Ephesians 6
New King James Version
Children and Parents(A)
6 Children, (B)obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 (C)“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
4 And (D)you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but (E)bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Bondservants and Masters
5 (F)Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, (G)with fear and trembling, (H)in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 (I)not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 (J)knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that [a]your own (K)Master also is in heaven, and (L)there is no partiality with Him.
The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 (M)Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the [b]wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against (N)principalities, against powers, against (O)the rulers of [c]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 (P)Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand (Q)in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, (R)having girded your waist with truth, (S)having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 (T)and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 above all, taking (U)the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. 17 And (V)take the helmet of salvation, and (W)the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; 18 (X)praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, (Y)being watchful to this end with all perseverance and (Z)supplication for all the saints— 19 and for me, that utterance may be given to me, (AA)that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which (AB)I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
A Gracious Greeting
21 But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, (AC)Tychicus, a beloved brother and (AD)faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you; 22 (AE)whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may (AF)comfort your hearts.
23 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 6:9 NU He who is both their Master and yours is
- Ephesians 6:11 schemings
- Ephesians 6:12 NU this darkness,
Ephesians 6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Children and Parents
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord,[a] for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—this is the first commandment with a promise(A)— 3 “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
4 And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.(B)
Slaves and Masters
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect[b] and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ,(C) 6 not with a slavery performed merely for looks, to please people, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul. 7 Render service with enthusiasm, as for the Lord and not for humans, 8 knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are enslaved or free.
9 And, masters,[c] do the same to them. Stop threatening them, for you know that both of you have the same Lord[d] in heaven, and with him there is no partiality.(D)
The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power; 11 put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, 12 for our[e] struggle is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present[f] darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.[g](E) 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having prevailed against everything, to stand firm.(F) 14 Stand, therefore, and belt your waist with truth and put on the breastplate of righteousness(G) 15 and lace up your sandals in preparation for the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these,[h] take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.(H) 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.(I) 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.(J) 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,[i](K) 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.(L)
Personal Matters and Benediction
21 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus will tell you everything. He is a dear brother and a faithful minister in the Lord.(M) 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, to let you know how we are and to encourage your hearts.
23 Peace be to the brothers and sisters and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.(N) 24 Grace be with all who have an undying love for[j] our Lord Jesus Christ.[k]
Footnotes
- 6.1 Other ancient authorities lack in the Lord
- 6.5 Or fear
- 6.9 In Gk the same word is used for master and Lord
- 6.9 In Gk the same word is used for master and Lord
- 6.12 Other ancient authorities read your
- 6.12 Gk lacks present
- 6.12 Gk heavenlies
- 6.16 Or In all circumstances
- 6.19 Other ancient authorities lack of the gospel
- 6.24 Or Grace immortal be with all who love
- 6.24 Other ancient authorities add Amen
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.