Ephesians 1
Living Bible
1 Dear Christian friends at Ephesus, ever loyal to the Lord: This is Paul writing to you, chosen by God to be Jesus Christ’s messenger. 2 May his blessings and peace be yours, sent to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.
3 How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every blessing in heaven because we belong to Christ.
4 Long ago, even before he made the world, God chose us to be his very own through what Christ would do for us; he decided then to make us holy in his eyes, without a single fault—we who stand before him covered with his love. 5 His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by sending Jesus Christ to die for us. And he did this because he wanted to!
6 Now all praise to God for his wonderful kindness to us and his favor that he has poured out upon us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. 7 So overflowing is his kindness toward us that he took away all our sins through the blood of his Son, by whom we are saved; 8 and he has showered down upon us the richness of his grace—for how well he understands us and knows what is best for us at all times.
9 God has told us his secret reason for sending Christ, a plan he decided on in mercy long ago; 10 and this was his purpose: that when the time is ripe he will gather us all together from wherever we are—in heaven or on earth—to be with him in Christ forever. 11 Moreover, because of what Christ has done, we have become gifts to God that he delights in, for as part of God’s sovereign plan we were chosen from the beginning to be his, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. 12 God’s purpose in this was that we should praise God and give glory to him for doing these mighty things for us, who were the first to trust in Christ.
13 And because of what Christ did, all you others too, who heard the Good News about how to be saved, and trusted Christ, were marked as belonging to Christ by the Holy Spirit, who long ago had been promised to all of us Christians. 14 His presence within us is God’s guarantee that he really will give us all that he promised; and the Spirit’s seal upon us means that God has already purchased us and that he guarantees to bring us to himself. This is just one more reason for us to praise our glorious God.
15 That is why, ever since I heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and of the love you have for Christians everywhere, 16-17 I have never stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you wisdom to see clearly and really understand who Christ is and all that he has done for you. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can see something of the future he has called you to share. I want you to realize that God has been made rich because we who are Christ’s have been given to him! 19 I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great his power is to help those who believe him. It is that same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in heaven, 21 far, far above any other king or ruler or dictator or leader. Yes, his honor is far more glorious than that of anyone else either in this world or in the world to come. 22 And God has put all things under his feet and made him the supreme Head of the Church— 23 which is his body, filled with himself, the Author and Giver of everything everywhere.
Efèz 1
Haitian Creole Version
1 ¶ Mwen menm, Pòl, yon moun Bondye te deside chwazi pou apòt Jezikri, m'ap ekri lèt sa a voye bay tout pèp Bondye ki nan lavil Efèz la, k'ap kenbe fèm nan lavi y'ap mennen ansanm nan Jezikri.
2 Mwen mande Bondye Papa nou ansanm ak Jezikri, Seyè nou, pou yo ban nou benediksyon ak kè poze.
3 ¶ Lwanj pou Bondye, Papa Jezikri, Seyè nou an. Se li menm ki beni nou nan lavi n'ap mennen ansanm nan Kris la. Li ban nou tout kalite benediksyon pou nou ka viv dapre egzijans Lespri Bondye nan syèl la.
4 Byen lontan anvan Bondye te kreye lemonn, li te chwazi nou nan Kris la pou nou te kapab viv apa pou li, pou n' te san repwòch devan li. Nan renmen li renmen nou an,
5 Bondye te deside depi davans pou l' te adopte nou pou pitit li nan Jezikri, paske sa te fè l' plezi.
6 Se poutèt sa, ann toujou fè lwanj Bondye pou bèl favè sa a li fè nou kado, gremesi Pitit li renmen anpil la!
7 Gremesi Kris ki mouri pou nou an, nou delivre, nou resevwa padon pou peche nou yo; Bondye fè nou wè jan li renmen nou anpil.
8 Li ban nou favè l' an kantite, li ban nou tout kalite konprann ak konesans.
9 Li fè nou konnen plan travay li te kenbe sekrè nan kè l', plan travay li te gen lide fè depi lontan an. Se plan sa a li vin reyalize nan Kris la.
10 Dapre plan travay Bondye a, plan ki gen pou fin reyalize nèt lè lè a va rive, Bondye ap mete tout bagay ki nan syèl la ansanm ak tout bagay ki sou latè a anba yon sèl chèf, anba Kris la.
11 Bondye ap fè tout bagay rive jan l' te deside l' la ak jan l' te vle l' la. Konsa, nou menm jwif, nou se moun Bondye te chwazi depi davans dapre plan li. Lè n'ap viv ansanm nan Kris la, nou resevwa pòsyon pa nou nan byen l' yo.
12 Se sak fè, nou menm ki premye moun ki t'ap tann Kris la, n'ap viv yon jan ki sèvi yon lwanj pou pouvwa Bondye a.
13 Konsa tou, nou menm, moun lòt nasyon yo, apre nou te fin tande mesaj laverite a, ki vle di bon nouvèl k'ap fè nou konnen jan Bondye delivre nou an, nou te mete konfyans nou nan Kris la, n'ap viv ansanm nan Kris la tou. Bondye te make nou ak letanp li tou, li ban nou Sentespri li te pwòmèt la.
14 Sentespri sa a, se yon avalwa Bondye ban nou sou eritaj li te pwòmèt li t'ap bay pèp li a. Sa ban nou garanti Bondye gen pou fin delivre moun pa l' yo nèt. Se sak fè, nou menm tou, moun lòt nasyon yo, n'ap sèvi yon lwanj pou pouvwa Bondye a tou.
15 ¶ Se poutèt tout bagay sa yo, depi mwen tande jan nou gen konfyans nan Kris la, jan nou renmen tout moun ki fè pati pèp Bondye a,
16 mwen pa janm sispann di Bondye mèsi pou nou. Mwen toujou chonje nou lè m'ap lapriyè.
17 Bondye Jezikri, Seyè nou an, fè nou konnen an, se yon papa ki gen anpil pouvwa. Mwen mande l' pou li ban nou Sentespri l' ki bay bon konprann ki moutre nou sa Bondye ap devwale nou an pou nou ka rive konnen l' byen.
18 Mwen mande l' pou l' louvri lespri nou, pou nou ka konnen kisa n'ap tann nan men Bondye ki rele nou an, ki vle di eritaj Bondye pwòmèt l'ap bay moun ki pou li yo, yon eritaj ki rich anpil, ki bèl anpil.
19 Mwen mande l' pou nou ka konnen tou ki jan pouvwa li k'ap travay nan nou menm ki kwè nan li a, se yon gwo pouvwa ki san limit. Se menm gwo pouvwa sa a Bondye te fè moun wè,
20 lè li te fè Kris la leve soti vivan nan mitan mò yo, li fè l' chita sou bò dwat li nan syèl la.
21 Li mete Kris la anwo tout chèf, anwo tout otorite, tout pouvwa ak tout dominasyon. Kris la pi wo pase tout gwo non yo kapab bay moun non sèlman koulye a sou latè, men nan tan ki gen pou vini an tou.
22 Bondye mete tout bagay anba pye Kris la, li mete l' pou l' sèl chèf legliz la.
23 Legliz la se kò Kris la, li konplete Kris la. Kris la menm, avèk pouvwa li, li konplete tout bagay ki toupatou.
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.