From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus], the faithful in Christ Jesus.

For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love.

He did this by predestining us to adoption as his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure of his will --

so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, would be to the praise of his glory.

among whom all of us also formerly lived out our lives in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as the rest

even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ -- by grace you are saved! --

For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God;

Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh -- who are called "uncircumcision" by the so-called "circumcision" that is performed on the body by human hands --

But now in Christ Jesus you who used to be far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

and to reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by which the hostility has been killed.

that by revelation the divine secret was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly.

When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into this secret of Christ.

Now this secret was not disclosed to people in former generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit,

I became a servant of this gospel according to the gift of God's grace that was given to me by the exercise of his power.

The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.

I pray that according to the wealth of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,

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

and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think,

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

So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes.

to be renewed in the spirit of your mind,

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on the cause of your anger.

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Instead, be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you.

Therefore, be imitators of God as dearly loved children

But among you there must not be either sexual immorality, impurity of any kind, or greed, as these are not fitting for the saints.

Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting -- all of which are out of character -- but rather thanksgiving.

For you can be confident of this one thing: that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Therefore do not be partakers with them,

But all things being exposed by the light are made evident.

Therefore be very careful how you live -- not as unwise but as wise,

For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord's will is.

And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit,

to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word,

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

"Honor your father and mother," which is the first commandment accompanied by a promise, namely,

because you know that each person, whether slave or free, if he does something good, this will be rewarded by the Lord.

Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power.

Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.

For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.

Stand firm therefore, by fastening the belt of truth around your waist, by putting on the breastplate of righteousness,

by fitting your feet with the preparation that comes from the good news of peace,

and in all of this, by taking up the shield of faith with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints.

Pray for me also, that I may be given the message when I begin to speak -- that I may confidently make known the mystery of the gospel,

for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may be able to speak boldly as I ought to speak.

Grace be with all of those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.