Bondservants and Masters

(A)Bondservants,[a] obey your earthly masters[b] with fear and trembling, (B)with a sincere heart, (C)as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as (D)people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, (E)knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, (F)whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, (G)and stop your threatening, knowing that (H)he who is both their Master[c] and yours is in heaven, and that (I)there is no partiality with him.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 6:5 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; also verse 6; likewise for bondservant in verse 8
  2. Ephesians 6:5 Or your masters according to the flesh
  3. Ephesians 6:9 Greek Lord

As for slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling and with sincere devotion to Christ. Don’t work to make yourself look good and try to flatter people, but act like slaves of Christ carrying out God’s will from the heart. Serve your owners enthusiastically, as though you were serving the Lord and not human beings. You know that the Lord will reward every person who does what is right, whether that person is a slave or a free person. As for masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Stop threatening them, because you know that both you and your slaves have a master in heaven. He doesn’t distinguish between people on the basis of status.

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Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect(A) and fear, and with sincerity of heart,(B) just as you would obey Christ.(C) Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ,(D) doing the will of God from your heart. Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,(E) because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do,(F) whether they are slave or free.

And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours(G) is in heaven, and there is no favoritism(H) with him.

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