Ephesians 5:18

And do not get drunk with wine, which ¹  is debauchery, ²  but be filled by the Spirit, ³ 

Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, let the Holy Spirit fill and control you.

Don't drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him.

And do not take overmuch wine by which one may be overcome, but be full of the Spirit;

Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit,

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,

And do not get drunk with wine, which ¹  is debauchery, ²  but be filled by the Spirit, ³ 

¹ tn Grk “in which.”

² tn Or “dissipation.” See BDAG 148 s.v. ἀσωτία.

³ tn Many have taken ἐν πνεύματι (en pneumati) as indicating content, i.e., one is to be filled with the Spirit. ExSyn 375 states, “There are no other examples in biblical Greek in which ἐν + the dative after πληρόω indicates content. Further, the parallel with οἴνῳ as well as the common grammatical category of means suggest that the idea intended is that believers are to be filled by means of the [Holy] Spirit. If so there seems to be an unnamed agent. The meaning of this text can only be fully appreciated in light of the πληρόω language in Ephesians. Always the term is used in connection with a member of the Trinity. Three considerations seem to be key: (1) In Eph 3:19 the ‘hinge’ prayer introducing the last half of the letter makes a request that the believers ‘be filled with all the fullness of God’ (πληρωθῆτε εἰς πᾶν πλήρωμα τοῦ θεοῦ). The explicit content of πληρόω is thus God’s fullness (probably a reference to his moral attributes). (2) In 4:10 Christ is said to be the agent of filling (with v. 11 adding the specifics of his giving spiritual gifts). (3) The author then brings his argument to a crescendo in 5:18: Believers are to be filled by Christ by means of the Spirit with the content of the fullness of God.”