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Ephesians 1-3
GOD’S WORD Translation

Greeting

1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will.

To God’s holy and faithful people who are united with Christ in the city of Ephesus.[a]

2 Good will [b] and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are yours!

God Chose Us Through Christ

3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Through Christ, God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing that heaven has to offer. 4 Before the creation of the world, he chose us through Christ to be holy and perfect in his presence. 5 Because of his love he had already decided to adopt us through Jesus Christ. He freely chose to do this 6 so that the kindness [c] he had given us in his dear Son would be praised and given glory.

7 Through the blood of his Son, we are set free from our sins. God forgives our failures because of his overflowing kindness. 8 He poured out his kindness by giving us every kind of wisdom and insight 9 when he revealed the mystery of his plan to us. He had decided to do this through Christ. 10 He planned to bring all of history to its goal in Christ. Then Christ would be the head of everything in heaven and on earth. 11 God also decided ahead of time to choose us through Christ according to his plan, which makes everything work the way he intends. 12 He planned all of this so that we who had already focused our hope on Christ would praise him and give him glory.

13 You heard and believed the message of truth, the Good News that he has saved you. In him you were sealed with the Holy Spirit whom he promised. 14 This Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we will receive our inheritance. We have this guarantee until we are set free to belong to him. God receives praise and glory for this.

Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians

15 I, too, have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. For this reason 16 I never stop thanking God for you. I always remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the glorious Father, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know Christ better. 18 Then you will have deeper insight. You will know the confidence that he calls you to have and the glorious wealth that God’s people will inherit. 19 You will also know the unlimited greatness of his power as it works with might and strength for us, the believers. 20 He worked with that same power in Christ when he brought him back to life and gave him the honored position—the one next to God the Father on the heavenly throne. 21 He is far above all rulers, authorities, powers, lords, and all other names that can be named, not only in this present world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put everything under the control of Christ. He has made Christ the head of everything for the good of the church. 23 The church is Christ’s body and completes him as he fills everything in every way.

God Saved Us because of His Great Love for Us

2 You were once dead because of your failures and sins. 2 You followed the ways of this present world and its spiritual ruler. This ruler continues to work in people who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us once lived among these people, and followed the desires of our corrupt nature. We did what our corrupt desires and thoughts wanted us to do. So, because of our nature, we deserved God’s anger just like everyone else.

4 But God is rich in mercy because of his great love for us. 5 We were dead because of our failures, but he made us alive together with Christ. (It is God’s kindness [d] that saved you.) 6 God has brought us back to life together with Christ Jesus and has given us a position in heaven with him. 7 He did this through Christ Jesus out of his generosity to us in order to show his extremely rich kindness in the world to come. 8 God saved you through faith as an act of kindness. You had nothing to do with it. Being saved is a gift from God. 9 It’s not the result of anything you’ve done, so no one can brag about it. 10 God has made us what we are. He has created us in Christ Jesus to live lives filled with good works that he has prepared for us to do.

God Has United Jewish and Non-Jewish People

11 Remember that once you were not Jewish physically. Those who called themselves “the circumcised” because of what they had done to their bodies called you “the uncircumcised.” 12 Also, at that time you were without Christ. You were excluded from citizenship in Israel, and the pledges [e] ⌞God made in his⌟ promise were foreign to you. You had no hope and were in the world without God.

13 But now through Christ Jesus you, who were once far away, have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 So he is our peace. In his body he has made Jewish and non-Jewish people one by breaking down the wall of hostility that kept them apart. 15 He brought an end to the commandments and demands found in Moses’ Teachings so that he could take Jewish and non-Jewish people and create one new humanity in himself. So he made peace. 16 He also brought them back to God in one body by his cross, on which he killed the hostility. 17 He came with the Good News of peace for you who were far away and for those who were near. 18 So Jewish and non-Jewish people can go to the Father in one Spirit.

19 That is why you are no longer foreigners and outsiders but citizens together with God’s people and members of God’s family. 20 You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus himself is the cornerstone. 21 In him all the parts of the building fit together and grow into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 Through him you, also, are being built in the Spirit together with others into a place where God lives.

Paul’s Work of Spreading the Good News

3 This is the reason I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus [f] for those of you who are not Jewish.

2 Certainly, you have heard how God gave me the responsibility of bringing his kindness [g] to you. 3 You have heard that he let me know this mystery through a revelation. I’ve already written to you about this briefly. 4 When you read this, you’ll see that I understand the mystery about Christ. 5 In the past, this mystery was not known by people as it is now. The Spirit has now revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is the Good News that people who are not Jewish have the same inheritance as Jewish people do. They belong to the same body and share the same promise that God made in Christ Jesus. 7 I became a servant of this Good News through God’s kindness freely given to me when his power worked ⌞in me⌟.

8 I am the least of all God’s people. Yet, God showed me his kindness by allowing me to spread the Good News of the immeasurable wealth of Christ to people who are not Jewish. 9 He allowed me to explain the way this mystery works. God, who created all things, kept it hidden in the past. 10 He did this so that now, through the church, he could let the rulers and authorities in heaven know his infinite wisdom. 11 This was God’s plan for all of history which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 We can go to God with bold confidence through faith in Christ. 13 So then, I ask you not to become discouraged by the troubles I suffer for you. In fact, my troubles bring you glory.

Paul Prays That God Would Strengthen Christians

14 This is the reason I kneel in the presence of the Father 15 from whom all the family in heaven and on earth receives its name. 16 I’m asking God to give you a gift from the wealth of his glory. I pray that he would give you inner strength and power through his Spirit. 17 Then Christ will live in you through faith. I also pray that love may be the ground into which you sink your roots and on which you have your foundation. 18 This way, with all of God’s people you will be able to understand how wide, long, high, and deep his love is. 19 You will know Christ’s love, which goes far beyond any knowledge. I am praying this so that you may be completely filled with God.

20 Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. 21 Glory belongs to God in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time and eternity! Amen.

Footnotes

  1. 1:1 Some early manuscripts omit “in the city of Ephesus.”
  2. 1:2 Or “Grace.”
  3. 1:6 Or “grace.”
  4. 2:5 Or “grace.”
  5. 2:12 Or “covenants.”
  6. 3:1 Some manuscripts omit “Jesus.”
  7. 3:2 Or “grace.”
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Ephesians 1-3
New International Version

1 Paul, an apostle(A) of Christ Jesus by the will of God,(B)

To God’s holy people(C) in Ephesus,[a](D) the faithful(E) in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.(F)

Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,(G) who has blessed us in the heavenly realms(H) with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose us(I) in him before the creation of the world(J) to be holy and blameless(K) in his sight. In love(L) 5 he[b] predestined(M) us for adoption to sonship[c](N) through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure(O) and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace,(P) which he has freely given us in the One he loves.(Q) 7 In him we have redemption(R) through his blood,(S) the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches(T) of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he[d] made known to us the mystery(U) of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed(V) in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment(W)—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.(X)

11 In him we were also chosen,[e] having been predestined(Y) according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose(Z) of his will, 12 in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.(AA) 13 And you also were included in Christ(AB) when you heard the message of truth,(AC) the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal,(AD) the promised Holy Spirit,(AE) 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance(AF) until the redemption(AG) of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.(AH)

Thanksgiving and Prayer

15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus(AI) and your love for all God’s people,(AJ) 16 I have not stopped giving thanks for you,(AK) remembering you in my prayers.(AL) 17 I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,(AM) may give you the Spirit[f] of wisdom(AN) and revelation, so that you may know him better. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened(AO) in order that you may know the hope to which he has called(AP) you, the riches(AQ) of his glorious inheritance(AR) in his holy people,(AS) 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power(AT) is the same as the mighty strength(AU) 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead(AV) and seated him at his right hand(AW) in the heavenly realms,(AX) 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion,(AY) and every name(AZ) that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.(BA) 22 And God placed all things under his feet(BB) and appointed him to be head(BC) over everything for the church, 23 which is his body,(BD) the fullness of him(BE) who fills everything in every way.(BF)

Made Alive in Christ

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,(BG) 2 in which you used to live(BH) when you followed the ways of this world(BI) and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air,(BJ) the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.(BK) 3 All of us also lived among them at one time,(BL) gratifying the cravings of our flesh[g](BM) and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us,(BN) God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions(BO)—it is by grace you have been saved.(BP) 6 And God raised us up with Christ(BQ) and seated us with him(BR) in the heavenly realms(BS) in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace,(BT) expressed in his kindness(BU) to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace(BV) you have been saved,(BW) through faith(BX)—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works,(BY) so that no one can boast.(BZ) 10 For we are God’s handiwork,(CA) created(CB) in Christ Jesus to do good works,(CC) which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Jew and Gentile Reconciled Through Christ

11 Therefore, remember that formerly(CD) you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)(CE)— 12 remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners(CF) to the covenants of the promise,(CG) without hope(CH) and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once(CI) were far away have been brought near(CJ) by the blood of Christ.(CK)

14 For he himself is our peace,(CL) who has made the two groups one(CM) and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh(CN) the law with its commands and regulations.(CO) His purpose was to create in himself one(CP) new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross,(CQ) by which he put to death their hostility. 17 He came and preached peace(CR) to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.(CS) 18 For through him we both have access(CT) to the Father(CU) by one Spirit.(CV)

19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers,(CW) but fellow citizens(CX) with God’s people and also members of his household,(CY) 20 built(CZ) on the foundation(DA) of the apostles and prophets,(DB) with Christ Jesus himself(DC) as the chief cornerstone.(DD) 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple(DE) in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.(DF)

God’s Marvelous Plan for the Gentiles

3 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner(DG) of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

2 Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me(DH) for you, 3 that is, the mystery(DI) made known to me by revelation,(DJ) as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight(DK) into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets.(DL) 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs(DM) together with Israel, members together of one body,(DN) and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.(DO)

7 I became a servant of this gospel(DP) by the gift of God’s grace given me(DQ) through the working of his power.(DR) 8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people,(DS) this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles(DT) the boundless riches of Christ,(DU) 9 and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery,(DV) which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God(DW) should be made known(DX) to the rulers and authorities(DY) in the heavenly realms,(DZ) 11 according to his eternal purpose(EA) that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12 In him and through faith in him we may approach God(EB) with freedom and confidence.(EC) 13 I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

A Prayer for the Ephesians

14 For this reason I kneel(ED) before the Father, 15 from whom every family[h] in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches(EE) he may strengthen you with power(EF) through his Spirit in your inner being,(EG) 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts(EH) through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted(EI) and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people,(EJ) to grasp how wide and long and high and deep(EK) is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge(EL)—that you may be filled(EM) to the measure of all the fullness of God.(EN)

20 Now to him who is able(EO) to do immeasurably more than all we ask(EP) or imagine, according to his power(EQ) that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.(ER)

Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 1:1 Some early manuscripts do not have in Ephesus.
  2. Ephesians 1:5 Or sight in love. 5 He
  3. Ephesians 1:5 The Greek word for adoption to sonship is a legal term referring to the full legal standing of an adopted male heir in Roman culture.
  4. Ephesians 1:9 Or us with all wisdom and understanding. 9 And he
  5. Ephesians 1:11 Or were made heirs
  6. Ephesians 1:17 Or a spirit
  7. Ephesians 2:3 In contexts like this, the Greek word for flesh (sarx) refers to the sinful state of human beings, often presented as a power in opposition to the Spirit.
  8. Ephesians 3:15 The Greek for family (patria) is derived from the Greek for father (pater).
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