New Living Translation

New International Version

Greetings from Paul

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus.
I am writing to God’s holy people in Ephesus,a who are faithful followers of Christ Jesus.

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Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To God’s holy people in Ephesus,a the faithful in Christ Jesus:

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May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

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

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Spiritual Blessings

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.

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Praise for Spiritual Blessings in Christ

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.

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Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

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For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love

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God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

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heb predestined us for adoption to sonshipc through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will —

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So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.b

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to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.

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He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.

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In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace

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He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

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that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding,

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God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ — which is to fulfill his own good plan.

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hed made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,

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And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ — everything in heaven and on earth.

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to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment — to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

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Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God,c for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

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In him we were also chosen,e having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,

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God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God.

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in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

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And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his ownd by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.

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And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,

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The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

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who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession — to the praise of his glory.

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Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

Ever since I first heard of your strong faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God’s people everywhere,e

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Thanksgiving and Prayer

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,

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I have not stopped thanking God for you. I pray for you constantly,

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I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

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asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdomf and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God.

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I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spiritf of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.

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I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called — his holy people who are his rich and glorious inheritance.g

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I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people,

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I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power

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and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength

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that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

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he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,

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Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else — not only in this world but also in the world to come.

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far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.

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God has put all things under the authority of Christ and has made him head over all things for the benefit of the church.

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And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,

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And the church is his body; it is made full and complete by Christ, who fills all things everywhere with himself.

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which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Parallel

New Living Translation

New International Version

Ephesians 1

Ephesians 1