Ephesians 2–5

¹Also you—being dead in the trespasses and the sins, ²in which once ye did walk according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, ³among whom also we all did walk once in the desires of our flesh, doing the wishes of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath—as also the others.

⁴And God, being rich in kindness, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵even being dead in the trespasses, did make us to live together with the Christ, (by grace ye are having been saved,) ⁶and did raise us up together, and did seat us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ⁷that He might show, in the ages that are coming, the exceeding riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus, ⁸for by grace ye are having been saved, through faith, and this not of you—of God the gift, ⁹not of works, that no one may boast; ¹⁰for of Him we are workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God did before prepare, that in them we may walk.

¹¹Wherefore, remember, that ye were once the nations in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that called Circumcision in the flesh made by hands, ¹²that ye were at that time apart from Christ, having been alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of the promise, having no hope, and without God, in the world; ¹³and now, in Christ Jesus, ye being once afar off became nigh in the blood of the Christ.

¹⁴For he is our peace, who did make both one, and the middle wall of the enclosure did break down, ¹⁵the enmity in his flesh, the law of the commands in ordinances having done away, that the two he might create in himself into one new man, making peace, ¹⁶and might reconcile both in one body to God through the cross, having slain the enmity in it, ¹⁷and having come, he did proclaim good news—peace to you—the far-off and the nigh, ¹⁸because through him we have the access—we both—in one Spirit unto the Father. ¹⁹Then, therefore, ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens of the saints, and of the household of God, ²⁰being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being chief corner -stone, ²¹in whom all the building fitly framed together doth increase to an holy sanctuary in the Lord, ²²in whom also ye are builded together, for a habitation of God in the Spirit.

Chapter 3

¹For this cause, I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you the nations, ²if, indeed, ye did hear of the dispensation of the grace of God that was given to me in regard to you, ³that by revelation He made known to me the secret, according as I wrote before in few words— ⁴in regard to which ye are able, reading it, to understand my knowledge in the secret of the Christ, ⁵which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it was now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit— ⁶that the nations be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in the Christ, through the good news, ⁷of which I became a ministrant, according to the gift of the grace of God that was given to me, according to the working of His power; ⁸to me—the less than the least of all the saints—was given this grace, among the nations to proclaim good news—the untraceable riches of the Christ, ⁹and to cause all to see what is the fellowship of the secret that hath been hid from the ages in God, who the all things did create by Jesus Christ, ¹⁰that there might be made known now to the principalities and the authorities in the heavenly places, through the assembly, the manifold wisdom of God, ¹¹according to a purpose of the ages, which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹²in whom we have the freedom and the access in confidence through the faith of him, ¹³wherefore, I ask you not to faint in my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

¹⁴For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵of whom the whole family in the heavens and on earth is named, ¹⁶that He may give to you, according to the riches of His glory, with might to be strengthened through His Spirit, in regard to the inner man, ¹⁷that the Christ may dwell through the faith in your hearts, in love having been rooted and founded, ¹⁸that ye may be in strength to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, ¹⁹to know also the love of the Christ that is exceeding the knowledge, that ye may be filled—to all the fulness of God; ²⁰and to Him who is able above all things to do exceeding abundantly what we ask or think, according to the power that is working in us, ²¹to Him is the glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus, to all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen.

Chapter 4

¹Call upon you, then, do I—the prisoner of the Lord—to walk worthily of the calling with which ye were called.

²With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, ³being diligent to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of the peace; ⁴one body and one Spirit, according as also ye were called in one hope of your calling; ⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in you all, ⁷and to each one of you was given the grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ, ⁸wherefore, he saith, ‘Having gone up on high he led captive captivity, and gave gifts to men,’— ⁹and that, he went up, what is it except that he also went down first to the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰he who went down is the same also who went up far above all the heavens, that He may fill all things— ¹¹and He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as proclaimers of good news, and some as shepherds and teachers, ¹²unto the perfecting of the saints, for a work of ministration, for a building up of the body of the Christ, ¹³till we may all come to the unity of the faith and of the recognition of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ, ¹⁴that we may no more be babes, tossed and borne about by every wind of the teaching, in the sleight of men, in craftiness, unto the artifice of leading astray, ¹⁵and, being true in love, we may increase to Him in all things, who is the head—the Christ; ¹⁶from whom the whole body, being fitly joined together and united, through the supply of every joint, according to the working in the measure of each single part, the increase of the body doth make for the building up of itself in love.

¹⁷This, then, I say, and I testify in the Lord; ye are no more to walk, as also the other nations walk, in the vanity of their mind, ¹⁸being darkened in the understanding, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart, ¹⁹who, having ceased to feel, themselves did give up to the lasciviousness, for the working of all uncleanness in greediness; ²⁰and ye did not so learn the Christ, ²¹if so be ye did hear him, and in him were taught, as truth is in Jesus; ²²ye are to put off concerning the former behaviour the old man, that is corrupt according to the desires of the deceit, ²³and to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴and to put on the new man, which, according to God, was created in righteousness and kindness of the truth. ²⁵Wherefore, putting away the lying, speak truth each with his neighbour, because we are members one of another; ²⁶be angry and do not sin; let not the sun go down upon your wrath, ²⁷neither give place to the devil; ²⁸whoso is stealing let him no more steal, but rather let him labour, working the thing that is good with the hands, that he may have to impart to him having need. ²⁹Let no corrupt word out of your mouth go forth, but what is good unto the needful building up, that it may give grace to the hearers; ³⁰and make not sorrowful the Holy Spirit of God, in which ye were sealed to a day of redemption. ³¹Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice, ³²and become one to another kind, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, according as also God in Christ did forgive you.

Chapter 5

¹Become, then, followers of God, as children beloved, ²and walk in love, as also the Christ did love us, and did give himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for an odour of a sweet smell.

³And whoredom, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as becometh saints; ⁴also filthiness, and foolish talking, or jesting,—the things not fit—but rather thanksgiving; ⁵for this ye know, that every whoremonger, or unclean, or covetous person, who is an idolater, hath no inheritance in the reign of the Christ and God. ⁶Let no one deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the anger of God upon the sons of the disobedience, ⁷become not, then, partakers with them, ⁸for ye were once darkness, and now light in the Lord; as children of light walk ye, ⁹for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness, and righteousness, and truth, ¹⁰proving what is well-pleasing to the Lord, ¹¹and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of the darkness and rather even convict, ¹²for the things in secret done by them it is a shame even to speak of, ¹³and all the things reproved by the light are manifested, for everything that is manifested is light; ¹⁴wherefore he saith, ‘Arouse thyself, thou who art sleeping, and arise out of the dead, and the Christ shall shine upon thee.’ ¹⁵See, then, how exactly ye walk, not as unwise, but as wise, ¹⁶redeeming the time, because the days are evil; ¹⁷because of this become not fools, but—understanding what is the will of the Lord, ¹⁸and be not drunk with wine, in which is dissoluteness, but be filled in the Spirit, ¹⁹speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, ²⁰giving thanks always for all things,…