Read the New Testament in 24 Weeks
The Mystery of the Gentiles Revealed
3 For this reason I, Paul, am a prisoner of Messiah Yeshua for the sake of you Gentiles. 2 Surely you have heard about the plan of God’s grace given to me for you— 3 that the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote before briefly. 4 When you read this, you can understand my insight into the mystery of Messiah— 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations, as it has now been revealed by the Ruach to His holy emissaries and prophets. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are joint heirs and fellow members of the same body and co-sharers of the promise in Messiah Yeshua through the Good News. 7 I became a servant of this Good News by the gift of God’s favor given to me through the exercise of His power.
8 This favor was given to me, the very least of His kedoshim, to proclaim to the Gentiles the endless riches of the Messiah 9 and to bring to light the plan of the mystery—which for ages was hidden in God, who created all things. 10 The purpose is that through Messiah’s community the multi-faceted wisdom of God might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places, 11 which is in keeping with the eternal purpose that He carried out in Messiah Yeshua our Lord. 12 In Him we have boldness and access with confidence through trusting in Him. [a] 13 So I ask you not to be discouraged by my troubles on your behalf—they are your glory.
Prayer for Power and Understanding
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father[b]— 15 from Him every family in heaven and on earth receives its name. 16 I pray that from His glorious riches He would grant you to be strengthened in your inner being with power through His Ruach, 17 so that Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may have strength to grasp with all the kedoshim what is the width and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Messiah which surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled up with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to Him who is able to do far beyond all that we ask or imagine, by means of His power that works in us, 21 to Him be the glory in the community of believers and in Messiah Yeshua throughout all generations[c] forever and ever! Amen.
Unity of the Body and of God
4 Therefore I, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you were called— 2 with complete humility and gentleness, with patience, putting up with one another in love, 3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Ruach in the bond of shalom.
4 There is one body and one Ruach,
just as you also were called in one hope of your calling;
5 one Lord, one faith, one immersion;
6 one God and Father of all,[d]
who is over all and through all and in all.
7 But to each one of us grace was given in keeping with the measure of Messiah’s gift. 8 Therefore it says,
“When He went up on high,
He led captive a troop of captives
and gave gifts to his people.”[e]
9 Now what does “He went up” mean, except that He first went down to the lower regions of the earth? [f] 10 The One who came down is the same One who went up far above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.
11 He Himself gave some to be emissaries, some as prophets, some as proclaimers of the Good News, and some as shepherds and teachers— 12 to equip the kedoshim for the work of service, for building up the body of Messiah. 13 This will continue until we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of Ben-Elohim—to mature adulthood, to the measure of the stature of Messiah’s fullness. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be like children, tossed around by the waves and blown all over by every wind of teaching, by the trickery of men with cunning in deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all ways into Messiah, who is the Head. 16 From Him the whole body is fitted and held together by every supporting ligament. The proper working of each individual part produces the body’s growth, for building itself up in love.
Put Off The Old, Put On The New
17 So I tell you this, indeed I insist on it in the Lord—walk no longer as the pagans do, stumbling around in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance in them due to the hardness of their heart. 19 Since they are past feeling, they have turned themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of immorality, with greed for more.
20 However, you did not learn Messiah in this way— 21 if indeed you have heard Him and were taught in Him, as the truth is in Yeshua. 22 With respect to your former lifestyle, you are to lay aside the old self corrupted by its deceitful desires, 23 be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self—created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
25 So lay aside lying and “each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,”[g] for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, yet do not sin.”[h] Do not let the sun go down on your anger, [i] 27 nor give the devil a foothold. 28 The one who steals must steal no longer—instead he must work, doing something useful with his own hands, so he may have something to share with the one who has need. 29 Let no harmful word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for building others up according to the need, so that it gives grace to those who hear it. 30 Do not grieve the Ruach ha-Kodesh of God,[j] by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Get rid of all bitterness and rage and anger and quarreling and slander, along with all malice. 32 Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving each other just as God in Messiah also forgave you.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.