Children and Parents

6 Children, aobey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 b“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

4 And cyou, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but dbring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Bondservants and Masters

5 eBondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, fwith fear and trembling, gin sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 hnot with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 iknowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that 1your own jMaster also is in heaven, and kthere is no partiality with Him.

The Whole Armor of God

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 lPut on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the 2wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against mprincipalities, against powers, against nthe rulers of 3the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 oTherefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand pin the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, qhaving girded your waist with truth, rhaving put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 sand having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking tthe shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And utake the helmet of salvation, and vthe sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 wpraying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, xbeing watchful to this end with all perseverance and ysupplication for all the saints—19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, zthat I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which aI am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

A Gracious Greeting

21 But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, bTychicus, a beloved brother and cfaithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you; 22 dwhom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may ecomfort your hearts.

23 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,

To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:

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

Redemption in Christ

3 aBlessed 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 bHe chose us in Him cbefore the foundation of the world, that we should dbe holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 ehaving predestined us to fadoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, gaccording to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, hby which He 1made us accepted in ithe Beloved.

7 jIn Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to kthe riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and 2prudence, 9 lhaving made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure mwhich He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of nthe fullness of the times oHe might gather together in one pall things in Christ, 3both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 qIn Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to rthe purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 sthat we twho first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard uthe word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, vyou were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 wwho 4is the 5guarantee of our inheritance xuntil the redemption of ythe purchased possession, zto the praise of His glory.

Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

15 Therefore I also, aafter I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 bdo not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that cthe God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, dmay give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 ethe eyes of your 6understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is fthe hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, gaccording to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when hHe raised Him from the dead and iseated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 jfar above all kprincipality 7and 8power and 9might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.

22 And lHe put all things under His feet, and gave Him mto be head over all things to the church, 23 nwhich is His body, othe fullness of Him pwho fills all in all.

By Grace Through Faith

2 And ayou He made alive, bwho were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 cin which you once walked according to the 1course of this world, according to dthe prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in ethe sons of disobedience, 3 famong whom also we all once conducted ourselves in gthe lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and hwere by nature children of wrath, just as the others.

4 But God, iwho is rich in mercy, because of His jgreat love with which He loved us, 5 keven when we were dead in trespasses, lmade us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together min the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in nHis kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 oFor by grace you have been saved pthrough faith, and that not of yourselves; qit is the gift of God, 9 not of rworks, lest anyone should sboast. 10 For we are tHis workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Brought Near by His Blood

11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called uthe Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

Christ Our Peace

14 For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, 15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one vnew man from the two, thus making peace, 16 and that He might wreconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby xputting to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. 18 For ythrough Him we both have access zby one Spirit to the Father.

Christ Our Cornerstone

19 Now, therefore, you are no …