Ephesians 4:17

Amplified Bible

So this I say, and solemnly affirm together with the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the [unbelieving] Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds [and in the foolishness and emptiness of their souls],

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
I have something from the Lord to tell you. I warn you: Don't continue living like those who don't believe. Their thoughts are worth nothing.

Revised Standard Version
Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds;

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
This I saye therfore and testifie in ye lorde that ye hence forth walke not as other gentyls walke in vanitie of their mynde

Hebrew Names Version
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Goyim also walk, in the futility of their mind,

New American Standard Bible
So I say this, and affirm in the Lord, that you are to no longer walk just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their minds,

New Century Version
In the Lord's name, I tell you this. Do not continue living like those who do not believe. Their thoughts are worth nothing.

Update Bible Version
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Webster's Bible Translation
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

English Standard Version
Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.

World English Bible
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, that ye no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles, in the vanity of your mind:

Weymouth's New Testament
Therefore I warn you, and I implore you in the name of the Master, no longer to live as the Gentiles in their perverseness live,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Y seie and witnesse this thing in the Lord, that ye walke not now, as hethene men walken, in the vanyte of her wit;

English Revised Version
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Berean Standard Bible
So I tell you this, and testify to it in the Lord: You must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

Contemporary English Version
As a follower of the Lord, I order you to stop living like stupid, godless people.

American Standard Version
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Bible in Basic English
This I say, then, and give witness in the Lord, that you are to go no longer in the way of the Gentiles whose minds are turned to that which has no profit,

Complete Jewish Bible
Therefore I say this — indeed, in union with the Lord I insist on it: do not live any longer as the pagans live, with their sterile ways of thinking.

Darby Translation
This I say therefore, and testify in [the] Lord, that ye should no longer walk as [the rest of] the nations walk in [the] vanity of their mind,

International Standard Version
Therefore, I tell you and insist ontestify">[fn] in the Lord not to live any longer like the Gentiles live, thinking worthless thoughts.in the worthlessness of their mind">[fn]Romans 1:21; Ephesians 2:1-3,22; Colossians 3:7; 1 Peter 4:3;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
BUT this I say and testify in the Lord, that from henceforth you may not walk as the rest of the Gentiles, who walk in the vanity of their minds,

Murdock Translation
And this I say, and testify in the Lord, that henceforth ye walk not as the other Gentiles, who walk in the vanity of their mind:

King James Version (1611)
This I say therefore and testifie in the Lord, that yee henceforth walke not as other Gentiles walke in the vanitie of their minde,

New Living Translation
With the Lord's authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.

New Life Bible
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.

New Revised Standard
Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds.

Geneva Bible (1587)
This I say therefore and testifie in the Lorde, that yee hencefoorth walke not as other Gentiles walke, in vanitie of their minde,

George Lamsa Translation
This I say therefore and testify in the LORD: that you henceforth live not as other Gentiles, who live in the vanity of their mind,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
This, therefore, am I saying and protesting in the Lord: - that, no longer, ye walk even as, the nations, walk - in the vanity of their minds,

Douay-Rheims Bible
This then I say and testify in the Lord: That henceforward you walk not as also the Gentiles walk in the vanity of their mind:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
This I say therfore, and testifie in the Lorde, that ye hencefoorth walke not as other gentiles walke, in vanitie of their mynde:

Good News Translation
In the Lord's name, then, I warn you: do not continue to live like the heathen, whose thoughts are worthless

Christian Standard Bible®
Therefore, I say this and testify in the Lord: You should no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their thoughts.

King James Version
This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Lexham English Bible
This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the Gentiles walk: in the futility of their mind,

Literal Translation
Therefore, I say this, and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk even as also the rest of the nations walk, in the vanity of their mind,

Young's Literal Translation
This, 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,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
This I saye therfore, and testifye in the LORDE, that ye walke nomore as ye other Heythen walke in the vanite of their mynde,

Mace New Testament (1729)
This I say therefore, and conjure you by the Lord not to live for the future as other Gentiles do, in the vanity of their minds,

THE MESSAGE
And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They've refused for so long to deal with God that they've lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can't think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.

New English Translation
So I say this, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

New King James Version
This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the [fn] Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind,

Simplified Cowboy Version
Jesus told me to pass this along to y'all. Don't live like the outsiders do, for they are kicking and pulling on the reins at the same time.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore this I say, and testify in the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

Contextual Overview

¹⁷So this I say, and solemnly affirm together with the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the [unbelieving] Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds [and in the foolishness and emptiness of their souls],¹⁸for their [moral] understanding is darkened and their reasoning is clouded; [they are] alienated and self-banished from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the [willful] ignorance and spiritual blindness that is [deep-seated] within them, because of the hardness and insensitivity of their heart. ¹⁹And they, [the ungodly in their spiritual apathy], having become callous and unfeeling, have given themselves over [as prey] to unbridled sensuality, eagerly craving the practice of every kind of impurity [that their desires may demand]. ²⁰But you did not learn Christ in this way! ²¹If in fact you have [really] heard Him and have been taught by Him, just as truth is in Jesus [revealed in His life and personified in Him], ²²that, regarding your previous way of life, you put off your old self [completely discard your former nature], which is being corrupted through deceitful desires, ²³and be continually renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh, untarnished mental and spiritual attitude], ²⁴and put on the new self [the regenerated and renewed nature], created in God's image, [godlike] in the righteousness and holiness of the truth [living in a way that expresses to God your gratitude for your salvation]. ²⁵Therefore, rejecting all falsehood [whether lying, defrauding, telling half-truths, spreading rumors, any such as these], SPEAK TRUTH EACH ONE WITH HIS NEIGHBOR, for we are all parts of one another [and we are all parts of the body of Christ]. ²⁶BE ANGRY [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], YET DO NOT SIN; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I say: 1 Corinthians 1:12, 1 Corinthians 15:50, 2 Corinthians 9:6, Galatians 3:17, Colossians 2:4

testify: Nehemiah 9:29, Nehemiah 9:30, Nehemiah 13:15, Jeremiah 42:19, Acts 2:40, Acts 18:5, Acts 20:21, Galatians 5:3, 1 Thessalonians 4:6

in the: 1 Thessalonians 4:1, 1 Thessalonians 4:2, 1 Timothy 5:21, 1 Timothy 6:13, 2 Timothy 4:1

that ye: Ephesians 1:22, Ephesians 2:1-3, Ephesians 5:3-8, Romans 1:23-32, 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:19-21, Colossians 3:5-8, 1 Peter 4:3, 1 Peter 4:4

in the: Psalms 94:8-11, Acts 14:15

Reciprocal: Leviticus 15:18 - the woman Deuteronomy 12:30 - How did Deuteronomy 27:10 - General Deuteronomy 29:19 - though I walk Psalms 14:4 - Have Psalms 74:20 - the dark Isaiah 60:2 - the darkness Jeremiah 3:17 - walk Jeremiah 9:14 - walked Jeremiah 11:7 - I earnestly Jeremiah 13:10 - walk Ezekiel 3:21 - if thou Amos 3:13 - and testify Zechariah 8:16 - are Matthew 6:32 - after Matthew 18:17 - a heathen Matthew 21:29 - I will not Luke 12:30 - all Luke 15:15 - to feed Acts 17:30 - but Acts 26:20 - and do Romans 1:21 - but became Romans 6:4 - even Romans 9:30 - the Gentiles Romans 12:2 - be not Romans 13:13 - us 1 Corinthians 5:8 - not 1 Corinthians 6:11 - such 1 Corinthians 12:2 - that 2 Corinthians 5:15 - henceforth 2 Corinthians 6:14 - and what Ephesians 2:3 - in times Ephesians 4:1 - walk Ephesians 4:19 - given Ephesians 4:22 - former Philippians 3:18 - many 1 Thessalonians 2:11 - charged 1 Thessalonians 4:5 - as the 2 Thessalonians 3:6 - in the 1 Timothy 6:5 - men 2 Timothy 1:8 - the testimony 2 Timothy 2:14 - charging 2 Timothy 2:19 - depart 1 Peter 4:2 - no Revelation 22:18 - testify

Cross-References

Genesis 4:4
But Abel brought [an offering of] the [finest] firstborn of his flock and the fat portions. And the LORD had respect (regard) for Abel and for his offering;

Genesis 4:11
"And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's [shed] blood from your hand.

Genesis 5:18
When Jared was a hundred and sixty-two years old, he became the father of Enoch.

Genesis 5:22
Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God three hundred years after the birth of Methuselah and had other sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:4
They said, "Come, let us build a city for ourselves, and a tower whose top will reach into the heavens, and let us make a [famous] name for ourselves, so that we will not be scattered [into separate groups] and be dispersed over the surface of the entire earth [as the LORD instructed]."

2 Samuel 18:18
Now Absalom in his lifetime had taken and set up for himself a memorial pillar which is in the King's Valley, for he said, "I have no son to keep my name in remembrance." He named the memorial pillar after himself, and to this day it is called Absalom's Monument.

Psalms 49:11
Their inward thought is that their houses will continue forever, And their dwelling places to all generations; They have named their lands after their own names [ignoring God].

Daniel 4:30
"The king said thoughtfully, 'Is not this the great Babylon which I myself have built as the royal residence and seat of government by the might of my power and for the honor and glory of my majesty?'

Gill's Notes on the Bible

This I say therefore and testify in the Lord,.... These words may be considered either as an assertion, and so a testimonial of the different walk and conversation of the saints at Ephesus, from the rest of the Gentiles; or as an exhortation in the name of the Lord to such a walk, the apostle here returning to what he stirs them up to in Ephesians 4:1

that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind; every natural man walks in a vain show; the mind of man is vain, and whoever walk according to the dictates of it, must walk vainly: the phrase is expressive of the emptiness of the mind; it being naturally destitute of God, of the knowledge, fear, and grace of God; and of Jesus Christ, of the knowledge of him, faith in him, and love to him; and of the Spirit and his graces; and it also points at the instability and changeableness of the human mind, in which sense man at his best estate was altogether vanity; as also the folly, falsehood, and wickedness of it in his fallen state: and the mind discovers its vanity in its thoughts and imaginations, which are vain and foolish; in the happiness it proposes to itself, which lies in vain things, as worldly riches, honours, c. and in the ways and means it takes to obtain it, and in words and actions and the Gentiles showed the vanity of their minds in their vain philosophy and curious inquiries into things, and in their polytheism and idolatry: to walk herein, is to act according to the dictates of a vain and carnal mind; and it denotes a continued series of sinning, or a vain conversation maintained, a progress and obstinate persisting therein with pleasure: now God's elect before conversion walked as others do, but when they are converted their walk and conversation is not, at least it ought not to be, like that of others: the Alexandrian copy, and some others, the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions, leave out the word "other", and only read, "as the Gentiles", &c.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord - I bear witness in the name of the Lord Jesus, or ministering by his authority. The object of this is, to exhort them to walk worthy of their high calling, and to adorn the doctrine of the Saviour. With this view, he reminds them of what they were before they were converted, and of the manner in which the pagan around them lived.

That ye henceforth walk not - That you do not henceforth live - the Christian life being often in the Scriptures compared to a journey.

As other Gentiles walk - This shows that probably the mass of converts in the church at Ephesus were from among the pagan, and Paul regarded them as Gentile converts. Or it may be that he here addressed himself more particularly to that portion of the church, as especially needing his admonition and care.

In the vanity of their mind - In the way of folly, or in mental folly. What he means by this he specifies in the following verses. The word “vanity” in the Scriptures means more than mere “emptiness.” It denotes moral wrong, being applied usually to those who worshipped vain idols, and then those who were alienated from the “true” God.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 17. Walk not as other Gentiles walk — Ye are called to holiness by the Gospel, the other Gentiles have no such calling; walk not as they walk. In this and the two following verses the apostle gives a most awful account of the conduct of the heathens who were without the knowledge of the true God. I shall note the particulars.

1. They walked in the vanity of their mind, εν ματαιοτητι του νοος αυτων. In the foolishness of their mind; want of genuine wisdom is that to which the apostle refers, and it was through this that the Gentiles became addicted to every species of idolatry; and they fondly imagined that they could obtain help from gods which were the work of their own hands! Here their foolishness was manifested.