Chapter One
Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by God’s will, to the saints who are at Ephesus and to the faithful ones in Christ Jesus, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, for us to be holy and blameless before him in love. Having predestined us for adoption to himself by means of Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, in which he has made us objects of grace in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of offences according to the riches of his grace, which he has made abundant to us in all wisdom and intelligence. Having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure, which he decided in himself, in the dispensation of the fulness of times to head up everything in Christ, both the things in the heavens and the things on the earth. In him, in whom also we’ve obtained an inheritance being predestinated according to the purpose of him who works everything according to the counsel of his will, for us to be to his glory’s praise, who have trusted before in Christ. In whom also you having heard the word of the truth - the joyful news of your salvation - in whom also having believed you have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of the promise. Who is the earnest of our inheritance to the redemption of the purchased possession to his glory’s praise!
Because of this I too, having heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and your love which is toward all the saints, do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. So that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in knowledge of him, the eyes of your mind being enlightened so you may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. And what the overriding greatness of his power towards us who believe according to the working of the might of his strength, which he has exercised in Christ having raised him from the dead and set him on his right hand in the heavenlies, above every principality and authority and power and lordship, and every name named not only in this age but also in the coming one. And he has put everything under his feet and made him head over all things in the assembly, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all things in all.
Chapter Two
And you, (being dead in offences and sins in which you once walked according to the fashion of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, - the spirit that even now is working in the sons of disobedience - among whom we all had our behaviour once, in the desires of our flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh and by the thoughts, and were naturally children of wrath just like the rest), God (being rich in mercy), because of his great love with which he has loved us, we also being dead in offences has made alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved) and has raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. So that he might show in the coming ages the overriding riches of his grace in kindness towards us in Christ Jesus.
For you are saved by grace, by means of faith, and this not out of yourselves, it’s God’s gift - not from works so that no one may boast. Because we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before so that we should walk in them.
So then remember that you were once Gentiles in the flesh, who were called uncircumcised by those called circumcision in the flesh performed by hand; that you were at that time without Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now you in Christ Jesus, who were once far off, have become near in the blood of Christ Jesus.
For he is our peace, who has made both one and has broken down the dividing wall, having annulled in his flesh the enmity, the law of commandments in decrees, so that he might create the two in himself into one new man, making peace; and so he might reconcile both in one body to God by means of the cross, having slain the enmity by it, and having come he announced the joyful news: peace to you who were far off - and to those near.
For through him both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners but fellow citizens of the saints and of the household of God, being built up on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the cornerstone, in whom all the building fitted together increases into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you too are being built together as a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Chapter Three
For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ on behalf of you Gentiles, if you have heard of the dispensation of God’s grace, which was given to me for you, that by revelation he made known to me the mystery, even as I wrote before briefly, by which you can, reading, understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit, that the Gentiles should be joint heirs of the same body, and joint partakers of his promise in Christ by means of the joyful news, of which I have become a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me, according to the working of his power.
To me - less than the least of all the saints - this grace was given to announce the joyful news to the Gentiles, the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the fellowship of the mystery which has been hidden throughout the ages in God who has created everything by means of Jesus Christ. So that the great variety of God’s wisdom might be known now to the principalities and authorities in the heavenlies, by means of the assembly, according to the eternal purpose which he has performed through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have boldness and access in confidence by means of his faith.
So then I implore you not to faint at my tribulations on your behalf, which is your glory. Because of this I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom every family in the heavens and on the earth is named, so that he may cause you (according to the riches of his glory) to be strengthened with power, by means of his Spirit, in the inner man, so Christ may dwell through faith in your hearts, being rooted and founded in love, so that you may be fully able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled into all the fullness of God. And to him who is able, beyond everything, to do way and above what we ask or think according to the power working in us, to him be glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus, to all generations for ever and ever, in truth.
Chapter Four
So I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to walk worthily of the vocation with which you’ve been called, with all humility and meekness, with longsuffering, bearing with each other in love, studying to hold the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: one body and one Spirit, even as also you’ve been called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in you all. And to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. So that it says, “Having ascended up on high he has led captivity captive and given gifts to men.” And he ascended: what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the same as he who ascended above all the heavens, so that he might fill everything.
And he gave some apostles and some prophets, and some evangelists and some shepherds and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, as a work of service, for building up the body of Christ, until we may all arrive at the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, as a full-grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. So that we may no longer be infants, tossed around and carried about by every wind of teaching, by sleight of men in craftiness with a view to making a system of error, but holding the truth in love we may grow up in all things into him, who is the head, the Christ, out of whom all the body is fitted together and compacted by means of every joint’s supply according to the measured working of every single part, leading to a growing up of the body to its own building up in love.
So I’m saying this and I testify in the Lord: that you walk no longer as the other Gentiles are walking, in the vanity of their mind, their understanding being darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance which is in them on account of the hardness of their heart, who, having thrown off all feeling, have given themselves up to licentiousness, working all uncleanness in greediness.
But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard him and been taught in him even as the truth is in Jesus; that you should have put off the former conduct according to the old man, which is corrupt according to the lusts of deceit, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and should put on the new man which has been created according to God in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
So then having put off falsehood, speak truth each one with his neighbour because we are members of each other. Be angry and do not sin, don’t let the sun set on your anger, and don’t give place to the devil. The one stealing, let him steal no more, but rather let him labour, working what is good with his hands so that he may have to give to him who has need. Don’t let any corrupt word go out from your mouth, but that which is good for building up those in need, so that it may give grace to those who hear.
And don’t grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by which you’ve been sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and indignation and anger and clamour and evil speaking be removed from you, together with all malice, and be kind to each other, tender hearted, forgiving each other even as also God in Christ has forgiven you.
Chapter Five
So be imitators of God, like beloved children, and walk in love even as also Christ has loved us and given himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a sweet smelling savour.
But fornication and all uncleanness or covetousness - let it not even be named among you as is becoming to saints - and filthiness and foolish talking or joking which are not becoming, but rather thanksgiving. For this you know, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous, who is an idolater, has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for on account of these things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience. So don’t be partakers with them! For once you were darkness but now light in the Lord: walk as children of light (for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth) proving what is well pleasing to the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them, for it’s shameful even to say the things being done by them in secret. But all of them, being reproved, are made evident by the light, for that which makes everything evident is light. So then it says,
“Wake up, sleeping one, and get up from the dead and Christ will shine on you!” Look then how carefully you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time because the days are evil. For this reason don’t be foolish, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And don’t be drunk with wine in which is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to each other in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and praising with your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to him who is God and Father, submitting yourselves to each other in the fear of God.
Wives submit yourselves to your husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is head of the wife as too Christ is head of the assembly, and he is Saviour of the body. But even as the assembly is subjected to Christ so too the wives to their own husbands in everything.
Husbands love your own wives even as also Christ has loved the assembly and given himself up for it, so that he might sanctify it, having cleansed it with the washing of water by the word, so that he might present it to himself, a glorious assembly, not having a spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it might be holy and blameless.
So the husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. The one loving his own wife is loving himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but he nourishes it and cherishes it even as also the Lord the assembly, for we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones.
Because of this a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife and the two will be as one flesh. This is a great mystery but I’m speaking as to Christ and the assembly. However let every one of you love his own wife even as himself, and the wife see that she revere her husband.
Chapter Six
Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. “Honour your father and mother” which is the first commandment with a promise: “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And fathers don’t provoke your children but bring them up in the discipline and admonition of the Lord.
Servants obey your masters, according to the flesh, with fear and trembling in simplicity of heart as to Christ, not with eye-service as pleasers of men, but as servants of Christ, doing God’s will from your soul, with good will serving the Lord and not men, knowing that whatever good each one may have done he’ll receive from the Lord whether servant or free. And masters do the same things to them, abandoning threatening, knowing that your own master too is in heaven and there is no respect of persons with him!
For the rest my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the might of his strength. Put on the armour of God so as to be able to stand against the machinations of the devil, because we’re not wrestling against flesh and blood but against the principalities, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual powers of wickedness in the heavenlies.
Because of this take up the armour of God so that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all, to stand. So then stand, having your loins girded about with truth, and having put on the breast plate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with preparation of the joyful news of peace, above all having taken up the shield of faith with which you’ll be able to quench all the burning arrows of the evil one. Receive also the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is God’s word, by means of all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit and watching to this very thing with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints, and for me so that to me utterance may be given, in the opening of my mouth with all boldness, to make known the mystery of the joyful news, on behalf of which I am an ambassador in chains, so that in them I may be bold as I ought to speak.
And so that you too may know the things about me, what I’m doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you - whom I’ve sent to you for this very thing so that you may know the things about us and he may encourage your hearts.
Peace to the brethren and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all those loving our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Truly.
To the Ephesians, written from Rome by Tychicus.
This translation,
from the Greek Text used for the ‘Authorized’ or ‘King James’ Version
Copyright © David Lawrie 1998
