Chapter 1

The Blessings of Redemption

1 Paul, aan apostle of bChrist Jesus 1cby the will of God,

To the 2dsaints who are 3at eEphesus and fwho are faithful in bChrist Jesus:

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

3 aBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in bthe heavenly places in Christ,

4 just as aHe chose us in Him before bthe foundation of the world, that we would be choly and blameless before 1Him. dIn love

5 1He apredestined us to badoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, caccording to the 2kind intention of His will,

6 ato the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in bthe Beloved.

7 aIn 1Him we have bredemption cthrough His blood, the dforgiveness of our trespasses, according to ethe riches of His grace

8 which He 1lavished on 2us. In all wisdom and insight

9 He 1amade known to us the mystery of His will, baccording to His 2kind intention which He cpurposed in Him

10 with a view to an administration 1suitable to athe fullness of the times, that is, bthe summing up of all things in Christ, things 2in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him

11 1also we 2ahave obtained an inheritance, having been bpredestined caccording to His purpose who works all things dafter the counsel of His will,

12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in 1Christ would be ato the praise of His glory.

13 In 1Him, you also, after listening to athe message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also 2believed, you were bsealed in 1Him with cthe Holy Spirit of promise,

14 who is 1agiven as a pledge of bour inheritance, with a view to the credemption of dGod’s own possession, eto the praise of His glory.

15 For this reason I too, ahaving heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and 1your love for ball the 2saints,

16 ado not cease giving thanks for you, bwhile making mention of you in my prayers;

17 that the aGod of our Lord Jesus Christ, bthe Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of cwisdom and of drevelation in the 1knowledge of Him.

18 I pray that athe eyes of your heart 1may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the bhope of His ccalling, what are dthe riches of the glory of eHis inheritance in fthe 2saints,

19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. aThese are in accordance with the working of the bstrength of His might

20 which He brought about in Christ, when He araised Him from the dead and bseated Him at His right hand in cthe heavenly places,

21 far above aall rule and authority and power and dominion, and every bname that is named, not only in cthis age but also in the one to come.

22 And He aput all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as bhead over all things to the church,

23 which is His abody, the bfullness of Him who cfills dall in all.

Chapter 2

Made Alive in Christ

1 And you 1were adead 2in your trespasses and sins,

2 in which you aformerly walked according to the 1course of bthis world, according to cthe prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in dthe sons of disobedience.

3 Among them we too all aformerly lived in bthe lusts of our flesh, 1indulging the desires of the flesh and of the 2mind, and were cby nature dchildren of wrath, eeven as the rest.

4 But God, being arich in mercy, because of bHis great love with which He loved us,

5 even when we were adead 1in our transgressions, made us alive together 2with Christ (bby grace you have been saved),

6 and araised us up with Him, and bseated us with Him in cthe heavenly places in dChrist Jesus,

7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing ariches of His grace in bkindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 For aby grace you have been saved bthrough faith; and 1that not of yourselves, it is cthe gift of God;

9 anot as a result of works, so that bno one may boast.

10 For we are His workmanship, acreated in bChrist Jesus for cgood works, which God dprepared beforehand so that we would ewalk in them.

11 Therefore remember that aformerly byou, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “cUncircumcision” by the so-called “cCircumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands—

12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, 1aexcluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to bthe covenants of promise, having cno hope and dwithout God in the world.

13 But now in aChrist Jesus you who bformerly were cfar off 1have cbeen brought near 2dby the blood of Christ.

14 For He Himself is aour peace, bwho made both groups into one and broke down the 1barrier of the dividing wall,

15 1by aabolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is bthe Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might 2cmake the two into done new man, thus establishing epeace,

16 and might areconcile them both in bone body to God through the cross, 1by it having cput to death the enmity.

17 And aHe came and preached bpeace to you who were cfar away, and peace to those who were cnear;

18 for through Him we both have aour access in bone Spirit to cthe Father.

19 So then you are no longer astrangers and aliens, but you are bfellow citizens with the 1saints, and are of cGod’s household,

20 having been abuilt on bthe foundation of cthe apostles and prophets, dChrist Jesus Himself being the ecorner stone,

21 ain whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into ba holy 1temple in the Lord,

22 in whom you also are being abuilt together into a bdwelling of God in the Spirit.

Chapter 3

Paul’s Stewardship

1 For this reason I, Paul, athe prisoner of bChrist Jesus cfor the sake of you dGentiles—

2 if indeed you have heard of the astewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you;

3 athat bby revelation there was cmade known to me dthe mystery, eas I wrote before in brief.

4 1By referring to this, when you read you can understand amy insight 2into the bmystery of Christ,

5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy aapostles and prophets 1in the Spirit;

6 to be specific, that the Gentiles are afellow heirs and bfellow members of the body, and cfellow partakers of the promise in dChrist Jesus through the gospel,

7 aof which I was made a bminister, according to the gift of cGod’s grace which was given to me daccording to the working of His power.

8 To me, athe very least of all 1saints, this grace was given, to bpreach to the Gentiles the unfathomable criches of Christ,

9 and to 1bring to light what is the administration of the amystery which for ages has been bhidden in God cwho created all things;

10 so that the manifold awisdom of God might now be bmade known through the church to the crulers and the authorities in dthe heavenly places.

11 This was in aaccordance with the 1eternal purpose which He 2carried out in bChrist Jesus our Lord,

12 in whom we have boldness and 1aconfident baccess through faith 2in Him.

13 Therefore I ask 1you not ato lose heart at my tribulations bon your behalf, 2for they are your glory.

14 For this reason I abow my knees before the Father,

15 from whom 1every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,

16 that He would grant you, according to athe riches of His glory, to be bstrengthened with power through His Spirit in cthe inner man,

17 so that aChrist may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being brooted and cgrounded in love,

18 may be able to comprehend with aall the 1saints what is bthe breadth and length and height and depth,

19 and to know athe love of Christ which bsurpasses knowledge, that you may be cfilled up to all the dfullness of God.

20 aNow to Him who is bable to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, caccording to the power that works within us,

21 ato Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations 1forever and ever. Amen.