INTRODUCTION
1 Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
To the faithful saints in Jesus Christ who dwell in Ephesus:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
DIVINE DISPENSATION
3 Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly regions. 4 He has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world. He has enabled us in his love to become holy and blameless before him. 5 He has foreordained us in his gracious pleasure to become his adopted sons through Jesus Christ.
REDEMPTION
6 He has bestowed upon us his glorious grace through his beloved Son. 7 He has enabled us to obtain redemption and remission of sins through Christ, through his blood, and through the wealth of his grace, 8 which he showered upon us in all wisdom and insight. 9 He has revealed to us in his gracious pleasure the secret purpose of his design.
10 When the predestined time had come, he summed up in Christ everything in heaven and on earth. 11 It was our lot to be called to his service, as we were foreordained by the will of God. For he governs the universe in fulfillment of his design, 12 and wins praise for his glory through us, the first to believe in Christ. 13 You have heard the message of his true doctrine, the Gospel of our salvation. You have believed in him. You have been sealed with the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance. He will help us to acquire possession of it for his praise and glory.
15 For this reason, having heard of your faith in Jesus Christ and your love for all the saints, 16 I never cease to offer thanks on your behalf and remember you in my prayers. 17 May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a spirit of wisdom, revelation, and divine knowledge.
18 May he enlighten the eyes of your mind and make you realize how great is the hope of his vocation, how rich is the glorious inheritance of his saints, 19 and how immeasurable is his power in us who believe in him. He has showed us his great might, 20 when he raised Christ from the dead, and made him sit at his right hand in heaven, 21 far above all principalities, authorities, realms, and dominions, above every name that is known, not only in the present world, but also in the world to come.
22 He has put all the universe under his rule, and made him the head of the Church, 23 which is his body, and represents the fulness of him who fills everything everywhere.
LIFE IN CHRIST
1 You were formerly dead through your trespasses and your sins. 2 For once you lived according to the demon who is supposed to reign in the air, and according to the evil spirit, which is now worshiped by the sons of insubordination. 3 Once we all were associated with them in the passions of our flesh. We were obeying the orders of our bodies and our imaginations. We were by birth children of wrath like the rest. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of his excessive love for us, 5 even when we were dead in sins, gave us life through Christ and saved us through his grace. 6 He raised us from the dead with Jesus Christ and made us sit with him in heaven.
7 Thus he showed to the coming ages the immeasurable wealth of his grace and kindness toward us in Jesus Christ. 8 You have been saved by grace through faith. It was not the result of your actions, it was a gift from God. 9 It was not achieved by anyone. So no one can boast of it. 10 We are his work, created in Jesus, and pledged to good actions, which we should perform as he has foreordained.
UNION OF JEW AND GENTILE
11 Now remember that you were formerly Gentiles in the flesh, called the uncircumcized by those who had received circumcision by human hands. 12 At that time you were separated from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and deprived of the covenant promise. You had no hope and no God.
13 But now, in the name of Jesus Christ, you who were far off have been brought near to us within the fold through the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace. He unified the two groups by demolishing the barrier that kept us apart. 15 He put an end to the feud between us in his flesh. He abolished the Law with its observances and regulations. He created out of the two groups a new man, united with himself. He made peace between the two groups.
16 He reconciled them both to God in one body through the Cross. He brought to an end the hostility between them in his own flesh. 17 He came and proclaimed his Gospel of peace to you who were far off and to those who were near. 18 Now, united in the same Spirit, we both have access to the Father.
19 You are no longer foreigners and immigrants. Now you are fellow-citizens of the saints and members of the divine family. 20 You have been built on the foundations laid by the Apostles and the Prophets, with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone. 21 In him the entire building is bound together and rises upwards as a holy temple dedicated to the Lord. 22 Along with him you are built up as a dwelling-place of God in the Holy Spirit.
PAUL’S INITIATION
1 For this reason, I, Paul, am the servant of Jesus Christ on behalf of you Gentiles. 2 Surely you have heard how God has foreordained to bestow his grace upon me. 3 In a revelation he disclosed to me his mystery which I have briefly described in my writings. 4 When you read these documents, you will understand my insight into the mysteries of Christ.
5 This mystery was not manifested in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Holy Spirit to his holy Apostles and Prophets. 6 This mystery means that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members, and fellow partakers of the promise made in the name of Jesus Christ through the Gospel.
PAUL’S MISSION
7 I was appointed a missionary of this Gospel through the gift of divine grace, which was given to me and which is operating in me through the power of God.
8 Though I am the very least of the saints, this grace was given to me to preach to the Gentiles the inexhaustible wealth of Christ and to enlighten all men. 9 Thus they will be enabled to see the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created the universe through Jesus Christ. 10 The many-sided wisdom of God now will be known through the Church to the authorities and powers in heaven.
11 Such was the eternal purpose which God carried out in our Lord Jesus Christ. 12 Through him and our faith in him, we are emboldened to approach God in confidence. 13 Therefore I beseech you not to be depressed at my worrying over you. On the contrary, you should be proud of it.
PRAYER
14 For these requests I kneel before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 the Father of all the Angels in heaven and of all men on earth. 16 May he strengthen your souls with the wealth of his glory through the Holy Spirit. 17 May Christ find a dwelling-place in your hearts through faith. May your lives be rooted in love and founded on love.
18 May you and all the saints be enabled to understand and measure in all its breadth, length, depth, and height, 19 the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge. May you become divinely perfect.
20 Glory be to him, who by the power operating within us can do far more than all we ask or imagine. 21 Glory to him through the Church and through Jesus Christ in all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
UNITY
1 As a servant of the Lord, I appeal to you to lead lives worthy of the vocation you have received, 2 with perfect humility, meekness, and patience. Forbear one another in charity. 3 Endeavor to preserve the unity of the Holy Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 You must be one body with a single Spirit, because you have received the same vocation with one hope, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, above all, through all, and in all of you.
GIFTS
7 Nevertheless, each one of us has received his own special grace as a generous gift from Christ. 8 Therefore the Scripture says: “He ascended into heaven, he led a host of captives, he gave gifts to mankind.”
9 Now, if he ascended into heaven, that means that he had previously descended into the lower regions of the earth. 10 For Christ first descended, then ascended above all the heavens, and filled the entire universe.
11 He gave us some men as Apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors, some as teachers. 12 It is their duty to train the saints, to minister to their needs, to build up the Church of Christ, 13 and to enable us to achieve the unity of the faith and knowledge of the Son of God. So we shall reach full growth, the maturity and the perfection of Christ.
CHRISTIAN LIFE
14 We must no longer be children, tossed by the waves and carried about with every wind of doctrine through the trickery of men and their ingenuity in fabricating deception.
15 We must follow the true religion. We must practice charity. We must grow up in everything under Christ who is our leader. 16 The whole body depends on him. It is organized and unified at every joint with the source which supplies it. Thus each limb receives the energy it needs, promotes the growth of the body, and builds itself up through charity.
17 Therefore this is my message and my appeal to you: Do not live as the pagans do in accordance with their frivolous imagination 18 and their darkened understanding. They are estranged from the life of God because of their ignorance and their obstinacy. 19 They have become callous and abandoned themselves to licentiousness. They are greedily practicing every kind of vice.
20 But you know that this is not the Christian way of life. 21 You have heard the Gospel of Christ, and you have been instructed in his true religion.
22 Therefore put off your old nature, which belongs to your former way of life, and which leads to ruin through deceptive passions. 23 Adopt a new attitude of mind. 24 Put on a new nature, which has been created in the image of God, in righteousness, holiness, and truth. 25 Cast away falsehood and always tell the truth to your neighbors. For we are members of the same body.
26 Do not let anger lead you to sin. Get rid of anger before the sun sets. 27 Give no opportunity to the devil.
28 The man who was a thief must not steal any more. On the contrary, he must labor and toil with his own hands, so as to be able to share his blessings with those who are in need.
29 No base talk must ever cross your lips. Speak only words good for edification and fit for the occasion which will bring grace to those who are listening.
30 Do not offend the Holy Spirit of God. For you must bear his seal until the day of your redemption comes. 31 Cast away from you all bitterness, wrath, anger, strife, blasphemy, and malice. 32 Be kind, merciful, and gracious to one another, as God in Christ has been gracious to you.
THE COMMANDMENTS
1 Obey the commandments of God as his beloved children. 2 Love one another, as Christ loved us when he gave himself up on our behalf and offered himself as a fragrant sacrifice to God.
3 Remember that among saints like you it is not fitting even to mention fornication, impurity of any kind, and covetousness. 4 You must spend all your time in thanksgiving to God, not in obscene, frivolous, flippant, and unbecoming subjects of conversation. 5 You well know that immoral, impure, and covetous men, who are as bad as idolaters, will never inherit the Kingdom of God.
6 Let no one deceive you about them with empty arguments, for the wrath of God is aroused by those who disobey him and practice these vices. 7 Therefore do not associate with them. 8 You belonged to the darkness of paganism in the past. But now you belong to the light of God. Therefore live like children of light. 9 For the light of the Holy Spirit leads to perfect goodness, righteousness, and truth. 10 Try always to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.
PAGAN ORGIES
11 Do not take part in the orgies of benighted paganism. On the contrary, denounce them publicly. 12 True, it is shameful even to mention their secret practices. 13 But when you denounce them publicly, you expose them under the light. When you expose them, you reveal them in their true light. 14 For the Scripture says: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”
15 Therefore be careful in your conduct, and do not live unwisely, but wisely. 16 Make the most of your opportunity. For these are evil days. 17 So do not behave foolishly, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord.
18 Do not get an artificial stimulation from wine, as the pagans do. For that will lead you to drunkenness. 19 But get all your inspiration from the Holy Spirit, and express your religious enthusiasm in antiphonal psalms, hymns, and spiritual anthems, singing and praising the Lord with all your hearts.
HOLY MATRIMONY
20 Always give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 and subordinate yourselves to one another piously.
22 Wives, obey your husbands, as you obey the Lord. 23 The husband is the head of the wife, as Christ is the head of the Church, which is his body and of which he is the Savior. 24 Therefore, as the Church obeys Christ, likewise wives must always obey their husbands.
25 Husbands, love your wives even as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up on her behalf. 26 Thus he consecrated her. He purified her in the laver of Baptism through the Gospel. 27 He won her for himself as a glorious, flawless, unblemished, perfect, and immaculate Church.
28 Husbands must love their wives, as if they were their own bodies. A husband who loves his wife is really loving himself. 29 No one hates his own flesh. On the contrary, he feeds it and takes care of it, as Christ is doing for the Church.
30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For this reason, a man must leave his own father and mother, he must attach himself to his wife, and the two must become one flesh.
32 This is a great Sacrament. And I am making this statement in the name of Christ and in the name of the Church. 33 Therefore each one of you must love his wife as he loves himself. And the wife must respect her husband.
OBEDIENCE
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord. It is your duty. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is a principal commandment with a promise attached to it: 3 “Then it will be well with you, and you will live long on the earth.”
4 Fathers, do not exasperate your children, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
5 Slaves, obey your secular masters with respect, reverence, and sincerity as Christ himself. 6 Do not render them mere external service, as though you had only men to please, but as servants of Christ who carry out the will of God. 7 Perform your duties heartily and cheerfully, as if they were for the Lord himself and not for men. 8 You know well that each one of us, slave or free, will be rewarded by the Lord for every good act.
9 Masters, you must also treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them. You know that God in heaven is their master as well as yours, and he makes no distinction between man and man.
DIVINE ARMOR
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord with all the power of his might. 11 Put on the complete armor of God. Then you will be able to make a stand against the stratagems of the devil. 12 Our struggle is not against a human enemy, but against the satanic principalities and dominions, against the rulers of universal darkness in the lower world, and against all the spirits of wickedness in the upper world.
13 Therefore take up the complete armor of God. So when the evil days come, you will be able to make a stand and hold your ground after the battle is over. 14 Stand fast. Gird your waist with the belt of truth. Put on your chest the breastplate of righteousness. 15 And have your feet shod with the readiness to proclaim the Gospel of peace.
16 Above all, carry the shield of faith. Then you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked fiend. 17 Put on the helmet of salvation, and take up the sword of the Holy Spirit, namely the divine Gospel.
CONTINUAL PRAYER
18 Pray at all times in the Spirit, with every kind of petition and supplication. Keep awake to that end with all perseverance. Pray for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that I may be enabled to speak as boldly as I ought and proclaim the mystery of the Gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains.
CONCLUSION
21 I presume that you want to know how I am and what I am doing. Our dear brother Tychicus, a faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you all about it. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, to give you that information and to cheer you up.
23 May God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ bestow upon our brethren peace, love, and faith. 24 Grace be with all those who feel an unfailing love for our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.