Ephesians 6:1–24
6 Children, obeyy your parents in the Lord, because 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 that you may have a long life in the land.F,G,z 4 Fathers, don’t stir up angeraa in your children, but bring them up in the trainingab and instruction of the Lord.
5 Slaves, obey your humanH mastersac with fear and trembling,ad in the sincerityae of your heart, as you would Christ. 6 Don’t work only while being watched, as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, do God’s willaf from your heart. 7 Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people,ag 8 knowing that whatever good each one does, slave or free, he will receive this back from the Lord. 9 And masters, treat your slaves the same way, without threateningah them, because you know that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritismai with him.aj
10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength.ak 11 Put onal the full armoram of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against fleshan and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,ao against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil,ap spiritual forces in the heavens.aq 13 For this reason take up the full armorar of God, so that you may be able to resistas in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand. 14 Stand,at therefore, with truthau like a belt around your waist, righteousnessav like armor on your chest,aw 15 and your feet sandaled with readiness for the gospel of peace. 16 In every situation take up the shieldax of faithay with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.az 17 Take the helmetba of salvation and the swordbb of the Spiritbc—which is the word of God. 18 Praybd at all times in the Spiritbe with every prayer and request, and stay alertbf with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldnessbg the mystery of the gospel. 20 For this I am an ambassadora in chains. Pray that I might be bold enough to speak about it as I should.
21 Tychicus,b our dearly loved brother and faithful servantA in the Lord, will tell you all the news about me so that you may be informed. 22 I am sending him to you for this very reason, to let you know how we are and to encouragec your hearts.d
23 Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Fathere and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who have undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.B,C
Ephesians 1:1–6:24
1 Paul,a an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will:b
To the faithful saintsc in Christ JesusA at Ephesus.B,d
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ.f 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.C,f 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious graceg that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.h
7 In him we have redemptioni through his blood, the forgivenessj of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding.D 9 He made known to us the mystery of his will,k according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christl 10 as a plan for the right timeE—to bring everything together in Christ,m both things in heaven and things on earthn in him.o
11 In him we have also received an inheritance,F because we were predestinedp according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hopeq in Christ might bring praise to his glory.r
13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirits when you heard the word of truth,t the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down paymentu of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.
15 This is why, since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 I never stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father,G would give you the SpiritH,v of wisdom and revelationw in the knowledge of him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hopex of his calling,y what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his powerz toward us who believe, according to the mighty working of his strength.
20 He exercised this power in Christ by raising him from the dead and seating him at his right handaa in the heavensab—21 far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given,I,ac not only in this age but also in the one to come.ad 22 And he subjected everything under his feetJ,ae and appointed himK as headaf over everything for the church, 23 which is his body,ag the fullnessah of the one who fills all thingsai in every way.
2 And you were deadaj in your trespasses and sins 2 in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world,ak according to the ruler of the power of the air,al the spiritam now working in the disobedient.L 3 We too all previously lived among them in our fleshlyan desires, carrying out the inclinationsao of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrathap as the others were also. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy,aq because of his great lovear that he had for us,M 5 made us aliveas with Christ even though we were deadat in trespasses. You are saved by grace! 6 He also raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,au 7 so that in the coming agesav he might display the immeasurable richesaw of his grace through his kindnessa to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For you are saved by graceb through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, createdc in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of timed for us to do.
11 So, then, remember that at one time you were Gentiles in the flesh—called “the uncircumcised” by those called “the circumcised,”e which is done in the flesh by human hands.f 12 At that time you were without Christ, excluded from the citizenship of Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of promise,g without hopeh and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the bloodi of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who made both groups onej and tore down the dividing wall of hostility. In his flesh, 15 he made of no effect the law consisting of commands and expressed in regulations, so that he might createk in himself onel new man from the two, resulting in peace. 16 He did this so that he might reconcile both to God in one bodym through the cross by which he put the hostility to death.A 17 He came and proclaimed the good newsn of peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.o 18 For through him we both have accessp in one Spirit to the Father.q 19 So, then, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and members of …