Ê-phê-sô 3

Paul’s task: the mystery made known

¹For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— ²surely you have heard how God entrusted me with his grace, to manage it for your good. ³God made the mystery known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written already. ⁴When you read this, you will be able to see my understanding of the mystery of Christ. ⁵In other generations it was not made known to humankind as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets. ⁶This is the mystery: through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus. ⁷I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace, which was given to me through the working of his power. ⁸Though I am less than the least of all God’s holy people, this grace was given to me: to bring the Gentiles the good news of the riches of Christ, riches no one can ever fully trace, ⁹and to make plain to everyone how the mystery is being carried out, the mystery that for ages past was hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰God’s aim was that now, through the church, his wisdom in all its rich variety would be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. ¹¹This was in keeping with the purpose he has had through all the ages, which he carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹²In him, through faith in him, we can come to God boldly and with confidence.^{abcde 13}So I ask you not to lose heart over the troubles I bear for your sake. They are your glory.^f

Paul kneels in prayer

¹⁴For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. ¹⁶I pray that, in keeping with the riches of his glory, he will give you power, making your inner self strong through his Spirit, ¹⁷so that through faith and in love Christ will make his home in your hearts. You are rooted deep and set on a firm foundation, ¹⁸and I pray that you will have the strength to grasp, with all God’s holy people, the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹and to know the love of Christ, a love that goes beyond knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.^ghij

²⁰Now to the one who is able to do all things, far beyond anything we ask or think, by the power that is at work in us, ²¹to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, to every generation, for ever and ever. Amen.^k