^3:7I became a servant of this gospel¹⁶ according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by¹⁷ the exercise of his power.¹⁸^3:8To me—less than the least of all the saints¹⁹—this grace was given,²⁰ to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ ^3:9and to enlighten²¹ everyone about God’s secret plan²²—a secret that has been hidden for ages²³ in God²⁴ who has created all things.

Read in Logos

Ephesians 3:8: To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ …

Footnotes

16 Grk “of which I was made a minister,” “of which I became a servant.”
17 Grk “according to.”
18 On the exercise of his power see 1:19–20.
19 In Pauline writings saints means any true believer. Thus for Paul to view himself as less than the least of all the saints is to view himself as the most unworthy object of Christ’s redemption.
20 The parallel phrases to proclaim and to enlighten which follow indicate why God’s grace was manifested to Paul. Grace was not something just to be received, but to be shared with others (cf. Acts 13:47).
21 There is a possible causative nuance in the Greek verb, but this is difficult to convey in the translation.
22 Grk “what is the plan of the divine secret.” Earlier the author had used οἰκονομία (oikonomia; here “plan”) to refer to his own “stewardship” (v. 2). But now he is speaking about the content of this secret, not his own activity in relation to it.
23 Or “for eternity,” or perhaps “from the Aeons.” Cf. 2:2, 7.
24 Or “by God.” It is possible that ἐν (en) plus the dative here indicates agency, that is, that God has performed the action of hiding the secret. However, this usage of the preposition ἐν is quite rare in the NT, and even though here it does follow a perfect passive verb as in the Classical idiom, it is more likely that a different nuance is intended.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things,

NIVNew International Version (2011)

I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power.

This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ, and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.

NLTNew Living Translation

By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.

Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

of which I became a servant, according to the gift of God’s grace given to me, according to the working of his power.

To me, the least of all the saints, was given this grace: to proclaim the good news of the fathomless riches of Christ to the Gentiles, and to enlighten everyone as to what is the administration of the mystery hidden from the ages by God, who created all things,

KJV 1900King James Version

Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

Public Domain