Ephesians 1
New Living Translation
Greetings from Paul
1 This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.
I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus,[a] who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.
2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Spiritual Blessings
3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 6 So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.[b] 7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 8 He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
9 God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan. 10 And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 11 Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God,[c] for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
12 God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 13 And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own[d] by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14 The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.
Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom
15 Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere,[e] 16 I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly, 17 asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom[f] and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. 18 I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called—his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.[g]
19 I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power 20 that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. 21 Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come. 22 God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church. 23 And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.
Footnotes
- 1:1 The most ancient manuscripts do not include in Ephesus.
- 1:6 Greek to us in the beloved.
- 1:11 Or we have become God’s inheritance.
- 1:13 Or he put his seal on you.
- 1:15 Some manuscripts read your faithfulness to the Lord Jesus and to God’s people everywhere.
- 1:17 Or to give you the Spirit of wisdom.
- 1:18 Or called, and the rich and glorious inheritance he has given to his holy people.
Ephesians 1
New Century Version
1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am an apostle because that is what God wanted.
To God’s holy people living in Ephesus,[a] believers in Christ Jesus:
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Christ, God has given us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. 4 That is, in Christ, he chose us before the world was made so that we would be his holy people—people without blame before him. 5 Because of his love, God had already decided to make us his own children through Jesus Christ. That was what he wanted and what pleased him, 6 and it brings praise to God because of his wonderful grace. God gave that grace to us freely, in Christ, the One he loves. 7 In Christ we are set free by the blood of his death, and so we have forgiveness of sins. How rich is God’s grace, 8 which he has given to us so fully and freely. God, with full wisdom and understanding, 9 let us know his secret purpose. This was what God wanted, and he planned to do it through Christ. 10 His goal was to carry out his plan, when the right time came, that all things in heaven and on earth would be joined together in Christ as the head.
11 In Christ we were chosen to be God’s people, because from the very beginning God had decided this in keeping with his plan. And he is the One who makes everything agree with what he decides and wants. 12 We are the first people who hoped in Christ, and we were chosen so that we would bring praise to God’s glory. 13 So it is with you. When you heard the true teaching—the Good News about your salvation—you believed in Christ. And in Christ, God put his special mark of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit that he had promised. 14 That Holy Spirit is the guarantee that we will receive what God promised for his people until God gives full freedom to those who are his—to bring praise to God’s glory.
Paul’s Prayer
15 That is why since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, 16 I have not stopped giving thanks to God for you. I always remember you in my prayers, 17 asking the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, to give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you will know him better. 18 I pray also that you will have greater understanding in your heart so you will know the hope to which he has called us and that you will know how rich and glorious are the blessings God has promised his holy people. 19 And you will know that God’s power is very great for us who believe. That power is the same as the great strength 20 God used to raise Christ from the dead and put him at his right side in the heavenly world. 21 God has put Christ over all rulers, authorities, powers, and kings, not only in this world but also in the next. 22 God put everything under his power and made him the head over everything for the church, 23 which is Christ’s body. The church is filled with Christ, and Christ fills everything in every way.
Footnotes
- 1:1 in Ephesus Some Greek copies do not have this phrase.
Ephesians 1
Contemporary English Version
1 (A) From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.
To God's people who live in Ephesus and[a] are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.
2 I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
Christ Brings Spiritual Blessings
3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the spiritual blessings that Christ has brought us from heaven! 4 Before the world was created, God had Christ choose us to live with him and to be his holy and innocent and loving people. 5 God was kind[b] and decided that Christ would choose us to be God's own adopted children. 6 God treated us with undeserved grace because of the Son he dearly loves, and so we should praise God.
7-8 (B) Christ sacrificed his life's blood to set us free, which means our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because of God's gift of undeserved grace to us. God has great wisdom and understanding, 9 and by what Christ has done, God has shown us his own mysterious ways. 10 Then when the time is right, God will do all he has planned, and Christ will bring together everything in heaven and on earth.
11 God always does what he plans, and this is why he appointed Christ to choose us. 12 He did this so we Jews would bring honor to him and be the first ones to have hope because of him. 13 Christ also brought you the truth, which is the good news about how you can be saved. You put your faith in Christ and were given the promised Holy Spirit to show you belong to God. 14 The Spirit also makes us sure we will be given what God has stored up for his people. Then we will be set free, and God will be honored and praised.
Paul's Prayer
15 I have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people. 16 So I never stop being grateful for you, as I mention you in my prayers. 17 I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. 18 My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and you will understand the hope given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all God's people.
19 I want you to know about the great and mighty power that God has for us followers. It is the same wonderful power he used 20 (C) when he raised Christ from death and let him sit at his right side[c] in heaven. 21 There Christ rules over all forces, authorities, powers, and rulers. He rules over all beings in this world and will rule in the future world as well. 22 (D)(E) God has put all things under the power of Christ, and for the good of the church he has made him the head of everything. 23 The church is the body of Christ and is filled with Christ who completely fills everything.[d]
Footnotes
- 1.1 live in Ephesus and: Some manuscripts do not have these words.
- 1.4,5 holy and innocent and loving people. 5 God was kind: Or “holy and innocent people. God was loving 5 and kind.”
- 1.20 right side: The place of power and honor.
- 1.23 and is filled with Christ who completely fills everything: Or “which completely fills Christ and fully completes his work.”
Ephesians 1
The Message
1 1-2 I, Paul, am under God’s plan as an apostle, a special agent of Christ Jesus, writing to you faithful believers in Ephesus. I greet you with the grace and peace poured into our lives by God our Father and our Master, Jesus Christ.
The God of Glory
3-6 How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He’s the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son.
7-10 Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we’re a free people—free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth.
11-12 It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.
13-14 It’s in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free—signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This down payment from God is the first installment on what’s coming, a reminder that we’ll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.
15-19 That’s why, when I heard of the solid trust you have in the Master Jesus and your outpouring of love to all the followers of Jesus, I couldn’t stop thanking God for you—every time I prayed, I’d think of you and give thanks. But I do more than thank. I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ, the God of glory—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!
20-23 All this energy issues from Christ: God raised him from death and set him on a throne in deep heaven, in charge of running the universe, everything from galaxies to governments, no name and no power exempt from his rule. And not just for the time being, but forever. He is in charge of it all, has the final word on everything. At the center of all this, Christ rules the church. The church, you see, is not peripheral to the world; the world is peripheral to the church. The church is Christ’s body, in which he speaks and acts, by which he fills everything with his presence.
Ephesians 1
New American Standard Bible
The Blessings of Redemption
1 Paul, (A)an apostle of (B)Christ Jesus [a](C)by the will of God,
To the [b](D)saints who are [c]at (E)Ephesus and (F)are faithful in (G)Christ Jesus: 2 (H)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 (I)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in (J)the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as (K)He chose us in Him before (L)the foundation of the world, that we would be (M)holy and blameless before [d]Him. (N)In love 5 [e]He (O)predestined us to (P)adoption as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ to Himself, (Q)according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 (R)to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He favored us in (S)the Beloved. 7 (T)In [f]Him we have (U)redemption (V)through His blood, the (W)forgiveness of our wrongdoings, according to (X)the riches of His grace 8 which He [g]lavished on [h]us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He [i](Y)made known to us the mystery of His will, (Z)according to His good pleasure which He (AA)set forth in Him, 10 regarding His plan of (AB)the fullness of the times, (AC)to bring all things together in Christ, things [j]in the heavens and things on the earth. 11 [k]In Him we also (AD)have obtained an inheritance, having been (AE)predestined (AF)according to the purpose of Him who works all things (AG)in accordance with the plan of His will, 12 to the end that [l]we who were the first to hope in the [m]Christ would be (AH)to the praise of His glory. 13 In [n]Him, [o]you also, after listening to (AI)the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also [p]believed, you were (AJ)sealed in [q]Him with (AK)the Holy Spirit of the promise, 14 who is a (AL)first installment of (AM)our inheritance, in regard to the (AN)redemption of (AO)God’s own possession, (AP)to the praise of His glory.
15 For this reason I too, (AQ)having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and [r]your love for (AR)all the [s]saints, 16 (AS)do not cease giving thanks for you, (AT)while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the (AU)God of our Lord Jesus Christ, (AV)the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of (AW)wisdom and of (AX)revelation in the [t]knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that (AY)the eyes of your heart [u]may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the (AZ)hope of His (BA)calling, what are (BB)the riches of the glory of (BC)His inheritance in (BD)the [v]saints, 19 and what is the [w]boundless greatness of His power toward us who believe. (BE)These are in accordance with the working of the (BF)strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He (BG)raised Him from the dead and (BH)seated Him at His right hand in (BI)the heavenly places, 21 far above (BJ)all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every (BK)name that is named, not only in (BL)this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He (BM)put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him (BN)head over all things to the church, 23 which is His (BO)body, the (BP)fullness of Him who (BQ)fills (BR)all in all.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 1:1 Lit through
- Ephesians 1:1 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
- Ephesians 1:1 Three early mss do not contain at Ephesus
- Ephesians 1:4 Or Him, in love. He
- Ephesians 1:5 Lit having predestined
- Ephesians 1:7 Lit whom
- Ephesians 1:8 Lit made abundant toward
- Ephesians 1:8 Or us in all wisdom and insight. He
- Ephesians 1:9 Lit making known
- Ephesians 1:10 Lit upon
- Ephesians 1:11 Lit In whom also
- Ephesians 1:12 I.e., Jewish believers
- Ephesians 1:12 I.e., Messiah
- Ephesians 1:13 Lit whom
- Ephesians 1:13 I.e., Gentile believers
- Ephesians 1:13 Or believed in Him, you were sealed
- Ephesians 1:13 Lit whom
- Ephesians 1:15 Three early mss do not contain your love
- Ephesians 1:15 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
- Ephesians 1:17 Or true knowledge
- Ephesians 1:18 Lit having been
- Ephesians 1:18 See note 2 v 15
- Ephesians 1:19 Lit surpassing
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, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
