Ephesians 1

 ¹I am Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ. It was God's wish for me to be his messenger. I send greetings to God's people in the city of Ephesus, to those who believe in Christ Jesus.

 ²May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ in their kindness give you peace.

 ³Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He has blessed us in Christ with every blessing which is in heaven, such as the Spirit gives us.

 ⁴Before the world was made, God chose us in Christ. He chose us that we should be holy and good before him.

 ⁵Because he loved us, he planned that we should be his own children. It is through Jesus Christ that we are God's children. That is the way God wanted it to be.

 ⁶Praise him! His kindness is great and wonderful. We have been accepted by God through Jesus Christ, whom he loves so much.

 ⁷Jesus Christ has given his blood [died] to make us free. He has forgiven us for our wrong ways. We have been put right with God freely because of his great kindness.

 ⁸He has given us blessing after blessing in his wisdom and understanding.

 ⁹He has shown us the plan he had. This plan was what he wanted to do through Christ.

 ¹⁰When the right time came, God planned to bring together everything in heaven and on earth, and make Christ head of them all.

 ¹¹In and through Christ we will have a share in all that belongs to him. Long ago God chose us for this. And he makes things happen that he wants to do.

 ¹²We believed in Christ first, so we will praise him because he is so great and wonderful.

 ¹³You also believed in Christ when you heard the true message. That message is the good news by which you were saved. You received the Holy Spirit whom God had promised. You were marked as belonging to him.

 ¹⁴The Holy Spirit is the first part of what we are to receive from God. This proves that we will get all God has promised. Some day we shall have them all. Praise God! He is very great and wonderful. 15,

 ¹⁵Here is why I always thank God for you. I have heard that you believe in the Lord Jesus and love all of God's people. I think of you when I talk to God.

 ¹⁶He is the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father who is very great and wonderful. I ask him to give you a mind that is wise and will understand about him.

 ¹⁷I ask him that you may understand these things in your hearts. I ask him that you may know what a great hope you have because God has called you. I ask him that you may know the rich and great blessings God has promised to his people.

 ¹⁸I ask him that you may know the wonderful power he has to do things for us who believe in Christ. His power is very strong.

 ¹⁹God used that power when he raised Christ from death and had him sit at his right side in heaven.

 ²⁰He is greater than any ruler, power, chief, or king. His name is greater than any other name, not only in this world, but in the world that will come.

 ²¹And God has put all things under Christ. He has made him the head of the church people in all matters.

 ²²The church [all the people who believe in Jesus Christ] is his body. The church people have everything that Christ has. He is the One who is in everything everywhere.

Ephesians 2

 ¹There was a time when you were dead. That was because of the bad and the wrong things you did.

 ²At one time you did those wrong things, just like the people around you. You obeyed the ruler who has the power over things in the air. That ruler is the spirit who is working now in the people who do not obey God.

 ³At one time we too all lived like them. We lived to please ourselves. We did what our bodies and our minds wanted us to do. We were people with whom God was angry, just like other people.

 ⁴But God was very, very kind. He loved us very, very much.

 ⁵We were dead because of the wrong things we had done. He has made us alive with Christ. You have been saved by his love and kindness.

 ⁶God raised us from death with Christ Jesus and gave us a place to sit with him in heaven.

 ⁷He did this to show us in all times to come how much he can bless people and how kind he is. It was Jesus Christ who brought this kindness to us.

 ⁸You have been saved by God's love and kindness because you believed. It was not because of anything you did, but it was a gift from God.

 ⁹You were not saved by trying to do what the law says. So no one can be proud about it.

 ¹⁰God has made us. In Jesus Christ God made us so that we can do good things. He planned that we should live that way.

 ¹¹So remember that you were not born Jews. (They call you `The Uncircumcised').

 ¹²Remember you did not know Christ at that time. You were far away from the people of Israel. You had no part in the agreements which God promised to them. You had no hope and you were without God in this world.

 ¹³At one time you were far away, but now you have been brought near to God by the blood [death] of Jesus Christ.

 ¹⁴Christ has made peace between us. He has brought both Jews and non-Jews together into one people. He has broken down the wall that divided us.

 ¹⁵In his own body Christ made an end of the law and its rules. He did this so that in him two peoples could become one. In this way, he made peace between us.

 ¹⁶He did this so that by the cross he might bring both kinds of people back to God in one body. And by the cross he has stopped our hating each other.

 ¹⁷He came and said that there is now peace. There is peace for you who were far away from God and for those who were near.

 ¹⁸Because of what Christ has done, we can come to the Father by one Spirit.

 ¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers or people far away. But you live with God's people and belong to God's family.

 ²⁰God's family is like a house and you are part of the building. The apostles and prophets are like the lower walls of the house and you are the building on this foundation. Jesus Christ is the big stone at the corner.

 ²¹He is the one who holds the whole house together, and it becomes a holy house belonging to the Lord.

 ²²You too are a part of this house. God himself lives in this house by his Spirit.

Ephesians 3

 ¹That is why I, Paul, am a prisoner who belongs to Jesus Christ. It is for the sake of you people who are not Jews.

 ²I am sure you have heard that God gave me work to do for you.

 ³He showed me what his plan was. And I have already written a little about it to you.

 ⁴When you read this, you can understand why I know about his plan for Christ.

 ⁵In the past, God did not tell his plan to people. But now the Holy Spirit has shown it to his holy apostles and prophets.

 ⁶This is God's plan. Those who are not Jews will also share in the blessings of God. They also are a part of the body of Jesus Christ. They also will receive the things God has promised in Jesus Christ through the good news.

 ⁷God gave me the work of telling that good news. And he blessed me by his power.

 ⁸I am less than the least of all God's people, and yet he blessed me. It is my work to tell those who are not Jews about the wonderful blessings of Christ. There are so many that we cannot know them all.

 ⁹God has blessed me so that I might tell all people plainly what his plan is. God, who made all things, did not tell anyone about his plan in all the times in the past.

 ¹⁰Now he wants those who rule and have power in the sky to know how very wise God is. They will know this when they look at the church people.

 ¹¹This is what God has always planned to do. And he did it in Jesus Christ our Lord.

 ¹²In Christ we are not to be afraid to come to God. We are sure we can come because we believe in Christ.

 ¹³So I ask you not to be sad when you think of the troubles I have for your sake. You should be proud about it.

 ¹⁴That is why I kneel down before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 ¹⁵From him every family in heaven or on earth gets its name.

 ¹⁶I ask him to make you very strong in heart by his Spirit. He has great and wonderful blessings and is able to do so because of the fullness of his glory.

 ¹⁷And I ask that Christ may live in your hearts because you believe in him. I ask that you may live and grow in love.

 ¹⁸I ask that God will give you power to know how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ is. All Christians should know that.

 ¹⁹I ask God that you may know the love of Christ which is more than we can ever know. I ask that you may be filled with everything that God has.

 ²⁰God can do much more than we ask him to do, or we even think of. He does it by his power which is working in us.

 ²¹So, praise him in the church meeting in Christ Jesus. Praise him for ever and ever! May it be so!

Ephesians 4

 ¹I am a prisoner who belongs to the Lord. I beg you, live the way people should live who have been called by God.

 ²Do not be proud at all. Be very humble. Love one another and be patient with each other.

 ³The Spirit has made you all one. Try to stay like that. May you be at peace with one another.

 ⁴There is one body of Christ and one Spirit. When God called you, there was one hope before you in your calling.

 ⁵There is one Lord, one way to believe, and one baptism.

 ⁶There is one God and Father of us all. He is over all. He works through all. And he is living in us all.

 ⁷But each one of us has received a blessing, whatever amount Christ has given to each one.

 ⁸So then, the holy writings say, `When Christ went up to heaven he took those he had won with him. And he gave gifts to men.'

 ⁹Now, what does `he went up' mean? Does it not mean that he also came down to the earth below?

 ¹⁰The one who came down is the same one who went up higher than all the heavens. He did this so that he would be everywhere.

 ¹¹The gifts he gave are these: some are to be apostles; some prophets; some evangelists; some pastors and teachers.

 ¹²These gifts are to make God's people better able to do their work for him and to make the body of Christ become stronger.

 ¹³The gifts are given so that we will all believe the one way and all know the Son of God. They are given so that we will be really grown-up Christians, like Christ himself.

 ¹⁴The body of Christ must grow so that we will no longer be like children. We are like children when we are pushed this way and that way. We change our minds every time people bring a different teaching. Some teachers teach the lies of men and fool people so that they believe wrong things.

 ¹⁵We must say what is true and say it with love. In that way we will grow up in all things to be like Christ, who is the head of this body.

 ¹⁶The whole body is joined and held together by every joint that it has. It is from Christ that the whole body grows as each different part does its work. It grows so that it becomes stronger in love.

 ¹⁷Here then is what the Lord has told me to say. You must not live like the people who do not believe in God. They do not think clearly.

 ¹⁸Their minds are dark. They are far away from God's life because they do not know the truth. They have no love in their hearts.

 ¹⁹Nothing makes them ashamed anymore. They live a very bad life. They do every kind of wrong thing. And they always want to do it more.

 ²⁰That is not what you have learned from Christ!

 ²¹You were taught by him, and Jesus has the truth!

 ²²Stop being the person you used to be in your old life. That person was bad because he wanted to do wrong things.

 ²³Have a new mind and heart.

 ²⁴Be a new person. That new person has been made like God. He does what is right and holy because he knows the truth.

 ²⁵So stop telling lies. Tell the truth to each other. We all are parts of the same body.

 ²⁶When you are angry, do not do anything wrong. And do not stay angry after the sun goes down.

 ²⁷Do not let the devil control you.

 ²⁸The person who used to steal must not steal now. But he must do some good work with his own hands. Then he will have something to give to the poor people.

 ²⁹Do not let any bad words come out of your mouth. But say good things that will help people. Then those who hear you will also be blessed by what you say.

 ³⁰Do nothing that makes the Holy Spirit feel sad. He is the mark God has put on you until the day you will belong to God altogether.

 ³¹You must stop all hate, big and small anger, loud talk, saying wrong things about people, and all wanting to do wrong things to people.

 ³²Be kind to one another. Have a loving and understanding heart. Forgive one another because God has forgiven you for Christ's sake.

Ephesians 5

 ¹So try to be like God, because you are his own dear children.

 ²Love others as Christ has loved us. He gave his life for us, a sweet smelling offering and a sacrifice to God.

 ³As God's people, you should not even talk about wrong living, any kind of wrong sex or wanting things you cannot have.

 ⁴There should be no dirty talk, no foolish talk, no funny stories with a wrong meaning. This is not a good way to talk. But what you should do is thank God.

 ⁵You know this. There are people who use sex wrongly, and who are always wanting what others have. No such a person has any place in the kingdom of Christ and of God. He is worshipping an idol.

 ⁶Do not let anyone fool you by their empty talk. It is because people do these wrong things that God is very angry. He is angry with the people who do not obey him.

 ⁷So then, have nothing to do with them.

 ⁸You were in the dark before, but now the Lord has given you light. Live like people who have the light.

 ⁹People who have the light do all that is good and right and true.

 ¹⁰Learn what pleases the Lord.

 ¹¹Have no part in the empty things people do in the dark. Show them that they are wrong.

 ¹²It is a shame even to talk about the things they do in secret.

 ¹³But when the light shines on something, it can be seen. Anything that shows up wrong ways is light.

 ¹⁴So it is said, `Wake up, you who are asleep! Rise from death. And Christ will give you light.'

 ¹⁵Take care how you live. Do not live like people who are not wise, but live like people who are wise.

 ¹⁶Make good use of time because people live in very wrong ways these days.

 ¹⁷So then, be wise and understand what the Lord wants.

 ¹⁸Do not get drunk with wine. That is living in a wrong way. But be filled with the Spirit.

 ¹⁹Speak to one another by the songs in the holy writings, and songs of praise, and Christian songs. Sing and make a joyful noise in your hearts to the Lord.

 ²⁰Always thank God the Father for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 ²¹Give way to each other because you respect Christ.

 ²²Wives, obey your husbands as you obey the Lord.

 ²³The husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the church people. The church is his body and he saved it.

 ²⁴Wives should obey their husbands in everything, just as the church people obey Christ.

 ²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church people. He gave his life for the church.

 ²⁶He did that so that he might make the church people holy, when they were washed with water by God's word.

 ²⁷He gave his life for the church so that one day he can look at the church and see that the people are great and wonderful. The people of the church must have no dirty spot or wrinkle or any thing like that. But they are to be holy and good.

 ²⁸So husbands should love their wives as they love their own bodies. The man who loves his wife loves himself.

 ²⁹No one ever hated his own body. But he feeds it and takes care of it.

 ³⁰In the same way Christ takes care of the church because we are parts of his body.

 ³¹The holy writings say `For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother. He shall be joined to his wife, and the two of them shall be like one person.'

 ³²This is a wonderful plan of God. I am speaking here of the plan about Christ and the church people.

 ³³However, each one of you should love his wife as he loves himself. And the wife should respect her husband.

Ephesians 6

 ¹Children, obey your parents as the Lord wants you to. This is the right thing to do. 2,

 ²`Respect your father and mother.' This is the first law of God with a promise: `So that all will be well with you, and that you may live long on earth.'

 ³Fathers, do not make your children angry. But teach them the things children need to know, and tell them what they must not do. Teach them what Christ would teach them.

 ⁴Servants, obey your boss. Respect him with all your heart and try to please him as you would Christ.

 ⁵Obey not only when he is looking at you, as if you were pleasing a man. But obey as the servants of Christ, and do with all your heart what God wants you to do.

 ⁶Work gladly as if you were working for the Lord and not for men.

 ⁷You know that the Lord will pay every man for the good things he does. It does not matter if he is a servant or a free man.

 ⁸And you who are bosses, be good to your servants also. Do not talk loud, hard words to them. Remember that both their Lord and yours is in heaven. He does not love one person more than another.

 ⁹Last of all, I say this. Be strong in the Lord and use the strength he gives.

 ¹⁰Use everything that God has given you so that you can fight against the tricks of the devil.

 ¹¹We are not fighting against people of flesh and blood. But we are fighting against rulers and powers whom we cannot see. We are fighting against those who control the darkness of this world, and against bad spirits who have power in the air.

 ¹²So use everything that God has given you, that you can fight when the bad time comes. You will need to do everything you can do to stand!

 ¹³So then, stand and hold on tight to the truth like you put on a belt. Do what is right. Wear it as a cover for your body.

 ¹⁴You have the good news of peace. Wear that like shoes on your feet.

 ¹⁵You believe in God. Take that and cover all of yourself with it. With that you can stop all the poison arrows of the devil.

 ¹⁶You have been saved. Wear your salvation like you wear something on your head to protect yourself. And take with you the big knife or sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

 ¹⁷Always talk to God in the Spirit. Talk to him about everything and ask him for what you need. Put your mind on what you are saying, asking God to help all his people.

 ¹⁸And also, ask God to help me to talk without fear and tell people God's plan about the good news.

 ¹⁹I am in prison with chains on because I speak the good news about Jesus Christ. Ask God to help me to tell the good news without fear as I should tell it.

 ²⁰Tychicus will tell you all about me and what I am doing. He is a brother whom I love and a very good helper in the Lord's work.

 ²¹I am sending him to you so that you will know about us, and so that he may comfort your hearts.

 ²²May God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, give our brothers peace and love with faith.

 ²³May the kindness of God bless all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.