Ephesians 3:14-4:13

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Prayer for the Readers

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father,^{[a] 15} from whom every family^[b] in heaven and on earth takes its name. ¹⁶ I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit^{(A) 17} and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. ¹⁸ I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth^{(B) 19} and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.^(C)

²⁰ Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine,^{(D) 21} to him be glory in the church and^[c] in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Unity in the Body of Christ

4 I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,^{(E) 2} with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,^{(F) 3} making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace: ⁴ there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,^{(G) 5} one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.^[d]

⁷ But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.^{(H) 8} Therefore it is said,

⁹ (When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended^[f] into the lower parts of the earth?^{[g] 10} He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) ¹¹ He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers^{(J) 12} to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,^{(K) 13} until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity,^[h] to the measure of the full stature of Christ.^(L)