Greeting

¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus¹ and faithful in Christ Jesus:

1. A number of the earliest and most important manuscripts omit “in Ephesus,” though it is hard to make sense of the line without this phrase (cf. <sc>rsv</sc>, “to the saints who are also faithful”)

² Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise to God for Spiritual Blessings

³ Blessed is¹ the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,

1. Or “blessed be”

⁴ just as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love,¹

1. Or “before him, having predestined us in love” (the phrase “in love” could go either with v. 4 or v. 5)

⁵ having predestined us to adoption through Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will,

⁶ to the praise of the glory of his grace that he bestowed on us in the beloved,

⁷ in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace,

⁸ that he caused to abound to us in all wisdom and insight,

⁹ making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he purposed in him,

¹⁰ for the administration of the fullness of times, to bring together all things in Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth, in him

¹¹ in whom also we were chosen, having been predestined according to the purpose of the One who works all things according to the counsel of his will,

¹² that we who hoped beforehand in Christ should be for the praise of his glory,

¹³ in whom also you, when you heard¹ the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, in whom also when you believed you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,

1. *This participle (“hearing”) and the following one (“believing”) are understood as temporal

¹⁴ who is the down payment of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.

Prayer for Spiritual Wisdom

¹⁵ Because of this I also, hearing of ⌞your faith⌟¹ in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,

1. Literally “the according to you faith”

¹⁶ do not cease giving thanks for you, making mention in my prayers,

¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, ⌞the glorious Father⌟¹,² may give you a spirit of wisdom³ and revelation in the knowledge of him

1. Literally “the Father of glory”
2. *Here “glorious” is an attributive genitive
3. *Or “spiritual wisdom” (with “wisdom” is an attributive genitive)

¹⁸ (the eyes of your hearts having been enlightened), so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance among the saints,

¹⁹ and what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his mighty strength

²⁰ which he has worked¹ in Christ, raising² him from the dead and seating him³ at his right hand in the heavenly places,

1. Some manuscripts have “he worked”
2. *These participles are either means (“by raising … and seating”) or temporal (“when he raised … and seated”)
3. *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

²¹ above all rule and authority and power and lordship and every name named, not only in this age but also in the coming one,

²² and he subjected all things under his feet¹ and gave him as head over all things to the church,

1. An allusion to Ps 8:6

²³ which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.