1 From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.
To God's people who live in Ephesus and are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.
2 I pray that God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
Christ Brings Spiritual Blessings
3 Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the spiritual blessings that Christ has brought us from heaven! 4 Before the world was created, God had Christ choose us to live with him and to be his holy and innocent and loving people. 5 God was kind and decided that Christ would choose us to be God's own adopted children. 6 God treated us with undeserved grace because of the Son he dearly loves, and so we should praise God.
7-8 Christ sacrificed his life's blood to set us free, which means our sins are now forgiven. Christ did this because of God's gift of undeserved grace to us. God has great wisdom and understanding, 9 and by what Christ has done, God has shown us his own mysterious ways. 10 Then when the time is right, God will do all he has planned, and Christ will bring together everything in heaven and on earth.
11 God always does what he plans, and this is why he appointed Christ to choose us. 12 He did this so we Jews would bring honor to him and be the first ones to have hope because of him. 13 Christ also brought you the truth, which is the good news about how you can be saved. You put your faith in Christ and were given the promised Holy Spirit to show you belong to God. 14 The Spirit also makes us sure we will be given what God has stored up for his people. Then we will be set free, and God will be honored and praised.
Paul's Prayer
15 I have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God's people. 16 So I never stop being grateful for you, as I mention you in my prayers. 17 I ask the glorious Father and God of our Lord Jesus Christ to give you his Spirit. The Spirit will make you wise and let you understand what it means to know God. 18 My prayer is that light will flood your hearts and you will understand the hope given to you when God chose you. Then you will discover the glorious blessings that will be yours together with all God's people.
19 I want you to know about the great and mighty power that God has for us followers. It is the same wonderful power he used 20 when he raised Christ from death and let him sit at his right side in heaven. 21 There Christ rules over all forces, authorities, powers, and rulers. He rules over all beings in this world and will rule in the future world as well. 22 God has put all things under the power of Christ, and for the good of the church he has made him the head of everything. 23 The church is the body of Christ and is filled with Christ who completely fills everything.
1 Pavl an Apostle of Jesvs Christ by the will of God, to the Saints, which are at Ephesus, and to ye faithfull in Christ Iesus: 2 Grace be with you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Iesus Christ. 3 Blessed be God, and the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, which hath blessed vs with all spirituall blessing in heauenly thinges in Christ, 4 As hee hath chosen vs in him, before the foundation of the worlde, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in loue: 5 Who hath predestinate vs, to be adopted through Iesus Christ in him selfe, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the prayse of the glory of his grace, wherewith he hath made vs freely accepted in his beloued, 7 By whom we haue redemption through his blood, euen the forgiuenes of sinnes, according to his rich grace: 8 Whereby he hath bene aboundant toward vs in all wisedome and vnderstanding, 9 And hath opened vnto vs the mysterie of his will according to his good pleasure, which he had purposed in him, 10 That in the dispensation of the fulnesse of the times, he might gather together in one all things, both which are in heauen, and which are in earth, euen in Christ: 11 In whom also we are chosen when we were predestinate according to ye purpose of him, which worketh all things after the counsell of his owne will, 12 That we, which first trusted in Christ, should be vnto the praise of his glorie: 13 In whom also ye haue trusted, after that ye heard the worde of trueth, euen the Gospel of your saluation, wherein also after that ye beleeued, ye were sealed with the holy Spirite of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance, for the redemption of that libertie purchased vnto the prayse of his glory. 15 Therefore also after that I heard of the faith, which ye haue in the Lord Iesus, and loue toward all the Saints, 16 I cease not to giue thankes for you, making mention of you in my prayers, 17 That the God of our Lord Iesus Christ, that Father of glory, might giue vnto you the Spirit of wisedome, and reuelation through the acknowledging of him, 18 That the eyes of your vnderstanding may be lightened, that ye may knowe what the hope is of his calling, and what the riches of his glorious inheritance is in the Saints, 19 And what is the exceeding greatnesse of his power toward vs, which beleeue, according to the working of his mightie power, 20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his right hand in the heauenly places, 21 Farre aboue al principalitie, and power, and might, and domination, and euery Name, that is named, not in this world only, but also in that that is to come, 22 And hath made all things subiect vnder his feete, and hath giuen him ouer all things to be the head to the Church, 23 Which is his body, euen the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all things.