Ephesians 1
1 I, Paul, am an apostle whom God appointed (to represent/to proclaim the message about) Christ Jesus because that is what God wanted. [I am writing this letter] to you who are the people of God in Ephesus [city. You are people who] (faithfully/continue to) trust in Christ Jesus and who have a close relationship with him.
Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, that is, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
2 [I pray that] God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord will continue to act kindly toward you and cause you to have [inner] peace.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Sovereign Jesus Christ.
3 Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of our relationship with Christ, he has blessed us spiritually in every way by giving us blessings that come from heaven.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ;
4 Before God created the world, he chose us to be his people because of our (relationship with/union with) Christ, in order that [God could consider] us to be completely holy [DOU]. Because [God] loves [us],
just as He[F] chose us in Him[S] before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him[F], in love,
5 he decided long ago that he would adopt us to be [as though we were] his own children because of what Jesus Christ [has done]. He decided to do that because it pleased him to do that.
having predestined us into an adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, into Him[S], according to the good pleasure of His[F] will,
6 He did it in order that we would praise him for acting very kindly toward us in a wonderful way that we did not deserve. He did it because of our relationship with his beloved Son {[one, who is also God, whom he] loves}.
to the praise of the glory of His grace, with which He graced us in the Beloved;
7 When the blood of Christ [flowed when he died] [MTY], [it was as though] he paid a price to free/save us [from the guilt of our sins]. [That] ([provided a way/made it possible]) [for] God to act very kindly toward us to forgive us for having sinned.
in whom we have the redemption through His[S] blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His[F] grace,
8 He acted very kindly toward us and enabled us to become wise about many [HYP] things and to understand his truth.
that He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and intelligent design,
9 He has enabled us to know the things that he had planned secretly (OR, that he had not revealed to anyone yet). He did that because he wanted to do that, and because he planned to do that by means of the things Christ would do.
having made known to us the ‘secret’ of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Him[S],
10 God planned that at the time that [he appointed], he would unite all things/beings in heaven and all things/beings on earth (OR, all beings in heaven and all things on earth), and cause Christ to be the one who will rule them [MET].
with a view to administering the fullness of the times, so as to bring all things together under one head in Christ—those on the heavens and those on the earth—in Him[S],
11 Because of our close relationship with Christ, God has also chosen us [(inc)] (OR, us [(exc)] Jews) to receive what he has promised [to give] us. He decided long ago to do that. It was exactly what he planned. He accomplishes everything exactly as he plans and desires,
in whom we were also assigned an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him[F] who works all things according to the decision of His will,
12 in order that we(exc) Jews, who confidently expected the Messiah to do great things for us before the non-Jews expected such things (OR, we [(inc)] who were already confidently expecting Christ [to do great things for us]) will praise him for his greatness.
so that we should be to the praise of His glory, we who first trusted in the Christ;
13 You [Ephesians] also heard the true message, the good message about how God saves you. [People] put their seal on something to show that [it belongs to them]. Similarly, when you believed [in Christ], God [showed that you also belong to him by sending you] the Holy Spirit as he promised to do [MET].
about whom, to be sure, we had heard the true Word—the Gospel of your salvation; by whom, since you also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
14 The Holy Spirit is [like] [MET] a (deposit/down payment). That is, he (guarantees/assures us) that [we will receive] all that God has promised to give us, at the time when God will give to those who belong to him [MET] everything that [Christ] freed us to receive. [God also assures you that you belong to him], in order that you would praise him for his greatness.
who is the down payment on our inheritance until the release of the possession, to the praise of His glory.
15 Because of [what God has done for you], and because [people] told me that you continue to trust in the Lord Jesus and that you love all those who belong to God,
Because of this, having heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,
16 I thank God for you constantly [LIT, HYP]. I (mention/pray for) you constantly, whenever I pray.
I really do not stop giving thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers:
17 [I pray] that God, who is the glorious/wonderful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, may cause his Spirit to make you wise, and that his Spirit will reveal [God to you] so that you may fully know him.
that the God of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the real knowledge of Himself,
18 And I pray that God would enable you to understand [MTY] his truth, in order that in your (inner beings/hearts) you may know the things that we believers should confidently expect to receive because he chose us [to be his people]. And I pray that you will know how God will bless his people in a very wonderful way [when we finally receive] all that he has promised to give us.
the eyes of your heart having been enlightened, that you may know 1) what is the hope of His[F] calling, and 2) what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,
19 And [I pray that] you will know how very powerfully [God helps] us who continue to trust [in Christ]. He works powerfully for us
and 3) what the exceeding greatness of His power into us who are believing, according to the demonstration of the extent of His might
20 just like he acted powerfully for Christ when he caused Christ to become alive again after he died, and put him in the place of highest/greatest honor [MTY] in heaven.
which He exercised in the Christ when He raised Him[S] from among the dead and seated Him at His[F] right, in the heavenly realms,
21 [There], Christ is the supreme ruler over every powerful spirit of every level of authority. His rank is much higher than any powerful spirit can receive, not only now, but forever. (aiōn g165)
far above every ruler and authority and power and dominion—even every name that can be named, not only in this age but also in the next. (aiōn g165)
22 God has caused all beings to be subject to Christ [MTY], and he has also appointed Christ, who rules over all things, to rule [MET] over all believers.
In short, He[F] placed everything under His[S] feet, and appointed Him to be Head over everything in the Church,
23 We believers [relate to Christ like the parts of a person’s] body [MET] [relate to its head]. Christ uses all [his power among us] just like he uses his power throughout the whole universe.
which is His body, the complement of Him who fills everything in every way.
