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Ephesians 2
New Living Translation

Made Alive with Christ

2 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world.[a] He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

4 But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 5 that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 6 For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 7 So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Oneness and Peace in Christ

11 Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts. 12 In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 13 But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

14 For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 15 He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 16 Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

17 He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 18 Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.

A Temple for the Lord

19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

Footnotes

  1. 2:2 Greek obeying the commander of the power of the air.
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Ephesians 2
International Standard Version

God Has Brought Us from Death to Life

2 You used to be dead because of your offenses and sins 2 that you once practiced as you lived according to the ways of this present world and according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now active in those who are disobedient.[a] 3 Indeed, all of us once behaved like[b] them in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of our flesh and senses. By nature we were destined for[c] wrath, just like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love for us[d] 5 even when we were dead because of our offenses, made us alive together with[e] the Messiah[f] (by grace you have been saved), 6 raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly realm in the Messiah[g] Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might display the limitless riches of his grace that comes to us through his kindness in the Messiah[h] Jesus. 8 For by such grace you have been saved through faith. This does not come from you; it is the gift of God 9 and not the result of actions, to put a stop to all boasting.[i] 10 For we are God’s[j] masterpiece,[k] created in the Messiah[l] Jesus to perform good actions that God prepared long ago to be our way of life.[m]

All Believers are One in the Messiah

11 So then, remember that at one time you gentiles by birth[n] were called “the uncircumcised” by those who called themselves “the circumcised.” They underwent physical circumcision done by human hands. 12 At that time you were without the Messiah,[o] excluded from citizenship in Israel,[p] and strangers to the covenants of promise. You had no hope and were in the world without God. 13 But now, in union with the Messiah[q] Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah.[r]

14 For it is he who is our peace. Through his mortality[s] he made both groups one by tearing down the wall of hostility that divided them.[t] 15 He rendered the Law inoperative, along with its commandments and regulations, thus creating in himself one new humanity from the two, thereby making peace, 16 and reconciling both groups to God in one body through the cross, on which he eliminated the hostility. 17 He came and proclaimed peace for you who were far away and for you who were near. 18 For through him, both of us[u] have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 That is why you are no longer strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, the Messiah[v] Jesus himself being the cornerstone.[w] 21 In union with him the whole building is joined together and rises into a holy sanctuary for the Lord. 22 You, too, are being built in him, along with the others, into a place for God’s Spirit to dwell.

Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 2:2 Lit. the sons of disobedience
  2. Ephesians 2:3 Or lived among
  3. Ephesians 2:3 Lit. were children of
  4. Ephesians 2:4 Lit. love with which he loved us
  5. Ephesians 2:5 Other mss. read in
  6. Ephesians 2:5 Or Christ
  7. Ephesians 2:6 Or Christ
  8. Ephesians 2:7 Or Christ
  9. Ephesians 2:9 Lit. works, lest anyone boast
  10. Ephesians 2:10 Lit. his
  11. Ephesians 2:10 Or workmanship
  12. Ephesians 2:10 Or Christ
  13. Ephesians 2:10 Lit. so that we might walk in them
  14. Ephesians 2:11 Lit. in the flesh
  15. Ephesians 2:12 Or Christ
  16. Ephesians 2:12 Or from the commonwealth of Israel
  17. Ephesians 2:13 Or Christ
  18. Ephesians 2:13 Or Christ
  19. Ephesians 2:14 Lit. flesh
  20. Ephesians 2:14 Lit. the dividing wall of hostility
  21. Ephesians 2:18 I.e. both Jews and gentiles
  22. Ephesians 2:20 Or Christ
  23. Ephesians 2:20 Or capstone
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Ephesians 1
Ephesians 3
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New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

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