2 1:3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly [worlds] in Christ, 1:4as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him, 1:5having predestinated us in love to an adoption through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 1:6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he bestowed upon us in the beloved, 1:7in whom we have the redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace, 1:8which he bestowed on us abundantly with all wisdom and knowledge 1:9making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in himself 1:10in respect to the dispensation of the fullness of times, to bring all things into one in Christ, the things which are in heaven and the things which are on earth, in him 1:11in whom also we have been called, having been predestinated according to the purpose of him who works out all things according to the counsel of his will, 1:12that we should be for a praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ; 1:13in whom also you, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also you having believed were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 1:14which is a pledge of our inheritance for the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of his glory.
3 1:15Therefore, I also, having heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and love to all the saints, 1:16do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, 1:17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; 1:18the eyes of your minds being enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his call, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 1:19and what the exceeding greatness of his power towards us who believe, according to the operation of his mighty power, 1:20which he performed in Christ, when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly [worlds], 1:21above every principality and authority and power and lordship, and every name that is named, not only in this life but also in that to come, 1:22and put all things in subjection under his feet, and made him head over all things to the church, 1:23which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all things in all.
4 2:1And you being dead in trespasses and sins,— 2:2in which you formerly walked according to the life of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit which now operates in the children of disobedience, 2:3among whom also we all formerly lived in the desires of our flesh, performing the wishes of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as others; 2:4but God who is rich in mercy, on account of his great love with which he loved us,— 2:5even when we were dead in sins he made us alive with Christ,—by grace are you saved, 2:6and raised us up and seated us together with Christ Jesus in the heavenly worlds, 2:7that he might show in the ages to come the transcendent riches of his grace in goodness to us by Jesus Christ. 2:8For by grace are you saved through the faith; and that not of you; [it is] the gift of God; 2:9not of works, that no one may boast; 2:10for we are his creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, in which God before appointed that we should walk.
5 2:11Wherefore, remember that you were formerly gentiles by birth, called uncircumcision by that called circumcision made in the flesh by the hand, 2:12that at that time you were without Christ, alienated from the polity of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world; 2:13but now, in Christ Jesus you who were formerly far off have been made nigh by the blood of Christ. 2:14For he is our peace, who made both one and broke down the middle wall of partition, 2:15the enmity, and abolished by his flesh the law of commandments [consisting] of ordinances, that of the two he might create in himself one new man, making peace, 2:16and reconcile both in one body to God through the cross, having destroyed the enmity by it. 2:17And he came and preached the good news of peace to you who were far off, and peace to those nigh, 2:18for through him we both have access by one spirit to the Father. 2:19Therefore you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow-citizens of the saints and of the family of God, 2:20being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone, 2:21by which all the building being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 2:22in which you also are built up together for a spiritual habitation of God.
6 3:1For this cause I Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ for you gentiles, 3:2if indeed you heard of the dispensation of the grace of God given to me for you, 3:3that by revelation the mystery was made known to me,—as I wrote before in a few words, 3:4by reading which you can understand my knowledge of the mystery of Christ,— 3:5which in other generations was not made known to the children of men as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, 3:6that the gentiles are co-heirs and of the same body and joint partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 3:7of which I was made a minister by the gracious gift of God, given to me by the operation of his power. 3:8To me, who am the least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the nations the unsearchable riches of Christ, 3:9and to enlighten all men as to the dispensation of the mystery concealed from eternity in God who created all things, 3:10that now to the principalities and powers in the heavenly [worlds] should be made known, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God, 3:11according to the eternal purpose which he made in Christ Jesus our Lord, 3:12in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in him.
7 3:13Wherefore I desire you not to faint on account of my afflictions for you, which are your glory. 3:14For this reason I bow my knees to the Father, 3:15of whom all the family in heaven and on earth is named, 3:16that he would grant to you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man, 3:17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through the faith, you being founded and established in love, 3:18that you may be able to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length, and depth and height, 3:19and to know the love of Christ which exceeds knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. 3:20To him that is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, by the power which operates in us, 3:21to him be the glory in the church in Jesus Christ to all generations, for ever and ever; amen.
CHAPTER II.
PERSONAL AND SOCIAL DUTIES.
1 4:1I THEREFORE, the prisoner of the Lord, exhort you to walk worthily of the call with which you were called, 4:2with all humility and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in love, 4:3using diligence to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. 4:4There is one body, and one spirit, as you also are called in one hope of your call; 4:5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 4:6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 4:7And to each one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
2 4:8Wherefore he says, When he ascended on high, he took captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. 4:9But this, that he ascended, what is it but that he first descended into the lower parts of the earth? 4:10He that descended is the same also that ascended above all heavens, that he might fill all [places]. 4:11And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, 4:12for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edification of the body of Christ, 4:13till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 4:14that we may be no longer children, driven about like waves and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the art of men, and the craftiness of deceitful wiles, 4:15but speaking the truth with love we may grow to him in all things, who is the head, Christ; 4:16by whom all the body being joined together and compacted by the supply of every joint, according to the proportionate operation of every part, makes increase of the body to the edification of itself in love.