Ephesians 6
Good News Translation
Children and Parents
6 (A)Children, it is your Christian duty to[a] obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do. 2 (B)“Respect your father and mother” is the first commandment that has a promise added: 3 “so that all may go well with you, and you may live a long time in the land.”
4 (C)Parents, do not treat your children in such a way as to make them angry. Instead, raise them with Christian discipline and instruction.
Slaves and Masters
5 (D)Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling; and do it with a sincere heart, as though you were serving Christ. 6 Do this not only when they are watching you, because you want to gain their approval; but with all your heart do what God wants, as slaves of Christ. 7 Do your work as slaves cheerfully, as though you served the Lord, and not merely human beings. 8 Remember that the Lord will reward each of us, whether slave or free, for the good work we do.
9 (E)Masters, behave in the same way toward your slaves and stop using threats. Remember that you and your slaves belong to the same Master in heaven, who judges everyone by the same standard.
The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, build up your strength in union with the Lord and by means of his mighty power. 11 (F)Put on all the armor that God gives you, so that you will be able to stand up against the Devil's evil tricks. 12 For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age. 13 So put on God's armor now! Then when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist the enemy's attacks; and after fighting to the end, you will still hold your ground.
14 (G)So stand ready, with truth as a belt tight around your waist, with righteousness as your breastplate, 15 (H)and as your shoes the readiness to announce the Good News of peace. 16 At all times carry faith as a shield; for with it you will be able to put out all the burning arrows shot by the Evil One. 17 (I)And accept salvation as a helmet, and the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you. 18 Do all this in prayer, asking for God's help. Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people. 19 And pray also for me, that God will give me a message when I am ready to speak, so that I may speak boldly and make known the gospel's secret. 20 For the sake of this gospel I am an ambassador, though now I am in prison. Pray that I may be bold in speaking about the gospel as I should.
Final Greetings
21 (J)Tychicus, our dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord's work, will give you all the news about me, so that you may know how I am getting along. 22 That is why I am sending him to you—to tell you how all of us are getting along and to encourage you.
23 May God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give to all Christians peace and love with faith. 24 May God's grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with undying love.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 6:1 Some manuscripts do not have it is your Christian duty to.
Ephesians 6
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Children and Parents
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord,[a] for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother”—this is the first commandment with a promise(A)— 3 “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
4 And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.(B)
Slaves and Masters
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect[b] and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ,(C) 6 not with a slavery performed merely for looks, to please people, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul. 7 Render service with enthusiasm, as for the Lord and not for humans, 8 knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are enslaved or free.
9 And, masters,[c] do the same to them. Stop threatening them, for you know that both of you have the same Lord[d] in heaven, and with him there is no partiality.(D)
The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power; 11 put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil, 12 for our[e] struggle is not against blood and flesh but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present[f] darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.[g](E) 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand on the evil day and, having prevailed against everything, to stand firm.(F) 14 Stand, therefore, and belt your waist with truth and put on the breastplate of righteousness(G) 15 and lace up your sandals in preparation for the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these,[h] take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one.(H) 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.(I) 18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints.(J) 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,[i](K) 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.(L)
Personal Matters and Benediction
21 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus will tell you everything. He is a dear brother and a faithful minister in the Lord.(M) 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, to let you know how we are and to encourage your hearts.
23 Peace be to the brothers and sisters and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.(N) 24 Grace be with all who have an undying love for[j] our Lord Jesus Christ.[k]
Footnotes
- 6.1 Other ancient authorities lack in the Lord
- 6.5 Or fear
- 6.9 In Gk the same word is used for master and Lord
- 6.9 In Gk the same word is used for master and Lord
- 6.12 Other ancient authorities read your
- 6.12 Gk lacks present
- 6.12 Gk heavenlies
- 6.16 Or In all circumstances
- 6.19 Other ancient authorities lack of the gospel
- 6.24 Or Grace immortal be with all who love
- 6.24 Other ancient authorities add Amen
Ephesians 6
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 6
Children and Parents. 1 Children, obey your parents [in the Lord], for this is right.(A) 2 “Honor your father and mother.”(B) This is the first commandment with a promise, 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on earth.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord.(C)
Slaves and Masters. 5 Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ,(D) 6 not only when being watched, as currying favor, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,(E) 7 willingly serving the Lord and not human beings, 8 knowing that each will be requited from the Lord for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. 9 Masters, act in the same way toward them, and stop bullying, knowing that both they and you have a Master in heaven and that with him there is no partiality.(F)
Battle Against Evil. 10 [a]Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. 11 Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.(G) 12 For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.(H) 13 Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground.(I) 14 So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate,(J) 15 and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace.(K) 16 In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one.(L) 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.(M)
Constant Prayer. 18 With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones(N) 19 and also for me, that speech may be given me to open my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel(O) 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, so that I may have the courage to speak as I must.(P)
V. Conclusion
A Final Message.[b] 21 So that you also may have news of me and of what I am doing, Tychicus, my beloved brother and trustworthy minister in the Lord, will tell you everything.(Q) 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about us and that he may encourage your hearts.(R)
23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in immortality.(S)
Footnotes
- 6:10–20 A general exhortation to courage and prayer. Drawing upon the imagery and ideas of Is 11:5; 59:16–17; and Wis 5:17–23, Paul describes the Christian in terms of the dress and equipment of Roman soldiers. He observes, however, that the Christian’s readiness for combat is not directed against human beings but against the spiritual powers of evil (Eph 6:10–17; cf. Eph 1:21; 2:2; 3:10). Unique importance is placed upon prayer (Eph 6:18–20).
- 6:21–24 Tychicus: the bearer of the letter; see note on Col 4:7. Eph 6:21–22 parallel Col 4:7–8, often word for word. If Ephesians is addressed to several Christian communities (see Introduction), it is understandable that no greetings to individual members of these communities should have been included in it.
Ephesians 6
New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised
Children and Parents
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord,[a] for this is right. 2 ‘Honour your father and mother’—this is the first commandment with a promise: 3 ‘so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.’
4 And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Slaves and Masters
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as you obey Christ; 6 not only while being watched, and in order to please them, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. 7 Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women, 8 knowing that whatever good we do, we will receive the same again from the Lord, whether we are slaves or free.
9 And, masters, do the same to them. Stop threatening them, for you know that both of you have the same Master in heaven, and with him there is no partiality.
The Whole Armour of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our[b] struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to withstand on that evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. 15 As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. 16 With all of these,[c] take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in supplication for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,[d] 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak.
Personal Matters and Benediction
21 So that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus will tell you everything. He is a dear brother and a faithful minister in the Lord. 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, to let you know how we are, and to encourage your hearts.
23 Peace be to the whole community,[e] and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who have an undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ.[f]
Footnotes
- Ephesians 6:1 Other ancient authorities lack in the Lord
- Ephesians 6:12 Other ancient authorities read your
- Ephesians 6:16 Or In all circumstances
- Ephesians 6:19 Other ancient authorities lack of the gospel
- Ephesians 6:23 Gk to the brothers
- Ephesians 6:24 Other ancient authorities add Amen
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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