Ephesians 6

New American Standard Bible

Children and Parents

6 ^(A)Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ²^(B)Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), ³so that it may turn out well for you, and that you may live long on the earth.

⁴^(C)Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but ^(D)bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Slaves and Masters

⁵^(E)Slaves, be obedient to those who are your ^[a]masters according to the flesh, with ^(F)fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, ^(G)as to Christ; ⁶^(H)not ^[b]by way of ^[c]eye-service, as ^(I)people-pleasers, but as ^(J)slaves of Christ, ^(K)doing the will of God from the ^[d]heart. ⁷With goodwill ^[e]render service, ^(L)as to the Lord, and not to people, ⁸^(M)knowing that ^(N)whatever good thing each one does, he will receive this back from the Lord, ^(O)whether slave or free.

⁹And masters, do the same things to them, and ^(P)give up threatening, knowing that ^(Q)both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is ^(R)no partiality with Him.

The Armor of God

¹⁰Finally, ^(S)be strong in the Lord and in ^(T)the strength of His might. ¹¹^(U)Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the ^(V)schemes of the devil. ¹²For our ^(W)struggle is not against ^[f]^(X)flesh and blood, but ^(Y)against the rulers, against the powers, against the ^(Z)world forces of this ^(AA)darkness, against the ^(AB)spiritual forces of wickedness in ^(AC)the heavenly places. ¹³Therefore, take up ^(AD)the full armor of God, so that you will be able to ^(AE)resist on ^(AF)the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. ¹⁴Stand firm therefore, ^(AG)having belted your waist with truth, and having ^(AH)put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵and having ^(AI)strapped on your feet the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶^[g]in addition to all, taking up the ^(AJ)shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the ^(AK)flaming arrows of ^(AL)the evil one. ¹⁷And take ^(AM)the helmet of salvation and the ^(AN)sword of the Spirit, which is ^(AO)the word of God.

¹⁸^[h]With every ^(AP)prayer and request, ^[i]^(AQ)pray at all times ^(AR)in the Spirit, and with this in view, ^[j]^(AS)be alert with all ^(AT)perseverance and every ^(AU)request for all the ^[k]saints, ¹⁹and ^(AV)pray in my behalf, that speech may be given to me ^(AW)in the opening of my mouth, to make known with ^(AX)boldness ^(AY)the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰for which I am an ^(AZ)ambassador ^(BA)in ^[l]chains; that ^[m]in proclaiming it I may speak ^(BB)boldly, ^(BC)as I ought to speak.

²¹^(BD)Now, so that you also may know about my circumstances as to ^[n]what I am doing, ^(BE)Tychicus, ^(BF)the beloved brother and faithful ^[o]servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you. ²²^[p]^(BG)I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know ^[q]about us, and that he may ^(BH)comfort your hearts.

²³^(BI)Peace be to the brothers and sisters, and ^(BJ)love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ ^[r]with incorruptible love.

Footnotes

Ephesians 6:5 I.e., earthly masters, as in first-century Roman culture
Ephesians 6:6 Lit according to
Ephesians 6:6 I.e., only when the master is watching
Ephesians 6:6 Lit soul
Ephesians 6:7 Lit rendering
Ephesians 6:12 Lit blood and flesh
Ephesians 6:16 Lit in all
Ephesians 6:18 Lit Through
Ephesians 6:18 Lit praying
Ephesians 6:18 Lit being
Ephesians 6:18 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
Ephesians 6:20 Lit a chain
Ephesians 6:20 Two early mss I may speak it boldly
Ephesians 6:21 Or how
Ephesians 6:21 Or minister
Ephesians 6:22 Lit Whom I have sent to you
Ephesians 6:22 Lit the things about us
Ephesians 6:24 Lit in incorruption

Ephesians 6

The Message

6 ^1-3Children, do what your parents tell you. This is only right. “Honor your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise attached to it, namely, “so you will live well and have a long life.”

⁴Fathers, don’t frustrate your children with no-win scenarios. Take them by the hand and lead them in the way of the Master.

^5-8Servants, respectfully obey your earthly masters but always with an eye to obeying the real master, Christ. Don’t just do what you have to do to get by, but work heartily, as Christ’s servants doing what God wants you to do. And work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God. Good work will get you good pay from the Master, regardless of whether you are slave or free.

⁹Masters, it’s the same with you. No abuse, please, and no threats. You and your servants are both under the same Master in heaven. He makes no distinction between you and them.

A Fight to the Finish

^10-12And that about wraps it up. God is strong, and he wants you strong. So take everything the Master has set out for you, well-made weapons of the best materials. And put them to use so you will be able to stand up to everything the Devil throws your way. This is no weekend war that we’ll walk away from and forget about in a couple of hours. This is for keeps, a life-or-death fight to the finish against the Devil and all his angels.

^13-18Be prepared. You’re up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it’s all over but the shouting you’ll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You’ll need them throughout your life. God’s Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out.

^19-20And don’t forget to pray for me. Pray that I’ll know what to say and have the courage to say it at the right time, telling the mystery to one and all, the Message that I, jailbird preacher that I am, am responsible for getting out.

^21-22Tychicus, my good friend here, will tell you what I’m doing and how things are going with me. He is certainly a dependable servant of the Master! I’ve sent him not only to tell you about us but to cheer you on in your faith.

^23-24Good-bye, friends. Love mixed with faith be yours from God the Father and from the Master, Jesus Christ. Pure grace and nothing but grace be with all who love our Master, Jesus Christ.

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

New American Standard Bible is made available by The Lockman Foundation

The Message (MSG)

Ephesians 6 New American Standard Bible