Ephesians 6

Children and Parents

⁶Children, obey your parents in the Lord,^w for this is right. ²“Honor your father and mother”—this is the first commandment with a promise^*—³“so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

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

Slaves and Masters

⁵Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect^x and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ,^{* 6}not with a slavery performed merely for looks, to please people, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul. ⁷Render service with enthusiasm, as for the Lord and not for humans, ⁸knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are enslaved or free.

⁹And, masters,^y do the same to them. Stop threatening them, for you know that both of you have the same Lord^z in heaven, and with him there is no partiality.^*

The Whole Armor of God

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power; ¹¹put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, ¹²for our^a struggle is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present^b darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.^{c* 13}Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having prevailed against everything, to stand firm.^{* 14}Stand, therefore, and belt your waist with truth and put on the breastplate of righteousness^{* 15}and lace up your sandals in preparation for the gospel of peace. ¹⁶With all of these,^d take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.^{* 17}Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.^{* 18}Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.^{* 19}Pray also for me, so that when I speak a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,^{e* 20}for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.^*

Personal Matters and Benediction

²¹So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus will tell you everything. He is a dear brother and a faithful minister in the Lord.^{* 22}I am sending him to you for this very purpose, to let you know how we are and to encourage your hearts.

²³Peace be to the brothers and sisters and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.^{* 24}Grace be with all who have an undying love for^f our Lord Jesus Christ.^g