Ephesians 1
Greeting
1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will.
To the holy and faithful people in Christ Jesus in Ephesus.t
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.
The believers’ blessings
3 Bless the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing that comes from heaven.4 God chose us in Christ to be holy and blameless in God’s presence before the creation of the world.5 God destined us to be his adopted children through Jesus Christ because of his love. This was according to his goodwill and plan6 and to honor his glorious grace that he has given to us freely through the Son whom he loves.7 We have been ransomed through his Son’s blood, and we have forgiveness for our failures based on his overflowing grace,8 which he poured over us with wisdom and understanding.9 God revealed his hidden designt to us, which is according to his goodwill and the plan that he intended to accomplish through his Son.10 This is what God planned for the climax of all times:t to bring all things together in Christ, the things in heaven along with the things on earth.11 We have also received an inheritance in Christ. We were destined by the plan of God, who accomplishes everything according to his design.12 We are called to be an honor to God’s glory because we were the first to hope in Christ.13 You too heard the word of truth in Christ, which is the good news of your salvation. You were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit because you believed in Christ.
14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment on our inheritance, which is applied toward our redemption as God’s own people, resulting in the honor of God’s glory.
Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians
15 Since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, this is the reason that16 I don’t stop giving thanks to God for you when I remember you in my prayers.17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, will give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation that makes God known to you.18 I pray that the eyes of your heart will have enough light to see what is the hope of God’s call, what is the richness of God’s glorious inheritance among believers,19 and what is the overwhelming greatness of God’s power that is working among us believers. This power is conferred by the energy of God’s powerful strength.20 God’s power was at work in Christ when God raised him from the dead and sat him at God’s right side in the heavens,21 far above every ruler and authority and power and angelic power, any power that might be named not only now but in the future.22 God put everything under Christ’s feet and made him head of everything in the church,
23 which is his body. His body, the church, is the fullness of Christ, who fills everything in every way.
Ephesians 1
Salutation
1 From Paul,t an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus],ss the faithfult in Christ Jesus.
2 Grace and peace to yout from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Blesseds ist the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessedt us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.4 Fort he chose us in Christt before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemisheds in his sightt in love.t5 He did this by predestiningts us to adoption as hist sonsts through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasuret of his will –6 to the praise of the glory of his gracet that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son.tss7 In himt we have redemption through his blood,s the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace8 that he lavished on us in all wisdom and insight.9 He did this when he revealedt to us the secrett of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set fortht in Christ,ts10 toward the administration of the fullness of the times, to head upt all things in Christ – the things in heavent and the things on earth.s11 In Christt we too have been claimed as God’s own possession,ts since we were predestined according to the one purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to the counsel of his will12 so that we, who were the first to set our hopet on Christ,t would be to the praise of his glory.13 And whent you heard the word of truth (the gospel of your salvation) – when you believed in Christt – you were marked with the sealt of the promised Holy Spirit,t
14 who is the down paymentts of our inheritance, until the redemption of God’s own possession,t to the praise of his glory.
Prayer for Wisdom and Revelation
15 For this reason,s because It have heardt of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your loves for all the saints,16 I do not cease to give thanks for you when I remember yout in my prayers.17 I pray thatt the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,t may give you spiritual wisdom and revelationt in your growing knowledge of him,tsss18 – since the eyes of yourst heart have been enlightenedt – so that you may know what is the hope of his calling,tssss what is the wealth of his glorioust inheritance in the saints,19 and what is the incomparablet greatness of his power towardt us who believe, as displayed int the exercise of his immense strength.ts20 This powert he exercisedt in Christ when he raised himt from the dead and seated hims at his right hand in the heavenly realmss21 far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.22 And Godtputtall things under Christ’stfeet,s and he gave him to the church as head over all things.t
23 Now the church ist his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.ts