Poslanica Efežanima 3
Otkrivenje Božjega tajnog plana
1 Ja, Pavao, utamničen sam za Isusa Krista zbog vas pogana.2 Kao što zacijelo znate, Bog mi je dao osobitu službu da vam naviještam njegovu milost.3 Kao što sam već ukratko opisao, Bog mi je objavio svoj tajni naum.4 Čitajući to, shvatit ćete da razumijem Otajstvo - Krista.
5 Bog ga nije objavio prijašnjim naraštajima, ali sada ga je po Svetom Duhu objavio svojim svetim apostolima i prorocima.
6 A tajna je u tome da će pogani, prema evanđelju, skupa sa Židovima biti subaštinicima, udovima istog Tijela i dionicima obećanja u Kristu Isusu.
7 Bog mi je svojom milošću podario da tome evanđelju služim djelotvornošću njegove sile.
8 Pomislite samo! Iako to nisam ničim zaslužio, iako sam najmanji među svim svetima, ipak sam izabran da drugim narodima prenesem Radosnu vijest o neiscrpnom bogatstvu koje imaju u Kristu;
9 da svakome objasnim tajnu da je Bog Spasitelj i drugih naroda, onaj koji je sve stvorio i u tajnosti sve naumio još odavno, od samoga početka.
10 Božja je svrha toga bila da pokaže svim Vrhovništvima i Vlastima na nebesima sve bogatstvo i raznolikost svoje mudrosti, koja će se očitovati u njegovoj Crkvi.
11 Taj je svoj vječni naum ostvario u našemu Gospodinu Kristu Isusu.
12 U njemu možemo s pouzdanjem, kroz vjeru, slobodno pristupiti Bogu.
13 Nemojte zato, molim vas, klonuti zbog nevolja koje zaradi vas podnosim. Ponosite se njima!
Pavlova molitva za duhovnu silu
14 Prigibam zato koljena pred Ocem,15 Stvoriteljem svega što je na nebesima i na zemlji.16 Molim se da vam iz svojega slavnog bogatstva dade da kroz Svetoga Duha ojačate svoje nutarnje biće,17 da Krist prebiva u vašim srcima po vjeri, da budete ukorijenjeni i utemeljeni u ljubavi,18 da možete potpuno razumjeti, kao i sva Božja djeca, duljinu, širinu, dubinu i visinu njegove ljubavi,
19 da spoznate Kristovu ljubav, tako veliku da ju nikada nećete moći potpuno shvatiti. Tada ćete biti ispunjeni Božjom puninom.
20 Neka je slava Bogu! Svojom silom koja djeluje u nama on može učiniti puno više nego što ga mi uopće možemo moliti ili zamisliti.
21 Neka mu je slava u Crkvi i u Kristu Isusu kroz sve naraštaje i u vijeke vjekova!
Ephesians 3
Paul's Relationship to the Divine Mystery
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesuss for the sake of you Gentiles –2 if indeeds you have heard of the stewardshipt of God’s grace that was given to me for you,3 thatt by revelation the divine secrett was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly.ts4 When reading this,t you will be able tot understand my insight into this secrett of Christ.5 Now this secrett was not disclosed to peoplet in formert generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets byt the Spirit,6 namely, that through the gospels the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow memberst of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.7 I became a servant of this gospelt according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me byt the exercise of his power.s8 To me – less than the least of all the saintss – this grace was given,s to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ9 and to enlightent everyone about God’s secret plant – a secret that has been hidden for agest in Godt who has created all things.10 The purpose of this enlightenment is thatt through the church the multifaceted wisdomt of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.11 This was according tot the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord,12 in whom we have boldness and confident accesst to Godt because oft Christ’st faithfulness.ts
13 For this reason I ask yout not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you,t whichs is your glory.t
Prayer for Strengthened Love
14 For this reasons I kneelt before the Father,s15 fromt whom every familyt in heaven and on the earth is named.16 I pray thatt according to the wealth of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love,18 you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,s
19 and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up tot all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who by the power that is working within uss is able to do far beyondt all that we ask or think,
21 to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.