Chapter 1

Greetings

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus.

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual Blessings in Christ

3 ^a Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

4 according as ^b He has chosen us in Him ^c before the foundation of the world so that we should ^d be holy and without blame before Him in love,

5 ^e having predestined us to the ^f adoption of sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, ^g according to the good pleasure of His will,

6 to the praise of the glory of His grace ^h by which He has made us accepted in the ⁱ Beloved.

7 ^j In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to ^k the riches of His grace

8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and insight,

9 ^l having made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure ^m that He purposed in Him,

10 so that in the dispensation of ⁿ the fullness of times ^o He might gather together in one ^p all things in Christ, things in heaven and things on earth, in Him.

11 ^q In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to ^r the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His own will,

12 ^s so that we ^t who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.

13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard ^u the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. In whom also after you believed ^v you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

14 ^w who is the guarantee of our inheritance ^x until the redemption of ^y the purchased possession, ^z to the praise of His glory.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

15 Therefore, I also, ^a after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love for all the saints,

16 ^b do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,

17 so that ^c the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, ^d may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.

18 I pray that ^e the eyes of your heart be enlightened so that you may know what is ^f the hope of His calling, and what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, ^g according to the working of His mighty power

20 that He worked in Christ when ^h He raised Him from the dead and ⁱ seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places,

21 ^j far above all ^k principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.

22 And He ^l put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be ^m head over all things to the church,

23 ⁿ which is His body, ^o the fullness of Him ^p who fills all in all.

Chapter 2

Alive in Christ

1 And ^a you were ^b dead in trespasses and sins,

2 ^c in which you once walked according to the ways of this world, according to ^d the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the ^e sons of disobedience.

3 ^f Among whom also we all once behaved in times past in ^g the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and ^h were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest.

4 But God, ⁱ who is rich in mercy, for His ^j great love with which He loved us,

5 ^k even when we were dead in trespasses, ^l made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.

6 And He has raised us up together and made us sit together ^m in heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

7 so that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His ⁿ kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

8 ^o For by grace you are saved ^p through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is ^q the gift of God;

9 not of ^r works, lest anyone should ^s boast.

10 For we are ^t His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we should walk in them.

United in Christ

11 Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh—who are called “uncircumcision” by those called ^u the “circumcision” in the flesh made by hands—

12 that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

14 For He is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation,

15 having abolished in His flesh the enmity, which is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, in order to make in Himself of the two one ^v new man, thus making peace,

16 and that He might ^w reconcile both to God in one body by the cross, by which He ^x put to death the enmity.

17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near.

18 For ^y through Him we both have access ^z by one Spirit to the Father.

19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.

20 And you are ^a built ^b on the foundation of the ^c apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the ^d chief corner stone,

21 in whom the whole building fitted together grows to ^e a holy temple in the Lord,

22 ^f in whom you also are being built together for a ^g dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Chapter 3

Paul’s Mission to the Gentiles

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

2 if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of the grace of God ^a that is given to me for you;

3 ^b how that by revelation ^c He made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in few words.

4 Therefore, when you read you can understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ,

5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets,

6 that the Gentiles ^d should be fellow heirs of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel,

7 ^e of which I was made a minister ^f according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by ^g the effective working of His power.

8 To me, ^h who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, so that I should preach among the Gentiles ⁱ the unsearchable riches of Christ,

9 and to make all see what is the stewardship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who ^j created all things;

10 ^k in order that now ^l to the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known through the church ^m the manifold wisdom of God,

11 ⁿ according to the eternal purpose that He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord,

12 in whom we have boldness and access ^o with confidence through the faith of Him.

13 ^p Therefore, I desire that you not lose heart at my tribulations for you, ^q which is your glory.

Prayer for the Ephesians

14 For this reason I bow my knees to the ^r Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

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

16 that He would grant you, ^s according to the riches of His glory, ^t to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in ^u the inner man,

17 ^v so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, ^w being rooted and grounded in love,

18 ^x may be able to comprehend with all the saints ^y what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled ^z with all the fullness of God.

20 Now ^a to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly ^b above all that we ask or think ^c according to the power that works in us,

21 ^d to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

Chapter 4

Unity of the Body

1 Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you that you ^a walk worthy of the calling with which you have been called,

2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, forbearing one another in love,

3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit ^b in the bond of peace.

4 There is ^c one body and one Spirit, even as you were called in one hope of your calling;

5 ^d one Lord, ^e one faith, ^f one baptism,

6 ^g one God and Father of all, who is above all and ^h through all and in all.

7 But ⁱ to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

8 Therefore, He says, ^j “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men.”

9 ^k (Now this expression, “He ascended,” what does it mean except that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

10 He who descended is the same also ^l who ascended far above all the heavens, ^m so that He might fill all things.)

Organic Function of the Body

11 And He gave some to be apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some shepherds and teachers,

12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, ⁿ for the edifying of the ^o body of Christ,

13 until we all come to the unity of the faith, ^p and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to ^q a complete man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be ^r children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of teaching, by the trickery of men in cleverness to the ^s deceitfulness of error.

15 But speaking the truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, who is the ^t head, even Christ,

16 ^u from whom the whole body being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working of each part, causes growth of the body to the edifying of itself in love.

17 This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you ^v no longer walk as other Gentiles, in the vanity of their mind,

18 having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the ^w blindness of their heart.

19 ^x Who, being past feeling, ^y have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all impurity with greediness.

20 But you have not learned Christ in this way,

21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus,

22 to ^z put off, concerning the former behavior, the old man that is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts,

23 and ^a be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

24 and to ^b put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Christian Conduct

25 Therefore, putting away lying, ^c let everyone speak truth with his neighbor, for ^d we are members one of another.

26 ^e Be angry, and yet do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your wrath.

27 ^f Do not give opportunity to the devil.

28 Let him who steals steal no more, but rather ^g let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, so that he may have something ^h to give to him who has need.

29 ⁱ Let no corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but ^j what is good for edification, ^k so that it may give grace to the hearers.

30 And ^l do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

31 ^m Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and ⁿ slander be put away from you, along ^o with all malice.

32 And ^p be kind to one another, tenderhearted, ^q forgiving one another, just as God in Christ has also forgiven you.

Chapter 5

Walk in Love

1 Therefore, ^a be imitators of God as ^b dear children.

2 And ^c walk in love ^d as Christ also loved us, and gave Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a ^e fragrant aroma.

3 But fornication and all ^f uncleanness or ^g covetousness, let it not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints;

4 ^h neither filthiness, nor ⁱ foolish talking, nor coarse joking, ^j that are not fitting, but rather ^k giving of thanks.

5 For this you know, that no fornicator, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any ^l inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

6 Let no man deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

7 Therefore, do not be ^m partakers with them.

8 For you were formerly darkness, but now you are ⁿ light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

9 (for the ^o fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth),

10 ^p finding out what is pleasing to the Lord.

11 And have ^q no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

12 ^r For it is disgraceful even to speak of the things that are done by them in secret.

13 But ^s all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.

14 Therefore, He says, ^t “Awake you who sleep and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.”

Walk in Wisdom

15 ^u See then that you walk carefully, not as fools but as wise,

16 ^v making the most of the time ^w because the days are evil.

17 Therefore, ^x do not be foolish, but ^y understand ^z what the will of the Lord is.

18 And ^a do not be drunk with wine, in which is senselessness, but be filled with the Spirit,

19 speaking to one another ^b in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making ^c melody in your heart to the Lord,

20 ^d always giving thanks for all things to God the Father ^e in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

21 ^f submitting to one another in the fear of God.

Marriage Relationships

22 Wives, ^g submit to your own husbands as to the Lord.

23 For the ^h husband is the head of the wife as ⁱ Christ also is the head of the church. And He is the Savior of the body.

24 Therefore, as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands ^j in everything.

25 ^k Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and ^l gave Himself for it,

26 so that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the ^m washing of water ⁿ by the word,

27 ^o so that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, ^p not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself.

29 For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord does the church.

30 For ^q we are members of His body, [of His flesh and of His bones].

31 ^r For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and ^s the two will be one flesh.

32 This is a great mystery. But I speak concerning Christ and the church.

33 Nevertheless, ^t let each one of you in particular so love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see that she ^u respects her husband.

Chapter 6

Children and Parents

1 Children, ^a obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

2 ^b “Honor your father and mother” —which is the first commandment with promise—

3 “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

4 And ^c you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but ^d bring them up in the discipline and admonition of the Lord.

Masters and Bondservants

5 ^e Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, ^f with fear and trembling, ^g in sincerity of your heart, as to Christ;

6 ^h not with eyeservice as men-pleasers, but as the bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

7 with goodwill doing service as to the Lord, and not to men;

8 ⁱ knowing that whatever good thing anyone does, the same he will receive from the Lord, whether he is bondservant or free.

9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your ^j Master also is in heaven, and ^k there is no partiality with Him.

The Armor of God

10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

11 ^l Put on the whole armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the ^m rulers, against the powers, against the ⁿ world forces of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in high places.

13 Therefore, ^o take up the whole armor of God so that you may be able to withstand ^p in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

14 Stand therefore, ^q having girded your waist with truth, and ^r having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

15 and ^s having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

16 Above all, take up the ^t shield of faith by which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

17 And ^u take the helmet of salvation, and the ^v sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.

18 ^w Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, ^x being alert with all perseverance and ^y supplication for all saints,

19 and pray for me so that speech may be given to me, ^z so that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,

20 for which ^a I am an ambassador in chains, that in it I may speak boldly as I ought to speak.

Final Greetings

21 In order that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, ^b Tychicus, a beloved brother and ^c faithful minister in the Lord, will make known to you all things.

22 ^d I have sent him to you for the same purpose that you might know our affairs and that he might ^e comfort your hearts.

23 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.