Ephesians
Chapter 1
1 Paul, sent by God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, writes to God’s holy people in Ephesus and to all who are faithful to Jesus Christ.
2 May you have kindness and peace from God our Father and from Jesus Christ.
3 God is great, the God and Father of Jesus Christ, who has given us every spiritual gift in heaven through Christ.
4 God chose us in him before the world was made, so that we would be holy and without fault before him in love.
5 God planned for us to be his children through Jesus Christ, as he wanted.
6 To honor the greatness of his kindness, he made us welcomed through his love.
7 In him, we are set free by his blood, our sins forgiven, because of his great kindness.
8 He has given us a lot of wisdom and understanding.
9 God revealed to us the secret of what he wants to do, which he decided by himself because it made him happy.
10 In the time when everything is complete, he plans to unite all things in Christ, both in heaven and on earth, in him.
11 In him, we also received an inheritance, because we were chosen as part of his plan who makes all things happen according to his own will.
12 We are meant to bring praise to his glory because we were the first to hope in Christ.
13 In whom you also trusted, after you heard the true word, the good news of your salvation: in whom also after you believed, you were marked with the promised Holy Spirit.
14 It is the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until God redeems what was bought, to the praise of his glory.
15 Because I too, when I heard about your belief in Jesus and your love for all of God’s people,
16 I always give thanks for you and remember you in my prayers.
17 May the God of Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, give you a spirit of wisdom and understanding to know him better.
18 May your mind’s eye be opened, so you can understand the hope God calls you to, and how great his glorious inheritance is among the holy people.
19 God’s power for us who believe is very great, just like the mighty strength he has shown.
20 God showed this power in Christ when he raised him from the dead and placed him at his right side in heaven.
21 High above all rulers, authorities, strength, and lords, and every name known, not only in this world but also in the future one:
22 God has placed everything under his control and made him the leader of everything for the church.
23 This is his body, which is the complete presence of the one who fills everything completely.