以弗所书 2
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
靠恩典、凭信心
2 你们从前死在过犯和罪恶之中。 2 那时，你们随从今世的风俗，顺服在空中掌权的魔鬼，就是如今在一切叛逆上帝之人心中运行的邪灵。 3 我们以前也在他们当中随从罪恶的本性[a]，放纵肉体和心中的私欲，与其他人一样本是惹上帝发怒的人。
4 然而上帝有丰富的怜悯，祂深爱我们， 5 尽管我们死在过犯之中，祂仍然使我们和基督一同活了过来。你们得救是因为上帝的恩典。 6 在基督耶稣里，上帝使我们与基督一同复活，一同坐在天上， 7 好借着祂在基督耶稣里向我们所施的恩慈，向后世显明祂无可比拟的丰富恩典。 8 你们得救是靠恩典，凭信心。这不是出于你们自己，而是上帝的礼物； 9 也不是由于你们的行为，以免有人自夸。 10 我们是上帝的杰作，是在基督耶稣里创造的，为要叫我们做祂预先安排给我们的美善之事。
在基督里合而为一
11 因此，你们要记住，从前按照肉体来说你们是外族人，那些肉体上受过人手所行割礼的以色列人称你们为“没有受过割礼的”。 12 那时，你们与基督无关，又不是以色列人，在上帝应许的诸约上是局外人，你们活在世上没有盼望，没有上帝。 13 但你们这些从前远离上帝的人，如今在基督耶稣里，靠着祂所流的血已经被带到上帝面前。 14 因为基督耶稣亲自给我们带来了和平，以自己的身体拆毁了以色列人和外族人之间充满敌意的隔墙，使双方合而为一， 15 并废除了以诫命和规条为内容的律法制度。祂这样做是为了在自己里面把双方造成一个新人，成就和平， 16 并借着十字架消灭彼此间的敌意，使双方借着一个身体与上帝和好。 17 祂来传扬这平安的福音给你们这些离上帝很远的外族人，也给我们这些离上帝很近的以色列人。 18 我们双方都是靠着祂在同一位圣灵的引导下来到父上帝面前。
19 从此，你们不再是外人或过客，你们与众圣徒一样是天国的子民，是上帝家里的人了。 20 你们已被建立在众使徒和先知们的基础上，基督耶稣自己是房角石。 21 整座建筑的各部分都靠祂巧妙地连接在一起，逐渐成为主的圣殿。 22 你们也靠着祂被建造在一起，成为上帝借着圣灵居住的地方。
Footnotes
- 2:3 “罪恶的本性”希腊文是“肉体”。
Ephesians 2
Contemporary English Version
From Death to Life
2 (A) In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God. 2 You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn't obey God. 3 Once we were also ruled by the selfish desires of our bodies and minds. We had made God angry, and we were going to be punished like everyone else.
4-5 But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much he made us alive with Christ, and God's gift of undeserved grace is what saves you. 6 God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven. 7 God did this so in the future world he could show how truly good and kind he is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done. 8 You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve.[a] This is God's gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. 9 It isn't something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about. 10 God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. This is why he sent Christ to make us what we are.
United by Christ
11 Don't forget that you are Gentiles. In fact, you used to be called “uncircumcised” by those who take pride in being circumcised. 12 At that time you did not know about Christ. You were foreigners to the people of Israel, and you had no part in the promises God had made to them. You were living in this world without hope and without God, 13 and you were far from God. But Christ offered his life's blood as a sacrifice and brought you near God.
14 Christ has made peace between Jews and Gentiles, and he has united us by breaking down the wall of hatred that separated us. Christ gave his own body 15 (B) to destroy the Law of Moses with all its rules and commands. He even brought Jews and Gentiles together as though we were only one person, when he united us in peace. 16 (C) On the cross Christ did away with our hatred for each other. He also made peace[b] between us and God by uniting Jews and Gentiles in one body. 17 (D) Christ came and preached peace to you Gentiles, who were far from God, and peace to us Jews, who were near God. 18 And because of Christ, all of us can come to the Father by the same Spirit.
19 You Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens with everyone else who belongs to the family of God. 20 You are like a building with the apostles and prophets as the foundation and with Christ as the most important stone. 21 Christ is the one who holds the building together and makes it grow into a holy temple for the Lord. 22 And you are part of that building Christ has built as a place for God's own Spirit to live.
Chinese Contemporary Bible Copyright © 1979, 2005, 2007, 2011 by Biblica® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
