Ephesians 1

Paul greets the church in Ephesus

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:a ²Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Chosen before the foundation of the world

³Praise 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.b ⁴For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In lovec ⁵he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—d ⁶to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.e

⁷In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s gracef ⁸that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, ⁹he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ,g ¹⁰to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.h

¹¹In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will,i ¹²in order that we, who were the first to put our hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.j ¹³And 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,k ¹⁴who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.l

Paul prays for wisdom

¹⁵For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,m ¹⁶I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.n ¹⁷I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.o

¹⁸I 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,p ¹⁹and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strengthq ²⁰he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, ²¹far 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.r

²²And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,s ²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.t