Bondservants and Masters

(A)Bondservants,[a] obey your earthly masters[b] with fear and trembling, (B)with a sincere heart, (C)as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as (D)people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, (E)knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, (F)whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, (G)and stop your threatening, knowing that (H)he who is both their Master[c] and yours is in heaven, and that (I)there is no partiality with him.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 6:5 For the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface; also verse 6; likewise for bondservant in verse 8
  2. Ephesians 6:5 Or your masters according to the flesh
  3. Ephesians 6:9 Greek Lord

Slaves and Masters

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ, not while being watched[a], as people pleasers, but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart, serving with goodwill as to the Lord and not to people, because you[b] know that each one of you, whatever good he should do,[c] this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. And masters, do the same things to them, giving up threats, knowing that both their Lord and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.

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Footnotes

  1. Ephesians 6:6 Literally “with eye service”
  2. Ephesians 6:8 Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“know”) which is understood as causal
  3. Ephesians 6:8 Some manuscripts have “if he should do anything good”