Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God,
 to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:

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

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in
Christ;

even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the
world, that we would be holy and without blemish before him in love;

having predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ
to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,

to the
praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely bestowed favor on
us in the Beloved,

in whom we have our redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of
his grace,

which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and
prudence,

making known to us the mystery of his will, according
to his good pleasure which he purposed in him

to an
administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in
Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him;

in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been
foreordained according to the purpose of him who works all things after
the counsel of his will;

to the end that we should be to the
praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:

in whom
you also, having heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your
salvation, -- in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the
Holy Spirit of promise,

who is a pledge of our inheritance, to
the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of his glory.

For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord
Jesus which is among you, and the love which you have toward all the
saints,

don't cease to give thanks for you, making mention of
you in my prayers,

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in
the knowledge of him;

having the eyes of your hearts
enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and
what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who
believe, according to that working of the strength of his might

which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made
him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,

far above
all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that
is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come.

He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to
be head over all things for the assembly,

which is his body, the
fullness of him who fills all in all.

You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and
sins,

in which you once walked according to the course of this
world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, the spirit who
now works in the sons of disobedience;

among whom we also all
once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and
of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he
loved us,

even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us
alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

and
raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly
places in Christ Jesus,

that in the ages to come he might show
the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ
Jesus;

for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that
not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

not of works, that no
one would boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in
them.

Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh,
who are called "uncircumcision" by that which is called "circumcision,"
(in the flesh, made by hands);

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

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far
off are made near in the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace,
who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,

having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments
contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of
the two, making peace;

and might reconcile them both in one body
to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby.

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

For through him we both have our access in one Spirit
to the Father.

So then you are no longer strangers and
sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the
household of God,

being built on the foundation of the apostles
and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone;

in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple
in the Lord;

in whom you also are built together for a
habitation of God in the Spirit.

For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on
behalf of you Gentiles,

if it is so that you have heard of the
administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you;

how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I
wrote before in few words,

by which, when you read, you can
perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ;

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

that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and
fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel,

whereof I was made a servant, according to the gift of that grace
of God which was given me according to the working of his power.

To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to
the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

and to make all
men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has
been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ;

to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God
might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the
heavenly places,

according to the eternal purpose which he
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord;

in whom we have boldness and
access in confidence through our faith in him.

Therefore I ask
that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your
glory.

For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ,

from whom every family in heaven and on earth is
named,

that he would grant you, according to the riches of his
glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in
the inward man;

that Christ may dwell in your hearts through
faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the
breadth and length and height and depth,

and to know Christ's
love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the
fullness of God.

Now to him who is able to do exceedingly
abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that
works in us,

to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ
Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk
worthily of the calling with which you were called,

with all
lowliness and humility, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in
love;

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

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

one Lord, one faith, one
baptism,

one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through
all, and in us all.

But to each one of us was the grace given
according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

Therefore he
says, "When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and gave
gifts to men."

Now this, "He ascended," what is it but that he
also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?

He who
descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that
he might fill all things.

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

for the
perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of
the body of Christ;

until we all attain to the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to
the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;

that we
may no longer be children, tossed back and forth and carried about with
every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in craftiness, after
the wiles of error;

but speaking truth in love, we may grow up
in all things into him, who is the head, Christ;

from whom all
the body, being fitted and knit together through that which every joint
supplies, according to the working in measure of each individual part,
makes the body increase to the building up of itself in love.

This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you no
longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of
their mind,

being darkened in their understanding, alienated
from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because
of the hardening of their hearts;

who having become callous gave
themselves up to lust, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

But you did not learn Christ that way;

if indeed you heard him,
and were taught in him, even as truth is in Jesus:

that you put
away, as concerning your former way of life, the old man, that grows
corrupt after the lusts of deceit;

and that you be renewed in
the spirit of your mind,

and put on the new man, who in the
likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of truth.

Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth each one with
his neighbor. For we are members one of another.

"Be angry, and
don't sin." Don't let the sun go down on your wrath,

neither
give place to the devil.

Let him who stole steal no more; but
rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good,
that he may have something to give to him who has need.

Let no
corrupt speech proceed out of your mouth, but such as is good for
building up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who
hear.

Don't grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were
sealed for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness, wrath,
anger, outcry, and slander, be put away from you, with all malice.

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other,
just as God also in Christ forgave you.

Be therefore imitators of God, as beloved children.

Walk
in love, even as Christ also loved you, and gave himself up for us, an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling fragrance.

But sexual immorality, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not
even be mentioned among you, as becomes saints;

nor filthiness,
nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not appropriate; but rather
giving of thanks.

Know this for sure, that no sexually immoral person, nor
unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any
inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and God.

Let no one deceive you with empty words. For because of these
things, the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience.

Therefore don't be partakers with them.

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

for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness
and truth,

proving what is well-pleasing to the Lord.

Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather
even reprove them.

For the things which are done by them in
secret, it is a shame even to speak of.

But all things, when
they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that is
revealed is light.

Therefore he says, "Awake, you who sleep, and
arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as
wise;

redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

Therefore don't be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord
is.

Don't be drunken with wine, in which is dissipation, but be
filled with the Spirit,

speaking to one another in psalms,
hymns, and spiritual songs; singing, and singing praises in your heart
to the Lord;

giving thanks always concerning all things in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to God, even the Father;

subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

For the husband is the head of the wife, and Christ also is the
head of the assembly, being himself the savior of the body.

But
as the assembly is subject to Christ, so let the wives also be to their
own husbands in everything.

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the
assembly, and gave himself up for it;

that he might sanctify it,
having cleansed it by the washing of water with the word,

that
he might present the assembly to himself gloriously, not having spot or
wrinkle or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without
blemish.

Even so ought husbands also to love their own wives as
their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself.

For
no man ever hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even
as the Lord also does the assembly;

because we are members of
his body, of his flesh and bones.

"For this cause a man will
leave his father and mother, and will be joined to his wife. The two
will become one flesh."

This mystery is great, but I speak
concerning Christ and of the assembly.

Nevertheless each of you
must also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see that
she respects her husband.

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

"Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment
with a promise:

"that it may be well with you, and you may live
long on the earth."

You fathers, don't provoke your children to wrath, but nurture
them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are
your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as
to Christ;

not in the way of service only when eyes are on you,
as men-pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from
the heart;

with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not
to men;

knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will
receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free.

You masters, do the same things to them, and give up
threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in
heaven, and there is no partiality with him.

Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his
might.

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil.

For our wrestling is not
against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the
powers, against the world's rulers of the darkness of this age, and
against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able
to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your
waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

and
having fitted your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be
able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.

And take the
helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of
God;

with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the
Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests
for all the saints:

on my behalf, that utterance may be given to
me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the
gospel,

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

But that you also may know my affairs, how I am doing,
Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will
make known to you all things;

whom I have sent to you for this
very purpose, that you may know our state, and that he may comfort your
hearts.

Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace be with all those who
love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love. Amen.