Intro to the JBT
Chapter 1
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we might be holy and blameless[a] in His sight. 5In love He predestined us to adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved, 7in Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8which He lavished on us, in all wisdom and insight, 9having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure, which He set forth in Him 10as a plan for the fullness of the times, to head up all things under Christ - things in the heavens, and things on the earth - in Him 11in Whom we also were made an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of His will, 12so that we might be to the praise of His glory, we who were the first to hope in Christ, 13in Whom you also, having heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and having believed in Him, you were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit, 14Who is the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance, for the redemption of the possession, to the praise of His glory.
15For this reason, having heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, 16I do not stop giving thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers; 17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, might give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him, 18and having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe, by the working of His mighty power 20which He exercised in Christ, having raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come, 22and He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
Chapter 2
1And you, being dead in your trespasses and sins, 2in which you formerly walked, following the course of this world system, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience – 3among whom we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest...
4But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7so that He might demonstrate in the coming ages the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we might walk in them.
11Therefore remember that at one time you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “uncircumcision” by the so-called “circumcision” (which is performed in the flesh by human hands) – 12that you were at that time without Christ, alienated from the citizenship of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13But now in Christ Jesus you who at one time were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14For He Himself is our peace, the one who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, the hostility, 15when, in His flesh, He rendered inoperative the law of commandments in decrees, so that He might make the two, in Himself, into one new man, thus making peace, 16and so that He might reconcile both in one body to God through the cross, having by it, in Himself, put the hostility to death. 17And having come, He proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near, 18for through Him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone, 21in whom the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God by the Spirit.
Chapter 3
1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles – 2if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly. 4By reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, 6that is, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the same body and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 7of which I became a servant by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me according to the working of His power. 8To me, less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9and to bring to light the plan of the mystery that has been hidden for ages in God who created all things, 10so that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places, 11according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. 13Therefore, I ask that you do not lose heart at what I am suffering on your behalf, which is your glory.
14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16that He might grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, 17that Christ might dwell in your hearts by faith, so that, having been rooted and grounded in love, 18you might be able to grasp, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you might be filled up with all the fullness of God.
20Now to Him who is able to do infinitely more[b] than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Chapter 4
1Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit (just as you too were called in one hope of your calling), 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
7But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.”[c] 9What is the meaning of “He ascended,” except that He also descended to the lower parts of the earth? 10The One who descended is Himself also the One who ascended above all the heavens, that He might fill all things. 11And He Himself gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, for the building up of the Body of Christ, 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14so that we might no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of men who cunningly carry out their deceitful schemes, 15but, speaking the truth in love, we might in all things grow up into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, when each part is working properly, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.
17So this I say, and insist in the Lord, that you no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds, 18having been darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the stubbornness of their hearts; 19who, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20But you did not learn Christ in this way, 21if indeed you heard Him and were taught in Him, just as the truth is in Jesus, 22to lay aside, in regard to your former way of life, the old self who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires, 23to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, 24and to put on the new self which has been created in the likeness of God – in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
25Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor,[d] for we are members of one another. 26Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger, 27and do not give the devil an opportunity. 28Let the one who is stealing steal no more, but rather let him labor, doing with his own hands what is good, so that he might have something to share with the one who has need. 29Let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, that it might give grace to those who hear. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and quarreling and slander be put away from you, along with all wickedness. 32Be[e] kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.
Chapter 5
1Therefore, be[f] imitators of God as beloved children, 2and walk in love, just as Christ also loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. 3But sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed must not even be named among you, as is fitting for the saints; 4and let there be no vulgar speech, nor foolish talk, nor coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks! 5For you can be sure of this, that nobody that is sexually immoral, impure, or greedy (that is, an idolater), has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.
6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7Therefore do not be partakers with them, 8for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9(for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth), 10trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord, 11and have no part in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather even expose them, 12for the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention. 13But all things exposed by the light become visible, for anything made visible is light. 14For this reason it says, “Awake, O sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!”
15Be very careful, therefore, how you walk – not as unwise but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18And do not get drunk with wine, which is dissipation, but be filled by the Spirit, 19speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your hearts to the Lord, 20always giving thanks for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father, 21and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23for the husband is the head of the wife as also Christ is head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. 24But as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in all things.
25Husbands, love your wives just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27so that He might present the church to Himself in glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she might be holy and blameless. 28In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29For no one ever hated his own flesh[g], but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, 30for we are members of His body. 31For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.[h] 32This mystery is great, but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. 33Nevertheless, each one of you also is to love his own wife as himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.
Chapter 6
1Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2“Honor your father and mother”[i] (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3“that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”[j]
4Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
5Slaves, obey those who are your masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as you would Christ, 6not by way of eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7serving with enthusiasm as to the Lord and not to men, 8knowing that whatever good anyone does, whether slave or free, this he will receive back from the Lord.
9And masters, do the same to them, giving up your threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.
10Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you might be able to stand your ground in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm therefore, having fastened the belt of truth around your waist, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15and having sandaled your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16with everything, having taken up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one; 17and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18praying at all times in the Spirit, with every prayer and petition, and to this end, being alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints. 19And pray for me also, that utterance might be given to me in the opening of my mouth to boldly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I might speak it boldly, as it is necessary for me to speak.
21But so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you. 22I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you might know about us and that he might encourage your hearts.
23Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an incorruptible love.
[a] or “unblemished”
[b] lit. “far more abundantly than”
[c] reference to Psalm 68:18
[d] quotation from Zechariah 8:16
[e] or “become”
[f] or “become”
[g] or “body”
[h] quotation from Genesis 2:24
[i] quotation from Exodus 20:12; Deuteronomy 5:16
[j] quotation from Deuteronomy 5:16
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