may all come to the unity of the faith and of the recognition of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ,

¹⁴Basi, hatutakuwa tena kama watoto, tukitupwa na kupeperushwa huko na huko kwa kila upepo wa mafundisho wanayozua watu wadanganyifu, ili wawapotoshe wengine kwa hila.

¹⁴that we may no more be babes, tossed and borne about by every wind of the teaching, in the sleight of men, in craftiness, unto the artifice of leading astray,

¹⁵Ila, sisi tukisema ukweli kwa moyo wa mapendo tutakua zidi katika kila jambo kulingana na Kristo ambaye ndiye kichwa;

¹⁵and, being true in love, we may increase to Him [in] all things, who is the head — the Christ;

¹⁶chini ya uongozi wake, viungo vyote vya mwili hushikamana pamoja, na mwili wote hutegemezwa kwa msaada wa viungo vyake. Basi, kila kiungo kikitekeleza kazi yake ipasavyo, mwili wote hukua na kujijenga katika upendo.

¹⁶from whom the whole body, being fitly joined together and united, through the supply of every joint, according to the working in the measure of each single part, the increase of the body doth make for the building up of itself in love.

¹⁷Basi, kwa jina la Bwana, nawaonyeni: msiishi tena kama watu wasiomjua Mungu, ambao fikira zao zimekuwa upuuzi mtupu,

¹⁷This, then, I say, and I testify in the Lord; ye are no more to walk, as also the other nations walk, in the vanity of their mind,

¹⁸na akili zao zimo gizani. Wako mbali na uzima wa Mungu, kwa sababu ya upumbavu ulio ndani yao na ukaidi wao.

¹⁸being darkened in the understanding, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart,

¹⁹Wamepotoka na hawana aibu, wamejitosa katika ufisadi; hufanya kwa pupa kila aina ya mambo ya aibu.

¹⁹who, having ceased to feel, themselves did give up to the lasciviousness, for the working of all uncleanness in greediness;

²⁰Lakini ninyi hamkujifunza hivyo juu ya Kristo.

²⁰and ye did not so learn the Christ,

²¹Ni dhahiri kwamba mlisikia barabara habari zake, na mkiwa wafuasi wake mkafundishwa ukweli ulivyo katika Yesu.

²¹if so be ye did hear him, and in him were taught, as truth is in Jesus;

²²Basi, acheni mwenendo wenu wa awali, yaani ule utu wenu wa kale uliokuwa unaangamizwa kwa tamaa zake danganyifu.

²²ye are to put off concerning the former behaviour the old man, that is corrupt according to the desires of the deceit,

²³Jirekebisheni upya rohoni na katika fikira zenu.

²³and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

²⁴Vaeni hali mpya ya utu ambayo imeumbwa kwa mfano wa Mungu na ambayo hujionyesha katika maisha ya kweli ya uadilifu na utakatifu.

²⁴and to put on the new man, which, according to God, was created in righteousness and kindness of the truth.

²⁵Kwa hiyo, acheni uongo. Kila mmoja anapaswa kumwambia mwenzake ukweli, maana kila mmoja wetu ni kiungo cha mwili wa Kristo.

²⁵Wherefore, putting away the lying, speak truth each with his neighbour, because we are members one of another;

²⁶Kama mkikasirika, msikubali hasira yenu iwafanye mtende dhambi, na wala msikae na hasira kutwa nzima.

²⁶be angry and do not sin; let not the sun go down upon your wrath,

²⁷Msimpe Ibilisi nafasi.

²⁷neither give place to the devil;

²⁸Aliyekuwa akiiba, asiibe tena, bali na aanze kufanya kazi njema kwa mikono yake, apate kuwa na kitu cha kumsaidia mtu aliye maskini.

²⁸whoso is stealing let him no more steal, but rather let him labour, working the thing that is good with the hands, that he may have to impart to him having need.

²⁹Maneno mabaya hata yasisikike kamwe miongoni mwenu; kila mara maneno yenu yawe ya kufaa na ambayo hujenga na kuwasaidia wengine, ili yawaneemeshe wasikilizaji wenu.

²⁹Let no corrupt word out of your mouth go forth, but what is good unto the needful building up, that it may give grace to the hearers;

³⁰Msimhuzunishe Roho Mtakatifu wa Mungu maana Roho huyo ni alama ya Mungu kwenu kwamba ninyi ni watu wake, na thibitisho kwamba siku itakuja ambapo Mungu atawakomboeni.

³⁰and make not sorrowful the Holy Spirit of God, in which ye were sealed to a day of redemption.

³¹Basi, achaneni na uhasama, chuki, hasira, kelele, matusi! Achaneni na kila uovu!

³¹Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice,

³²Muwe na moyo mwema na wenye kuhurumiana; kila mmoja na amsamehe mwenzake kama naye Mungu alivyowasamehe ninyi kwa njia ya Kristo.

³²and become one to another kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, according as also God in Christ did forgive you.