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I, Paul, the servant of Christ, am here in jail because of you—for preaching that you Gentiles are a part of God’s house. 2-3 No doubt you already know that God has given me this special work of showing God’s favor to you Gentiles, as I briefly mentioned before in one of my letters. God himself showed me this secret plan of his, that the Gentiles, too, are included in his kindness. I say this to explain to you how I know about these things. In olden times God did not share this plan with his people, but now he has revealed it by the Holy Spirit to his apostles and prophets.

And this is the secret: that the Gentiles will have their full share with the Jews in all the riches inherited by God’s sons; both are invited to belong to his Church, and all of God’s promises of mighty blessings through Christ apply to them both when they accept the Good News about Christ and what he has done for them. God has given me the wonderful privilege of telling everyone about this plan of his; and he has given me his power and special ability to do it well.

Just think! Though I did nothing to deserve it, and though I am the most useless Christian there is, yet I was the one chosen for this special joy of telling the Gentiles the Glad News of the endless treasures available to them in Christ; and to explain to everyone that God is the Savior of the Gentiles too, just as he who made all things had secretly planned from the very beginning.

10 And his reason? To show to all the rulers in heaven how perfectly wise he is when all of his family—Jews and Gentiles alike—are seen to be joined together in his Church 11 in just the way he had always planned it through Jesus Christ our Lord.

12 Now we can come fearlessly right into God’s presence, assured of his glad welcome when we come with Christ and trust in him.

13 So please don’t lose heart at what they are doing to me here. It is for you I am suffering, and you should feel honored and encouraged.

14-15 When I think of the wisdom and scope of his plan, I fall down on my knees and pray to the Father of all the great family of God—some of them already in heaven and some down here on earth— 16 that out of his glorious, unlimited resources he will give you the mighty inner strengthening of his Holy Spirit. 17 And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts, living within you as you trust in him. May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love; 18-19 and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep, and how high his love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves, though it is so great that you will never see the end of it or fully know or understand it. And so at last you will be filled up with God himself.

20 Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of—infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. 21 May he be given glory forever and ever through endless ages because of his master plan of salvation for the Church through Jesus Christ.

For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,

If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,

Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ)

Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power.

Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:

10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,

11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:

12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

13 Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

Pablo y el misterio de Cristo

Por esta razón yo, Pablo, prisionero de Cristo Jesús por el bien de vosotros los gentiles, me arrodillo en oración.[a] Sin duda os habéis enterado del plan de la gracia de Dios que él me encomendó para vosotros, es decir, el misterio que me dio a conocer por revelación, como ya os escribí brevemente. Al leer esto, podréis daros cuenta de que comprendo el misterio de Cristo. Ese misterio, que en otras generaciones no se dio a conocer a los seres humanos, ahora se ha revelado por el Espíritu a los santos apóstoles y profetas de Dios; es decir, que los gentiles son, junto con Israel, beneficiarios de la misma herencia, miembros de un mismo cuerpo y participantes igualmente de la promesa en Cristo Jesús mediante el evangelio.

De este evangelio llegué a ser servidor. Este fue el regalo que Dios me dio por su gracia, conforme a su poder eficaz. Aunque soy el más insignificante de todos los santos, recibí esta gracia de predicar a las naciones las incalculables riquezas de Cristo, y de hacer entender a todos la realización del plan de Dios, el misterio que desde los tiempos eternos se mantuvo oculto en Dios, creador de todas las cosas. 10 El fin de todo esto es que la sabiduría de Dios, en toda su diversidad, se dé a conocer ahora, por medio de la iglesia, a los poderes y autoridades en las regiones celestiales, 11 conforme a su eterno propósito realizado en Cristo Jesús nuestro Señor. 12 En él, mediante la fe, disfrutamos de libertad y confianza para acercarnos a Dios. 13 Así que os pido que no os desaniméis a causa de lo que sufro por vosotros, ya que estos sufrimientos míos son para vosotros un honor.

Oración por los efesios

14 Por esta razón me arrodillo delante del Padre, 15 de quien recibe nombre toda familia[b] en el cielo y en la tierra. 16 Le pido que, por medio del Espíritu y con el poder que procede de sus gloriosas riquezas, os fortalezca en lo íntimo de vuestro ser, 17 para que por fe Cristo habite en vuestros corazones. Y pido que, arraigados y cimentados en amor, 18 podáis comprender, junto con todos los santos, cuán ancho y largo, alto y profundo es el amor de Cristo; 19 en fin, que conozcáis ese amor que sobrepasa nuestro conocimiento, para que seáis llenos de la plenitud de Dios.

20 Al que puede hacer muchísimo más que todo lo que podamos imaginarnos o pedir, por el poder que obra eficazmente en nosotros, 21 ¡a él sea la gloria en la iglesia y en Cristo Jesús por todas las generaciones, por los siglos de los siglos! Amén.

Footnotes

  1. 3:1 En el griego este versículo termina con la palabra gentiles, y el tema se reinicia en el v. 14.
  2. 3:15 familia. Alt. paternidad.