EPHESIANS

Ephesians1This letter is from Paul, chosen by

God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus. Itis written to God's holy people inEphesus, who are faithful followers ofChrist Jesus.2May grace and peace be yours, sent toyou from God our Father and JesusChrist our Lord.3How we praise God, the Father of ourLord Jesus Christ, who has blessed uswith every spiritual blessing in theheavenly realms because we belong toChrist.4Long ago, even before he made theworld, God loved us and chose us inChrist to be holy and without fault in hiseyes.5His unchanging plan has always beento adopt us into his own family bybringing us to himself through JesusChrist. And this gave him great pleasure.6So we praise God for the wonderfulkindness he has poured out on usbecause we belong to his dearly lovedSon.7He is so rich in kindness that hepurchased our freedom through theblood of his Son, and our sins areforgiven.8He has showered his kindness on us,along with all wisdom andunderstanding.9God's secret plan has now beenrevealed to us; it is a plan centered onChrist, designed long ago according tohis good pleasure.10And this is his plan: At the right timehe will bring everything together underthe authority of Christ--everything inheaven and on earth.11Furthermore, because of Christ, wehave received an inheritance from God,for he chose us from the beginning, andall things happen just as he decidedlong ago.12God's purpose was that we who werethe first to trust in Christ should praiseour glorious God.13And now you also have heard the truth,the Good News that God saves you.And when you believed in Christ, heidentified you as his own by giving youthe Holy Spirit, whom he promised longago.14The Spirit is God's guarantee that hewill give us everything he promised and

that he has purchased us to be his ownpeople. This is just one more reason forus to praise our glorious God.15Ever since I first heard of your strongfaith in the Lord Jesus and your love forChristians everywhere,16I have never stopped thanking God foryou. I pray for you constantly,17asking God, the glorious Father of ourLord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritualwisdom and understanding, so that youmight grow in your knowledge of God.18I pray that your hearts will be floodedwith light so that you can understand thewonderful future he has promised tothose he called. I want you to realizewhat a rich and glorious inheritance hehas given to his people.19I pray that you will begin to understandthe incredible greatness of his power forus who believe him. This is the samemighty power20that raised Christ from the dead andseated him in the place of honor atGod's right hand in the heavenly realms.21Now he is far above any ruler orauthority or power or leader or anythingelse in this world or in the world to come.22And God has put all things under theauthority of Christ, and he gave him thisauthority for the benefit of the church.23And the church is his body; it is filledby Christ, who fills everythingeverywhere with his presence.

2Once you were dead, doomed

forever because of your many sins.2You used to live just like the rest of theworld, full of sin, obeying Satan, themighty prince of the power of the air. Heis the spirit at work in the hearts of thosewho refuse to obey God.3All of us used to live that way, followingthe passions and desires of our evilnature. We were born with an evil nature,and we were under God's anger just likeeveryone else.4But God is so rich in mercy, and heloved us so very much,5that even while we were dead becauseof our sins, he gave us life when heraised Christ from the dead. (It is only byGod's special favor that you have beensaved!)6For he raised us from the dead alongwith Christ, and we are seated with himin the heavenly realms--all because weare one with Christ Jesus.7And so God can always point to us as

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examples of the incredible wealth of hisfavor and kindness toward us, as shownin all he has done for us through ChristJesus.8God saved you by his special favorwhen you believed. And you can't takecredit for this; it is a gift from God.9Salvation is not a reward for the goodthings we have done, so none of us canboast about it.10For we are God's masterpiece. He hascreated us anew in Christ Jesus, so thatwe can do the good things he plannedfor us long ago.11Don't forget that you Gentiles used tobe outsiders by birth. You were called"the uncircumcised ones" by the Jews,who were proud of their circumcision,even though it affected only their bodiesand not their hearts.12In those days you were living apartfrom Christ. You were excluded fromGod's people, Israel, and you did notknow the promises God had made tothem. You lived in this world withoutGod and without hope.13But now you belong to Christ Jesus.Though you once were far away fromGod, now you have been brought nearto him because of the blood of Christ.14For Christ himself has made peacebetween us Jews and you Gentiles bymaking us all one people. He hasbroken down the wall of hostility thatused to separate us.15By his death he ended the wholesystem of Jewish law that excluded theGentiles. His purpose was to makepeace between Jews and Gentiles bycreating in himself one new person fromthe two groups.16Together as one body, Christreconciled both groups to God bymeans of his death, and our hostilitytoward each other was put to death.17He has brought this Good News ofpeace to you Gentiles who were faraway from him, and to us Jews whowere near.18Now all of us, both Jews and Gentiles,may come to the Father through thesame Holy Spirit because of what Christhas done for us.19So now you Gentiles are no longerstrangers and foreigners. You arecitizens along with all of God's holypeople. You are members of God'sfamily.20We are his house, built on thefoundation of the apostles and the

prophets. And the cornerstone is ChristJesus himself.21We who believe are carefully joinedtogether, becoming a holy temple for theLord.22Through him you Gentiles are alsojoined together as part of this dwellingwhere God lives by his Spirit.

3I, Paul, am a prisoner of Christ Jesus

because of my preaching to youGentiles.2As you already know, God has givenme this special ministry of announcinghis favor to you Gentiles.3As I briefly mentioned earlier in thisletter, God himself revealed his secretplan to me.4As you read what I have written, youwill understand what I know about thisplan regarding Christ.5God did not reveal it to previousgenerations, but now he has revealed itby the Holy Spirit to his holy apostlesand prophets.6And this is the secret plan: TheGentiles have an equal share with theJews in all the riches inherited by God'schildren. Both groups have believed theGood News, and both are part of thesame body and enjoy together thepromise of blessings through ChristJesus.7By God's special favor and mightypower, I have been given the wonderfulprivilege of serving him by spreadingthis Good News.8Just think! Though I did nothing todeserve it, and though I am the leastdeserving Christian there is, I waschosen for this special joy of telling theGentiles about the endless treasuresavailable to them in Christ.9I was chosen to explain to everyonethis plan that God, the Creator of allthings, had kept secret from thebeginning.10God's purpose was to show hiswisdom in all its rich variety to all therulers and authorities in the heavenlyrealms. They will see this when Jewsand Gentiles are joined together in hischurch.11This was his plan from all eternity, andit has now been carried out throughChrist Jesus our Lord.12Because of Christ and our faith in him,we can now come fearlessly into God'spresence, assured of his glad welcome.

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13So please don't despair because ofwhat they are doing to me here. It is foryou that I am suffering, so you shouldfeel honored and encouraged.14When I think of the wisdom and scopeof God's plan, I fall to my knees andpray to the Father,15the Creator of everything in heavenand on earth.16I pray that from his glorious, unlimitedresources he will give you mighty innerstrength through his Holy Spirit.17And I pray that Christ will be more andmore at home in your hearts as you trustin him. May your roots go down deepinto the soil of God's marvelous love.18And may you have the power tounderstand, as all God's people should,how wide, how long, how high, and howdeep his love really is.19May you experience the love of Christ,though it is so great you will never fullyunderstand it. Then you will be filled withthe fullness of life and power that comesfrom God.20Now glory be to God! By his mightypower at work within us, he is able toaccomplish infinitely more than wewould ever dare to ask or hope.21May he be given glory in the churchand in Christ Jesus forever and everthrough endless ages. Amen.

4Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the

Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy ofyour calling, for you have been called byGod.2Be humble and gentle. Be patient witheach other, making allowance for eachother's faults because of your love.3Always keep yourselves united in theHoly Spirit, and bind yourselves togetherwith peace.4We are all one body, we have the sameSpirit, and we have all been called to thesame glorious future.5There is only one Lord, one faith, onebaptism,6and there is only one God and Father,who is over us all and in us all and livingthrough us all.7However, he has given each one of usa special gift according to the generosityof Christ.8That is why the Scriptures say, "Whenhe ascended to the heights, he led acrowd of captives and gave gifts to hispeople."9Notice that it says "he ascended." This

means that Christ first came down to thelowly world in which we live.10The same one who came down is theone who ascended higher than all theheavens, so that his rule might fill theentire universe.11He is the one who gave these gifts tothe church: the apostles, the prophets,the evangelists, and the pastors andteachers.12Their responsibility is to equip God'speople to do his work and build up thechurch, the body of Christ,13until we come to such unity in our faithand knowledge of God's Son that we willbe mature and full grown in the Lord,measuring up to the full stature of Christ.14Then we will no longer be like children,forever changing our minds about whatwe believe because someone has toldus something different or becausesomeone has cleverly lied to us andmade the lie sound like the truth.15Instead, we will hold to the truth in love,becoming more and more in every waylike Christ, who is the head of his body,the church.16Under his direction, the whole body isfitted together perfectly. As each partdoes its own special work, it helps theother parts grow, so that the whole bodyis healthy and growing and full of love.17With the Lord's authority let me saythis: Live no longer as the ungodly do,for they are hopelessly confused.18Their closed minds are full ofdarkness; they are far away from the lifeof God because they have shut theirminds and hardened their hearts againsthim.19They don't care anymore about rightand wrong, and they have giventhemselves over to immoral ways. Theirlives are filled with all kinds of impurityand greed.20But that isn't what you were taughtwhen you learned about Christ.21Since you have heard all about himand have learned the truth that is inJesus,22throw off your old evil nature and yourformer way of life, which is rottenthrough and through, full of lust anddeception.23Instead, there must be a spiritualrenewal of your thoughts and attitudes.24You must display a new naturebecause you are a new person, createdin God's likeness--righteous, holy, andtrue.

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25So put away all falsehood and "tellyour neighbor the truth" because webelong to each other.26And "don't sin by letting anger gaincontrol over you." Don't let the sun godown while you are still angry,27for anger gives a mighty foothold tothe Devil.28If you are a thief, stop stealing. Beginusing your hands for honest work, andthen give generously to others in need.29Don't use foul or abusive language.Let everything you say be good andhelpful, so that your words will be anencouragement to those who hear them.30And do not bring sorrow to God's HolySpirit by the way you live. Remember,he is the one who has identified you ashis own, guaranteeing that you will besaved on the day of redemption.31Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger,harsh words, and slander, as well as alltypes of malicious behavior.32Instead, be kind to each other,tenderhearted, forgiving one another,just as God through Christ has forgivenyou.

5Follow God's example in everything

you do, because you are his dearchildren.2Live a life filled with love for others,following the example of Christ, wholoved you and gave himself as asacrifice to take away your sins. AndGod was pleased, because that sacrificewas like sweet perfume to him.3Let there be no sexual immorality,impurity, or greed among you. Such sinshave no place among God's people.4Obscene stories, foolish talk, andcoarse jokes--these are not for you.Instead, let there be thankfulness toGod.5You can be sure that no immoral,impure, or greedy person will inherit theKingdom of Christ and of God. For agreedy person is really an idolater whoworships the things of this world.6Don't be fooled by those who try toexcuse these sins, for the terrible angerof God comes upon all those whodisobey him.7Don't participate in the things thesepeople do.8For though your hearts were once fullof darkness, now you are full of lightfrom the Lord, and your behavior shouldshow it!

9For this light within you produces onlywhat is good and right and true.10Try to find out what is pleasing to theLord.11Take no part in the worthless deeds ofevil and darkness; instead, rebuke andexpose them.12It is shameful even to talk about thethings that ungodly people do in secret.13But when the light shines on them, itbecomes clear how evil these things are.14And where your light shines, it willexpose their evil deeds. This is why it issaid, "Awake, O sleeper, rise up fromthe dead, and Christ will give you light."15So be careful how you live, not asfools but as those who are wise.16Make the most of every opportunity fordoing good in these evil days.17Don't act thoughtlessly, but try tounderstand what the Lord wants you todo.18Don't be drunk with wine, because thatwill ruin your life. Instead, let the HolySpirit fill and control you.19Then you will sing psalms and hymnsand spiritual songs among yourselves,making music to the Lord in your hearts.20And you will always give thanks foreverything to God the Father in thename of our Lord Jesus Christ.21And further, you will submit to oneanother out of reverence for Christ.22You wives will submit to yourhusbands as you do to the Lord.23For a husband is the head of his wifeas Christ is the head of his body, thechurch; he gave his life to be her Savior.24As the church submits to Christ, soyou wives must submit to yourhusbands in everything.25And you husbands must love yourwives with the same love Christ showedthe church. He gave up his life for her26to make her holy and clean, washedby baptism and God's word.27He did this to present her to himself asa glorious church without a spot orwrinkle or any other blemish. Instead,she will be holy and without fault.28In the same way, husbands ought tolove their wives as they love their ownbodies. For a man is actually lovinghimself when he loves his wife.29No one hates his own body butlovingly cares for it, just as Christ caresfor his body, which is the church.30And we are his body.31As the Scriptures say, "A man leaveshis father and mother and is joined to

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his wife, and the two are united intoone."32This is a great mystery, but it is anillustration of the way Christ and thechurch are one.33So again I say, each man must lovehis wife as he loves himself, and thewife must respect her husband.

6Children, obey your parents because

you belong to the Lord, for this is theright thing to do.2"Honor your father and mother." This isthe first of the Ten Commandments thatends with a promise.3And this is the promise: If you honoryour father and mother, "you will live along life, full of blessing."4And now a word to you fathers. Don'tmake your children angry by the wayyou treat them. Rather, bring them upwith the discipline and instructionapproved by the Lord.5Slaves, obey your earthly masters withdeep respect and fear. Serve themsincerely as you would serve Christ.6Work hard, but not just to please yourmasters when they are watching. Asslaves of Christ, do the will of God withall your heart.7Work with enthusiasm, as though youwere working for the Lord rather than forpeople.8Remember that the Lord will rewardeach one of us for the good we do,whether we are slaves or free.9And in the same way, you mastersmust treat your slaves right. Don'tthreaten them; remember, you bothhave the same Master in heaven, andhe has no favorites.10A final word: Be strong with the Lord'smighty power.11Put on all of God's armor so that youwill be able to stand firm against allstrategies and tricks of the Devil.12For we are not fighting against peoplemade of flesh and blood, but against theevil rulers and authorities of the unseenworld, against those mighty powers ofdarkness who rule this world, andagainst wicked spirits in the heavenlyrealms.13Use every piece of God's armor toresist the enemy in the time of evil, sothat after the battle you will still bestanding firm.14Stand your ground, putting on thesturdy belt of truth and the body armor

of God's righteousness.15For shoes, put on the peace thatcomes from the Good News, so that youwill be fully prepared.16In every battle you will need faith asyour shield to stop the fiery arrowsaimed at you by Satan.17Put on salvation as your helmet, andtake the sword of the Spirit, which is theword of God.18Pray at all times and on everyoccasion in the power of the Holy Spirit.Stay alert and be persistent in yourprayers for all Christians everywhere.19And pray for me, too. Ask God to giveme the right words as I boldly explainGod's secret plan that the Good News isfor the Gentiles, too.20I am in chains now for preaching thismessage as God's ambassador. Butpray that I will keep on speaking boldlyfor him, as I should.21Tychicus, a much loved brother andfaithful helper in the Lord's work, will tellyou all about how I am getting along.22I am sending him to you for just thispurpose. He will let you know how weare, and he will encourage you.23May God give you peace, dearbrothers and sisters, and love with faith,from God the Father and the Lord JesusChrist.24May God's grace be upon all who loveour Lord Jesus Christ with an undyinglove.