1 PAUL’Sa LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY IN EPHESUS Greeting From Paul, an apostleb of Jesus Christ by God’s will-to the holy ones who live in Ephesus,c who’re faithful in Christ Jesus.
2 Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 The Spiritual Blessings we Have in Christ May God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, be blessed! Because in Christ, Godd has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heaven.e
4 After all,f God chose us in Christ before the creationg of the world. We were chosen to be holy and faultlessh in love in front of God.
5 God chose us ahead of time for adoption as children through Jesus Christ, according to God’s own good will.i
6 The result will be praise for the glory of God’s grace, which God showered on us in the Beloved.j
7 In him we have our purchase out of captivity through his blood-in other words, the forgiveness of our offenses throughk the wealth of God’s grace.
8 God has made grace overflow for us! With every kind of wisdom and insight,
9 God has let us know the secret of God’s will, in line with the kindness that God intended to show in Christ.l
10 The plan, as all history comes to a finish, is to draw everything together in Christ: things in heaven and things on earth.m
11 It’s in him that we’ve been chosen ahead of time according to the set plan of God, whon works everything out in line with God’s own chosen plan.
12 That way, we, the earliest ones to put our hope in Christ,o will bring praise and glory to God.p
13 You’ve believed in him too: you’ve heard and believed the true message-the good news that has saved you.q And you’ve been sealed by the promised Holy Spirit.r
14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment on our inheritance-toward the buying back of God’s possession. And God is going to get the praise and glory!s
15 Paul’s Prayer ,
16 And that’s why I never stop thanking God for you. I’ve heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus, and your love for all the holy ones. And I remember you in my prayers.t
17 I keep praying that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, will give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, to really know God.
18 I keep praying that the eyes of your hearts will be filled with light, until you know these things: what hope there is in God’s calling, what wealth of glory there is in the inheritance that God has given youu among the holy ones,
19 and what unbelievably great power God hasv for us who believe.
20 It’s the same power and strength that God used in Christ,w when God raised him from among the dead and sat him down at God’s right side in heaven.
21 And that means above every ruler, authority, power and dominating force. Christ is above every title you can name,x not just in this age, but in the coming age too:
22 God has put everything under his feet,y and has made him the head over the whole community.
23 The community is Christ’s body, his fulfillment, as he fills every part of everyone.z
1 From Death to Life Now, once you were dead in your offenses and sins.
2 Those things used to be your way of life-when you followed the god of this world, the ruler of the atmospheric realm.a He’s the spirit that’s working right now in those who are rebellious by nature.b
3 We were all with them once. We lived by the desiresc of our flesh, and we did whatever our flesh and our thoughts wanted. And we were headed for God’s anger by nature just like everyone else.d
4 But God is rich in mercy!
5 Because of the great love that God has for us, even though we were dead in our offenses, God brought us to life with Christ. You’ve been rescued by God’s grace.
6 And God has raised you up and enthroned you with Christ Jesus in heaven.
7 That way, during the coming ages God can show the unbelievablee riches of God’s grace in the kindness shown to us in Christ Jesus.
8 Because you’ve been rescued by grace, through faith. And it doesn’t come from you: it’s God’s gift.
9 It doesn’t come from anything you do,f so nobody can brag about it.
10 After all, we’re God’s creation. We’ve been created in Christ Jesus to do good things-things God has prepared ahead of time so that we can live them out.g
11 Christ has Brought you Believing Gentiles into God’s Family So, remember back then? (I’m talking to you who are physically “Gentiles”.h You’re called “the uncircumcision” by those who call themselves “the circumcision"—which is just a human procedure done on flesh.)i
12 Well, at that time, you were separated from Christ. You were shut out from the community of Israel, and you were foreigners to God’s promised covenants.j You had no hope, and you were without God in the world.
13 But now, in Christ Jesus, you’re not far away anymore: you’ve been brought in close by the blood of Christ.k
14 Because he himself is our peace! He’s the one who has made the two into one. And he’s broken down the dividing wall, the hostility, in his own flesh.
15 He has abolished the law of commands and rules, in order to create, from the two, one new human being in himself. He made the peace!
16 And he reconciled the two, in one body, to God through the cross. He had put their hostility to death on the cross!l
17 And he came and “preached peace to those who were far away” (in other words, you), and “peace to those who were near”.m
18 Because through him, we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
19 So you aren’t foreigners and resident aliens anymore. No, you’re fellow citizens with the holy ones, and members of God’s family.n
20 You’ve been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, and the cornerstoneo is Christ Jesus.
21 In him, the Lord, the whole building is harmonious, and grows into a holy temple.
22 In him, you too are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
1 Paul’s Ministry of Preaching the Good News to the Gentiles That’s why I, Paul, am a prisoner for Christ Jesus.a It’s for you, the Gentiles.b
2 You’ve probably heard about the responsibility God has graciously given to me for your sake-
3 how the secret of it was revealed to me in a vision.c I’m talking about the same thing as I talked about in the short letter I wrote to you.d
4 As you read that one, you can understand my insight into the secret of Christ.
5 It wasn’t revealed like this to previous generations of humanity. But now it’s been revealed to Christ’s holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.e
6 The secret is that the Gentiles are co-heirs with the Jews. They’re one body. They share the promise in Christ Jesus together, through the good news.
7 And I became a servant of this good news. The gift of God’s grace has been given to me for this, and God’s active power has worked through me.f
8 I’m the least of all the holy ones, yet this grace was given to me: to bring the Gentiles the good news of the immeasurableg riches of Christ.
9 I’m bringing God’s secret plan out into the open for everyoneh.-the plan that has been hidden for all the ages in God, the creator of everything.
10 God’s plan is to use the community to reveal all the facets of God’s wisdom to the rulers and authorities in heaven.i This is happening now,
11 in line with the set plan that God made ages ago, and carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 In him we have total confidence and open access to God through our faith in him.
13 So I’m asking you not to get discouraged over the troubles that I’ve faced for you. It’s something you can be proud of.j
14 Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians That’s why I’m getting down on my kneesk in front of the Father,
15 the one who gives every family in heaven and on earth its name.l
16 I’m praying that, out of the riches of his glory, he’ll powerfully strengthen you through his Spirit in your deepest self.m
17 I’m praying that Christ will live in your hearts through faith, and that you’ll be rooted and founded in love.
18 I’m praying that, with all the holy ones, you’ll be fully able to embrace the whole width, length, depth, and height of that love-
19 in other words, that you’ll know the love of Christ that is beyond knowledge. That way you’ll be filled up to the whole fullness of God.
20 So-glory to the One who can do far more than anything we can ask or think, through the power at work inside us!
21 Glory to God in the community, and in Christ Jesus, for all generations, forever and ever!n Amen.
1 Unity in the Body of Christ I’m asking you, then, as a prisoner in the Lord: live worthy of your calling.a
2 Be full of humility and gentleness. Be patient and bear with each other in love.b
3 Do your best to keep the unity of the Spirit in the common bond of peace.
4 There’s one Bodyc and one Spirit, just as you’ve all been called in one hope.
5 We have one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 and one God, who is everyone’s Father. God is over everyone, works through everyone, and lives in everyone.
7 And grace has been given to each of us, in line with the gift that Christ portions out to us.d
8 That’s why it says, When he went up on high, he took prisoners of war, and he gave people gifts.e
9 Now, about this “going up”: how can that be, unless he also went downf.-right to the lowest parts of the earth?
10 The one who went down is the same person who also went up, above all the heavens. That way, he could fill everything.
11 And he’s the one who has given apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers.
12 They’re for training the holy ones for the work of serving. They’re for building up the body of Christ,
13 until we’re all trained up: into unity of faith, into understanding of the Son of God, into complete adulthood, and into a maturity that fits with Christ’s full presence.g
14 That way we won’t be babies anymore. We won’t be tossed around and carried back and forth on the breeze with every new teaching. We won’t be taken in by people’s tricks and by crafty deception schemes.h
15 No, let’s speak the truth in love, and grow up completely into Christ, who is our head.i
16 Through him, the whole body is fitted and joined together, with all its connective tissues. Through him, each and every part actively works in its own way to make the body grow and build itself up in love.j
17 A Challenge to Live the New Life So this is what I want to say to you very seriously in the Lord: from now on, don’t live mindlessly, like the Gentiles do.k
18 They’re mentally in the dark. They’re far away from the life of God because of the ignorance that’s in them-because of the stubbornness of their hearts.
19 They’ve gotten numb. They’ve thrown themselves into promiscuity,l going overboard into every kind of filthy practice.
20 But that’s not the way you learned Christ-not
21 if you’ve really heard him and been taught by him. Becausem the truth is in Jesus:
22 that you have to put away the old person, with its oldn way of life. That person is going rotten with its deluded cravings.o
23 Sop you have to be completely renewed in the spirit of your minds,
24 and put on the new person. The new person is created to be like God in true integrityq and holiness.
25 So get rid of dishonesty, and Each of you tell the truth with your neighbor.r After all, we’re all members of one body.s
26 Go ahead and be furious, but don’t sin.t. Don’t let the sun go down on your anger-
27 don’t give the devil a foothold.
28 People who’ve been stealing should quit stealing.u Instead, they should do good hard workv with their own hands. That way, they’ll have something to share with somebody in need.
29 Don’t let anything nastyw come out of your mouths. Instead, say things that are good for building people up, whatever the need is. That way you’ll give grace to whoever hears you.
30 And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit, who is God’s seal on you for the day when you’ll be purchased out of captivity.x
31 Get rid ofy all bitterness and rage and anger; get rid of shouting and cursing,z together with all nastiness.
32 Learn to be kind and compassionate to each other; be forgiving to each other, just as God has forgiven youaa in Christ.
1 In other words, learn to imitate God,a just like dearly loved children.
2 Live in love, just as Christ loved us, and gave himself to God on our behalf, as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice.b
3 Act as holy ones should act, and don’t let sexual immorality, or any filthiness or greed, even be mentioned in your conversations.c
4 And the same goes for nasty behavior, stupid jokes, and sexual innuendos,d which are inappropriate. Instead, you should be giving thanks.
5 After all, you should know this and know it well: no sexually immoral, or promiscuous,e or greedy person (who’s an idolf worshiper) has any inheritance in the reign of Christ and God.
6 Don’t let anyone fool you with empty words, because these things are the reason God’s anger is coming on people who are disobedient by nature.g
7 So don’t join in with them-
8 you used to be darkness, but now you’re light in the Lord. Live as peopleh of the light.
9 The fruit of the light comes out in every act of goodness and integrity and truth.
10 So you should all be finding outi what’s pleasing to the Lord!
11 Don’t join in the barren waysj of darkness. Instead, expose them.
12 Because the secret things they get up tok are even nasty to say.
13 But everything that’s exposed by the light becomes visible.
14 And everything that’s visible is light. That’s why it says, Get up, sleepy one, And rise from among the dead! Christ is going to shine on you!l
15 So be very careful how you live: don’t be unwise-be wise!m
16 Take hold of this moment,n because these are evil times.o
17 So don’t get careless. Understand what the Lord’s will is.
18 And don’t get drunk on alcohol-that’s self-destructive.p Instead, be full of the Spirit!
19 Shareq psalms, hymns, and spiritualr songs with each other. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord.
20 Give thanks to God the Father for everything all the time, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
21 Put One Another First Put one another first,s out of reverence for Christ.
22 Wives, do this for your husbands as though you were doing it for the Lord.
23 Because a husband is the head of his wife, just as Christ is the head of the community:t he’s the savior of the body.
24 However, as the community puts Christ first, so wives should put their husbands first in everything.
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the community and gave himself up for her.
26 That way Christ could make her holy, cleansing her and washing her with the water of his word.u
27 Then he could stand the community beside him in glory. She wouldn’t have a single spot or wrinkle, or anything like that. She’d be holy and faultless.
28 That’s the way husbands should love their wives-just as much as they love their own bodies. The man who loves his wife loves himself.
29 After all, nobody ever hates his own flesh-no, he cares for it and is protective about it, just like Christ is about the community.
30 Because we’re parts of his body.
31 Because of this, a man will leave his father and mother behind and be joined to his wife. And the two will be one flesh.v
32 This is a deepw secret, but I’m talking about Christ and the community!
33 Nonetheless, each and every one of you should also love your wife as you love yourself. And the wife should respect her husband.
1 Children and Parents Children, listen to your parents in the Lord:a it’s the right thing to do.
2 Honor your father and your mother...b. That’s the first commandment that has a promise:
3 …so that good things will happen to you, and you’ll be blessed in the land.c
4 And parents,d don’t provoke your children’s temper. No, bring them up in the Lord’s training and instruction.
5 Slaves and Masters Slaves, obey your human masters.e Serve with fear and trembling, and with your whole heart, as though you were giving your service to Christ.
6 And not just when somebody’s looking, or to gain somebody’s favor.f No, obey as slaves of Christ, who are doing God’s will.
7 Serve from your heart, with kindness,g as though you’re giving service to the Lord, not to human beings.
8 After all, you know that each person who does something good is going to receive a reward from the Lord-whether they’re a slave or free.
9 And masters, do the same thing towards your slaves. Give up threatening them: rememberh that both your Lord and theirs is in heaven, and there’s no such thing as special status with him.
10 Putting On God’s Armor Finally, strengthen yourselves in the Lord, and in the strength of his power.
11 Put on the whole set of God’s armor, so you’ll be able to withstand the devil’s tactics.
12 Because for us, the struggle isn’t with human beingsi.-it’s with the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark world.j It’s with the evil spiritual beings in the heavens.k
13 So strap onl the whole set of God’s armor. That way, you’ll be able to resist in this evil time,m to overcome them all, and to stand firm.
14 So stand, with your waists belted with truth,n and wearing the breastplate of integrity.o
15 Your shoes should be on and tied,p in readiness to proclaim the good news of peace.q
16 In every situation, strap onr the shield of faith. With it, you can put out all the burning arrows of the evil one.s
17 And take the helmet of salvationt and the sword of the Spirit, which is God’s word.u
18 Use all kinds of prayers and requests! Be praying in the Spirit in every situation. To do that, everyone be on watch: stay totally attentive and prayerful for all the holy ones.v
19 Be praying for me too. Pray that I’ll be given the right message-that God will open my mouth,w and I’ll boldly proclaimx the secret of the good news.
20 I’m an ambassador in chains for this good news, so pray that I’ll speak as boldly as I should.
21 Final Greetings Now, I want you all to know how I’m doing and what I’m up to. My dear brother Tychicus,y my faithful helper in the Lord, will tell you everything.z
22 I’m sending him to you for that one purpose, so that you’ll know our situation, and he can encourage your hearts.
23 Peace to the brothers and sisters! And love, with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 May grace be with everyone who has an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.