Ephesians 4:28 (ASV)

Passage

Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need.

Nearby Context

Ephesians 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

Ephesians 4:27 neither give place to the devil.

Ephesians 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for edifying as the need may be, that it may give grace to them that hear.

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "stole", "steal", "rather", "labor", "working", "hands", "good", and "whereof". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "stole" and "steal", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 27's "neither give place to the devil..." into verse 29's "Let no corrupt speech proceed out of...", so "stole" and "steal" belong inside that flow. In Ephesians context, the local focus is grace, union with Christ, the church, and new creation.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "stole" and "steal" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.