Ephesians

Chapter 1

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are [in Ephesus] and are faithful in Christ Jesus:

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

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

4 just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love,

5 having predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,

6 to the praise of the glory of his grace, with which he has favored us in the Beloved.

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

8 which he lavished upon us in all wisdom and understanding,

9 having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him,

10 for the administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth, in him.

11 In him we also have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

12 so that we, who first hoped in Christ, might be to the praise of his glory.

13 In him you also, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in him, having also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

14 who is the pledge of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

15 For this reason I also, having heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,

16 do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,

17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him,

18 the eyes of heart being enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance among the saints,

19 and what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of the might of his strength.

20 This he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

21 far above every rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come;

22 and he subjected all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,

23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Chapter 2

1 And you, being dead in your trespasses and sins,

2 in which you once walked according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience;

3 among whom we also all once conducted ourselves in the desires of our flesh, doing the wishes of the flesh and of the thoughts, and we were by nature children of wrath, as also the rest;

4 but God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us,

5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ, by grace you have been saved

6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God;

9 not from works, so that no one may boast.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

11 Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "uncircumcision" by that which is called "circumcision," made in the flesh by hands,

12 that at that time you were without Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have become near by the blood of Christ.

14 For he himself is our peace, who made both one and broke down the dividing wall of the barrier, the enmity, in his flesh,

15 having abolished the law of commandments in ordinances, so that he might create the two in himself into one new man, making peace,

16 and might reconcile both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the enmity in it.

17 And he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those near;

18 for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,

21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Chapter 3

1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ on behalf of you Gentiles

2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God that was given to me for you,

3 by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in brief,

4 by which, when you read it, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ,

5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:

6 that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,

7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the working of his power.

8 To me, the very least of all the saints, this grace was given: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

9 and to enlighten as to what is the stewardship of the mystery hidden from the ages in God, who created all things,

10 so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places,

11 according to the eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,

12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in him.

13 Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my afflictions on your behalf, which are your glory.

14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,

15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

16 that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner man,

17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, you being rooted and grounded in love.

18 so that you may have strength to grasp, together with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

21 to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Chapter 4

1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,

2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

3 being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were also called in one hope of your calling;

5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

7 But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8 Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men."

9 Now this "he ascended", what does it mean, except that he also descended into the lower parts of the earth?

10 He who descended is himself also the one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.

11 And he himself gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ,

13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

14 so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in the scheming of deceit,

15 but speaking the truth in love, we may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ,

16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, according to the working in due measure of each individual part, produces the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

17 This therefore I say and testify in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind,

18 being darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart;

19 who, having become callous, gave themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

20 But you did not learn Christ in this way,

21 if indeed you heard him and were taught in him, just as truth is in Jesus:

22 that you put off, with regard to your former way of life, the old man, which is being corrupted according to the desires of deceit,

23 and be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24 and put on the new man, created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one speak truth with his neighbor, because we are members of one another.

26 Be angry, and do not sin; let the sun not set upon your anger,

27 nor give place to the devil.

28 Let the one who steals steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his own hands what is good, so that he may have something to share with the one in need.

29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good for building up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.

30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be removed from you, together with all malice.

32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.

Chapter 5

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children,

2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God for a fragrant aroma.

3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints,

4 nor obscenity and foolish talk or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather thanksgiving.

5 For you know this with certainty, that no fornicator or impure person or greedy person, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

7 Therefore do not become partakers with them;

8 for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light:

9 for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth

10 discerning what is pleasing to the Lord,

11 and do not participate in the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.

12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things done by them in secret,

13 but all things exposed by the light become visible,

14 for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says: "Awake, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

15 Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise,

16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

18 And do not get drunk with wine, in which is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,

19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord,

20 giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.

21 Submitting to one another in the fear of Christ,

22 wives to their own husbands as to the Lord,

23 because the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, himself the savior of the body.

24 But as the church submits to Christ, so also let wives submit to their husbands in everything.

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave himself up for her,

26 in order that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,

27 that he might present the church to himself in glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she might be holy and blameless.

28 In the same way husbands also ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.

29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,

30 because we are members of his body.

31 "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh."

32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.

33 Nevertheless, each one of you also must love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

Chapter 6

1 Children, obey your parents [in the Lord], for this is right.

2 "Honor your father and mother", which is the first commandment with a promise

3 "so that it may go well with you and you may live long on the earth."

4 And fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ,

6 not with eye-service as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul,

7 serving with goodwill as to the Lord and not to men,

8 knowing that whatever good each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free.

9 And masters, do the same to them, giving up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.

10 Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the might of his strength.

11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil;

12 for our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to resist on the evil day, and having accomplished everything, to stand.

14 Stand, therefore, having girded your waist with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15 and having shod your feet with the readiness of the gospel of peace;

16 in everything taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one;

17 and receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 Praying at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and supplication, and to that end keeping alert with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,

19 and for me, that a word may be given to me when I open my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,

20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

21 But so that you also may know my circumstances, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will make everything known to you,

22 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs and that he may encourage your hearts.

23 Peace to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love.