do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of the glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the recognition of him,

not of works, that no one may boast;

for of Him we are workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God did before prepare, that in them we may walk.

if, indeed, ye did hear of the dispensation of the grace of God that was given to me in regard to you,

that by revelation He made known to me the secret, according as I wrote before in few words --

in regard to which ye are able, reading it, to understand my knowledge in the secret of the Christ,

of which I became a ministrant, according to the gift of the grace of God that was given to me, according to the working of His power;

to me -- the less than the least of all the saints -- was given this grace, among the nations to proclaim good news -- the untraceable riches of the Christ,

wherefore, I ask you not to faint in my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

that He may give to you, according to the riches of His glory, with might to be strengthened through His Spirit, in regard to the inner man,

that the Christ may dwell through the faith in your hearts, in love having been rooted and founded,

that ye may be in strength to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height,

to know also the love of the Christ that is exceeding the knowledge, that ye may be filled -- to all the fulness of God;

he who went down is the same also who went up far above all the heavens, that He may fill all things --

till we may all come to the unity of the faith and of the recognition of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ,

that we may no more be babes, tossed and borne about by every wind of the teaching, in the sleight of men, in craftiness, unto the artifice of leading astray,

and, being true in love, we may increase to Him in all things, who is the head -- the Christ;

whoso is stealing let him no more steal, but rather let him labour, working the thing that is good with the hands, that he may have to impart to him having need.

Let no corrupt word out of your mouth go forth, but what is good unto the needful building up, that it may give grace to the hearers;

that he might present it to himself the assembly in glory, not having spot or wrinkle, or any of such things, but that it may be holy and unblemished;

but ye also, every one in particular -- let each his own wife so love as himself, and the wife -- that she may reverence the husband.

which is the first command with a promise, 'That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live a long time upon the land.'

having known that whatever good thing each one may do, this he shall receive from the Lord, whether servant or freeman.

As to the rest, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might;

because of this take ye up the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to resist in the day of the evil, and all things having done -- to stand.

and in behalf of me, that to me may be given a word in the opening of my mouth, in freedom, to make known the secret of the good news,

for which I am an ambassador in a chain, that in it I may speak freely -- as it behoveth me to speak.

And that ye may know -- ye also -- the things concerning me -- what I do, all things make known to you shall Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful ministrant in the Lord,