Ephesians 1
EasyEnglish Bible
Paul says ‘Hello’
1 This letter is from me, Paul. God chose me to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.
I am writing to you, God's own people who live in Ephesus. You are those who continue to believe in Christ Jesus, and so you belong to him.
2 I pray that God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ will continue to help you. I pray that they will give you peace in your minds.
God blesses us as Christians
3 We praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has blessed us in very many ways. Because we belong to Christ, we enjoy all the good things that come from heaven. God blesses our spirits with those good things. 4 Before God made the world, he chose us to be his people because of Christ. He chose us so that we would please him. Because we belong to Christ, God accepts us as completely good. This shows how much he loves us. 5 Long ago, he already decided to accept us into his family as his children, because of Jesus Christ. He chose us to belong to him because it made him very happy. 6 As a result, we praise him, because he is great and he has been so kind to us. He has given us so much because of his Son, whom he loves very much. 7 When Christ died as a sacrifice on the cross, he paid the price to make us free. Because of Christ's death on our behalf, God has forgiven our sins. God is so very kind that he has done all this for us!
8 Even more than that, God has shown how wise he is. He understands what we need. 9 He has let us know his great purpose, which had been a secret before. That plan would make him very happy. It would be possible because of Christ. 10 God will make that plan happen when the time is completely right. At that time, he will bring everything together so that Christ rules all of them. That includes the things that are in heaven, and the things that are on earth.
11 God is able to make all things happen just like he decides. He chose us to be his own people, because we are united with Christ. In the beginning, God had already decided that this was his purpose. 12 We were the first people to trust in Christ, God's special Messiah.[a] God wanted us to show how great he is. He wanted people to praise him because of us. 13 You believers in Ephesus also heard God's true message. You heard the good news about how God saves you. When you believed in Christ, God gave his Holy Spirit to you. He had promised to do that, to show that you belong to him. 14 God has put his Holy Spirit inside us now. As a result, we know that one day we will receive all the good things that God has promised. At that time we will be completely free, because we belong to God. So we praise God and we say that he is great!
Paul prays for the Ephesian Christians
15 People have told me that you continue to trust in the Lord Jesus. They have told me that you love all God's people. Because I have heard these good things about you, 16 I am always thanking God because of you. Whenever I pray to God, I always ask him to help you. 17 God is very great! He is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that his Holy Spirit will make you wise. I pray that his Holy Spirit will help you to understand what God is like. Then you will know God better and better. 18 I pray that God will bring light into your minds. Then you will understand about the many good things that he has prepared for you. You know that you will receive those things because he has chosen you to be his people. God has prepared very valuable things for you in heaven. 19 You will also know how very powerful God is. He uses that power to help us now, as we trust in Christ.
God's power is greater than anything we could ever know. 20 He used that power to raise Christ, so that he became alive again after his death. Then he gave Christ a place to sit at his right side in heaven.[b] 21 There, Christ rules over every other ruler and leader. He rules over everything else that has authority. He is greater than any power which people respect. That is true for the rulers of this world now, and also the rulers of the world that will come. 22 God has put all things under Christ's authority. He has made Christ the ruler over all things. He has done this to help his people, the church. 23 The church is like Christ's body and he is its head. Christ fills all things everywhere and he causes the church to become complete.
以弗所书 1
Chinese New Version (Traditional)
問安
1 奉 神旨意作基督耶穌使徒的保羅，寫信給住在以弗所，在基督耶穌裡忠心的聖徒。 2 願恩惠平安從我們的父 神和主耶穌基督臨到你們。
在基督裡屬靈的福分
3 我們主耶穌基督的父 神是應當稱頌的。他在基督裡，曾經把天上各種屬靈的福分賜給我們： 4 就如創立世界以前，他在基督裡揀選了我們，使我們因著愛，在他面前成為聖潔，沒有瑕疵。 5 他又按著自己旨意所喜悅的，預定我們藉著耶穌基督得兒子的名分， 6 好使他恩典的榮耀得著頌讚。這恩典是他在愛子裡賜給我們的。 7 我們在他愛子裡，藉著他的血蒙了救贖，過犯得到赦免，都是按著他豐盛的恩典。 8 這恩典是他用各樣的智慧和聰明，充充足足地賜給我們的； 9 他照著自己在基督裡預先安排的美意，使我們知道他旨意的奧祕， 10 到了所計劃的時機成熟，就使天上地上的萬有，都在基督裡同歸於一。 11 那憑著自己旨意所計劃而行萬事的，按著他預先所安排的，預定我們在基督裡得基業（“得基業”或譯：“成為 神的產業”）， 12 藉著我們這在基督裡首先有盼望的人，使他的榮耀得著頌讚。 13 你們既然聽了真理的道，就是使你們得救的福音，也信了基督，就在他裡面受了所應許的聖靈作為印記。 14 這聖靈是我們得基業的憑據，直到 神的產業得贖，使他的榮耀得著頌讚。
保羅的祈禱
15 因此，我聽到你們在主耶穌裡的信心，和對眾聖徒的愛心， 16 就不住地為你們獻上感謝。我禱告的時候，常常提到你們， 17 求我們主耶穌基督的 神，榮耀的父，賜給你們智慧和啟示的靈，使你們充分地認識他， 18 並且使你們心靈的眼睛明亮，可以知道他的呼召有怎樣的盼望；他基業的榮耀，在聖徒中是多麼的豐盛； 19 神照著他強大的力量，向我們信他的人顯出的能力，是何等的浩大。 20 這力量運行在基督身上，使他從死人中復活，並且在天上坐在自己的右邊， 21 遠超過一切執政的、掌權的、有能的、作主的，和今生來世所能舉出的一切名銜。 22 神又使萬有都歸服在他的腳下，並且賜他給教會作萬有的元首。 23 教會是他的身體，是那充滿萬有者所完全充滿的。
Ephesians 1
New King James Version
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Redemption in Christ
3 (A)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as (B)He chose us in Him (C)before the foundation of the world, that we should (D)be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 (E)having predestined us to (F)adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, (G)according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, (H)by which He [a]made us accepted in (I)the Beloved.
7 (J)In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to (K)the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and [b]prudence, 9 (L)having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure (M)which He purposed in Himself, 10 that in the dispensation of (N)the fullness of the times (O)He might gather together in one (P)all things in Christ, [c]both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him. 11 (Q)In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to (R)the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12 (S)that we (T)who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard (U)the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, (V)you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 (W)who[d] is the [e]guarantee of our inheritance (X)until the redemption of (Y)the purchased possession, (Z)to the praise of His glory.
Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom
15 Therefore I also, (AA)after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16 (AB)do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: 17 that (AC)the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, (AD)may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18 (AE)the eyes of your [f]understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is (AF)the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, (AG)according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when (AH)He raised Him from the dead and (AI)seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 (AJ)far above all (AK)principality[g] and [h]power and [i]might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
22 And (AL)He put all things under His feet, and gave Him (AM)to be head over all things to the church, 23 (AN)which is His body, (AO)the fullness of Him (AP)who fills all in all.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 1:6 Lit. bestowed grace (favor) upon us
- Ephesians 1:8 understanding
- Ephesians 1:10 NU, M omit both
- Ephesians 1:14 NU which
- Ephesians 1:14 down payment, earnest
- Ephesians 1:18 NU, M hearts
- Ephesians 1:21 rule
- Ephesians 1:21 authority
- Ephesians 1:21 power
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Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
