Ephesians 6
King James Version
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.
2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;
6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;
7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:
8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
20 For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
21 But that ye also may know my affairs, and how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, shall make known to you all things:
22 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.
23 Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
Ephesians 6
New Living Translation
Children and Parents
6 Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord,[a] for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”[b]
4 Fathers,[c] do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.
Slaves and Masters
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. 6 Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. 7 Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.
9 Masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Don’t threaten them; remember, you both have the same Master in heaven, and he has no favorites.
The Whole Armor of God
10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we[d] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.[e] 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.[f] 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.[g]
19 And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike.[h] 20 I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.
Final Greetings
21 To bring you up to date, Tychicus will give you a full report about what I am doing and how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper in the Lord’s work. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you.
23 Peace be with you, dear brothers and sisters,[i] and may God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you love with faithfulness. 24 May God’s grace be eternally upon all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.
Footnotes
- 6:1 Or Children, obey your parents who belong to the Lord; some manuscripts read simply Children, obey your parents.
- 6:2-3 Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16.
- 6:4 Or Parents.
- 6:12 Some manuscripts read you.
- 6:15 Or For shoes, put on the readiness to preach the Good News of peace with God.
- 6:16 Greek the evil one.
- 6:18 Greek all of God’s holy people.
- 6:19 Greek explain the mystery of the Good News; some manuscripts read simply explain the mystery.
- 6:23 Greek brothers.
Ephesians 6
English Standard Version
Children and Parents
6 (A)Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 (B)“Honor your father and mother” (this is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, (C)but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Bondservants and Masters
5 (D)Bondservants,[a] obey your earthly masters[b] with fear and trembling, (E)with a sincere heart, (F)as you would Christ, 6 not by the way of eye-service, as (G)people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, 8 (H)knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, (I)whether he is a bondservant or is free. 9 Masters, do the same to them, (J)and stop your threatening, knowing that (K)he who is both their Master[c] and yours is in heaven, and that (L)there is no partiality with him.
The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, (M)be strong in the Lord and in (N)the strength of his might. 11 (O)Put on (P)the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against (Q)the schemes of the devil. 12 For (R)we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against (S)the rulers, against the authorities, against (T)the cosmic powers over (U)this present darkness, against (V)the spiritual forces of evil (W)in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore (X)take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in (Y)the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, (Z)having fastened on the belt of truth, and (AA)having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, (AB)as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up (AC)the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all (AD)the flaming darts of (AE)the evil one; 17 and take (AF)the helmet of salvation, and (AG)the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying (AH)at all times (AI)in the Spirit, (AJ)with all prayer and supplication. To that end, (AK)keep alert with all perseverance, making (AL)supplication for all the saints, 19 and (AM)also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth (AN)boldly to proclaim (AO)the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I (AP)am an ambassador (AQ)in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak.
Final Greetings
21 (AR)So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, (AS)Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord will tell you everything. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may (AT)encourage your hearts.
23 (AU)Peace be to the brothers,[d] and (AV)love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who (AW)love our Lord Jesus Christ with love incorruptible.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 6:5 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; also verse 6; likewise for bondservant in verse 8
- Ephesians 6:5 Or your masters according to the flesh
- Ephesians 6:9 Greek Lord
- Ephesians 6:23 Or brothers and sisters
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.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
