Ephesians 4:28 (DRB)

Passage

He that stole, let him now steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need.

Nearby Context

Ephesians 4:26 Be angry: and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your anger.

Ephesians 4:27 Give not place to the devil.

Ephesians 4:28 He that stole, let him now steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have something to give to him that suffereth need.

Ephesians 4:29 Let no evil speech proceed from your mouth: but that which is good, to the edification of faith: that it may administer grace to the hearers.

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God: whereby you are sealed unto the day of redemption.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "stole", "steal", "rather", "labour", "working", "hands", "good", and "something". 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 "Give not place to the devil..." into verse 29's "Let no evil speech proceed from your...", 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.