Through him he chose us out before the creation of the world, to be consecrated and above reproach in his sight in love.

He foreordained us to become his sons through Jesus Christ, in fulfilment of his generous purpose,

so that we might praise the splendid blessing which he has given us through his beloved Son.

in the abundance of his mercy which he has lavished upon us.

He has given us perfect insight into his secret purpose and understanding of it, in following out the design he planned to carry out in Christ,

enlightening the eyes of your mind so that you may know what the hope is to which he calls you, and how gloriously rich his inheritance is among God's people,

and how surpassingly great his power is for us who believe; like the mighty strength

he exerted in raising Christ from the dead, and seating him at his right hand in heaven,

He has put everything under his feet and made him the indisputable head of the church,

But God is so rich in mercy that because of the great love he had for us,

he made us, dead as we were through our offenses, live again with the Christ. It is by his mercy that you have been saved.

And he raised us with Christ, and through our union with Christ Jesus made us sit down with him in heaven,

For he has made us, creating us through our union with Christ Jesus for the life of goodness which God had predestined us to live.

For he is himself our peace. He has united the two divisions, and broken down the barrier that kept us apart,

He came with the good news of peace for you who were far away and for those who were near;

This is why I, Paul, whom Jesus the Christ has made a prisoner for the sake of you heathen??2 if at least you have heard how I dealt with the mercy of God that was given me for you,

and how the secret was made known to me by revelation, as I have just briefly written.

for which I became a worker by virtue of the gift of God's mercy which by the exercise of his power he has given me.

and making clear how the secret purpose is to be worked out which has been hidden away for ages in God the creator of all things,

So it says, "When he went up on high, he led a host of captives, And gave gifts to mankind."

What does "he went up" mean, except that he had first gone down to the under parts of the earth?

It is he who went down who has also gone up above all the heavens, to fill the universe.

And he has given us some men as apostles, some as prophets, some as missionaries, some as pastors and teachers,

The man who stole must not steal any more; he must work with his hands at honest toil instead, so as to have something to share with those who are in need.

for no one ever hates his own person, but he feeds it and takes care of it, just as Christ does with the church,

But each one of you must love his wife just as he loves himself, and the wife, too, must respect her husband.

You who are masters, too, must treat your slaves in the same way, and cease to threaten them, for you know that their Master and yours is in heaven, and that he will show no partiality.

For we have to struggle, not with enemies of flesh and blood, but with the hierarchies, the authorities, the master-spirits of this dark world, the spirit-forces of evil on high.

In order that you also may know how I am, our dear brother Tychicus, a faithful helper in the Lord's service, will tell you all about it.

That is the very reason I am sending him, to let you know how I am, and to cheer your hearts.