Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed), by the will of God [that is, by His purpose and choice],

To the saints (God’s people) who are at Ephesus and are faithful and loyal and steadfast in Christ Jesus:

He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will—

He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ,

and in arranging, when the time should have fully come, that everything in heaven and on earth should be unified in Christ??11 the Christ through whom it is our lot to have been predestined by the design of him who in everything carries out the purpose of his will,

In Him also we have received an inheritance [a destiny—we were claimed by God as His own], having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand) according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will,

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, will give you a spirit [i.e., a disposition] of wisdom and revelation [or, "give you the spiritual gifts of wisdom and revelation"], so you can have full knowledge of God.

I pray that your minds will be enlightened so that you will know what the hope is, to which God has called you, and what the glorious abundance is, of God's inheritance in the saints [Note: Paul wanted them to appreciate the value God placed on them],

among whom also we all formerly lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the will of the flesh and of the mind, and we were children of wrath by nature, as also the rest of [them] were.

United in him, every part of the building, closely joined together, will grow into a Temple, consecrated by its union with the Lord.

By the reading of which you will be clear about my knowledge of the secret of Christ;

And pray that, in proportion to the wealth of his glory, he will strengthen you with his power by breathing his Spirit into your inmost soul,

so that Christ will live in your hearts through faith. [I pray] that you will be rooted and grounded in [your] love,

so that you, along with all the saints [i.e., God's holy people], will be [spiritually] strong enough to grasp how wide and long and high and deep [Christ's love is];

and to know that His love for us surpasses [our] knowledge, so that you people will be completely filled with the fullness of God.

I then, the prisoner in the Lord, make this request from my heart, that you will see that your behaviour is a credit to the position which God's purpose has given you,

Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.

But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head.

and put on the new man, which, according to the will of God, is created in righteousness and true holiness.

He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.

You must stop letting any bad word pass your lips, but only words that are good for building up as the occasion demands, so that they will result in spiritual blessing to the hearers.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor [perpetual animosity, resentment, strife, fault-finding] and slander be put away from you, along with every kind of malice [all spitefulness, verbal abuse, malevolence].

Do not let anyone deceive you with empty words, for because of such things, the wrath of God will fall upon people who are disobedient [to Him].

Then you will demonstrate [or, "learn about"] a life that is very pleasing to the Lord.

but whatever is unjustifiable will be brought to light: and that will show them to be unjustifiable.

Wherefore it saith - Up! thou sleeper, and arise from among the dead, and the Christ will shine upon thee.

For this cause, do not become foolish, but have discernment as to what is the will of the Lord;

Stop getting drunk with wine, which leads to wild living, but keep on being filled with the Spirit.

Then you will recite to one another psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs; you will sing and make music to the Lord with your hearts;

you will consistently give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah;

and you will submit to one another out of reverence for the Messiah.

For this cause, will a man leave his father and his mother, and will cleave unto his wife, and, they two, shall become, one flesh.

so that it may become well with thee, and thou will be long lasting on the earth.

Not by way of eye-service as man-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God, from the soul,

with good will, rendering service - as unto the Lord, and not unto men;

knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive this back from the Lord, whether [he is] slave or free.

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.

You people should put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to withstand the devil's schemes.

So you must take God's armor, so that when the evil day comes you will be able to make a stand, and when it is all over to hold your ground.

Above all having taken up the shield of faith, by which ye will be able to quench all the fiery darts of evil.

Pray also for me, so that, when I begin to speak, the right words will come to me. Then I will boldly make known the secret of the gospel,

Now, so that you may know how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, will tell you everything.