Written to the congregation in Ephesus, Asia Minor for the Apostle Paul (possibly by TychiKos and possibly in Aramaic) sometime around 62-CE.
Chapter 1
1 Paul, an
Apostle of the Anointed Jesus (by the will of God),
to the Holy Ones in Ephesus… those faithful ones in the Anointed Jesus;
2 May you receive loving
care and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus the Anointed.
3 Yes, may the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus the Anointed One be praised, for He has blest us with every blessing of
his Breath in the heavens through the Anointed One,
4 and He chose us to be in him before the system of
things came to be, so we could become holy and unblemished before Him in
love.
5 For He envisioned us as
adopted sons through Jesus the Anointed One, as it pleases
His will, 6 in praise of the
glory of the loving care that [is shown by] the one through whom He shows His
favor upon us… this one whom He loves.
7
It’s through this one and his blood that our ransom
has been paid, and it’s through the richness of his loving care that our sins could
be forgiven, 8 [and that we have
received] such an abundance of wisdom and good sense.
9 For He has allowed us to understand the mystery of His will, according to His pleasure and
which He purposed in Himself 10
for the management of His household at the appointed time when He intends to
bring everything in heaven and earth under the headship of the Anointed One.
11 So, it is
through [Jesus] that we have obtained the inheritance that was predetermined by
[God’s] purpose for him…
This one through whom all things are accomplished
according to [God’s] council and will, 12
so that those who were the first to put faith in the Anointed One might give
praise to his glory.
13 [For,
he’s the one] through whom you heard the words of truth (the good news about
your salvation), in whom you put faith, and who has sealed you with the
promised Holy Breath, 14 which
is the guarantee that he inherited us through the ransom that he paid to
purchase us for his glory and praise.
15 And this
is why, when I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and of your love for all
the Holy Ones, 16 I haven’t
stopped giving thanks for you.
Yes, I keep mentioning you in my prayers and 17 asking the God of
our Lord Jesus the Anointed One (the glorious Father) to give you the
spirit of wisdom and to reveal to you an accurate knowledge of Him, 18 so that the eyes of your hearts will be
enlightened and you can know the glorious richness of the hope for which He has
called you and which He holds as an
inheritance for the Holy Ones.
19 O how
great His power is toward those of us that are believers, as it operates through
the mightiness 20 that He
demonstrated in the case of the Anointed One when He raised him from the dead
and seated him at His right hand in the heavens
21 far above every government, authority, power, lordship,
and above every name that has been given not only in this age,
but also in the one that is to come, 22
when He will put everything under his feet and make him the head over
everything to the called ones…
23
Those who are his body, his fullness, and his completeness.
Chapter 2
1 For you
have died to the ways of sin and error 2
in which you once walked (the ways of this world)
when you used to follow the ruler of the power of the air…
The spirit that now operates in the sons of disobedience, 3 which is the way we were all once headed
as we followed our human desires and did whatever our bodies wanted.
Yes,
because of the cravings that we once had, we were like everyone else… the
natural children of [God’s] wrath.
4
But due to the love that He has for us, God (who is so rich in mercy) 5 made us alive in the Anointed One while we were still dead in our failings.
So it’s by His loving kindness that we’ve been saved 6 and raised together, then seated together in the heavens in the Anointed Jesus,
7 so that in ages to come,
[God] can show the tremendous richness of His loving care by the kindness that
He’s shown upon us through the Anointed Jesus.
8 Yes, it’s
because of [His] loving care that you’ve been saved through a faith that didn’t
come from within yourselves, but as a gift from God!
9 No, it didn’t come from anything that
you’ve done, so you could boast.
10
Rather, we are His workmanship… we were created through the Anointed Jesus to
do the good things that have been set out by God as the ways in which we should
walk.
11 Remember
that;
Although you were once gentiles in the flesh and were called the
uncircumcised by those that were circumcised by hand in the flesh, 12 and you were without the Anointed One
(you were aliens to the citizens of IsraEl and strangers to the Sacred Agreement of the promise…
Godless and
without any hope in this world);
13
Through the Anointed Jesus, you who were once far away have now come to be near
to him through his blood.
14 So he is
our peace; for he made the two ([Jews and Gentiles]) one by breaking down the
wall that fenced them off from each other.
15
Through his flesh, he destroyed the hatred [that was brought about by] the Law
of Commandments and rules, so that through himself he could take the two and
create a new man, in order to bring about this peace.
16 Therefore, he brought both [types of]
people back to God as one body through the impaling
pole, using himself to destroy the hatred between them!
17 For when he came, he proclaimed the good news of peace to you that were far away and to those of us that were nearby, 18 so that through him we can all gain access to the Father in [the same] spirit.
19 As the
result, you are no longer strangers and aliens; you are fellow citizens among
the Holy Ones and fellow members of the House of God!
20 You’ve been built upon the foundation
of the Apostles and Prophets, whose cornerstone is the
Anointed Jesus himself!
21 And
through him, the whole building is being fitted together and growing into a Most Holy Place…
Yes, in the Lord, 22 you are being built into a place for
The God to dwell in Spirit.
Chapter 3
1 I give
thanks that I (Paul) am a slave of the Anointed Jesus
on your behalf…
Yes for you, the people among the gentiles.
2 Perhaps
you’ve heard about the responsibility that I (by the loving care of God) was
given concerning you, 3 and of
how this mystery, about which I wrote to you briefly in the past, was revealed
to me.
4 So as you read on,
hopefully you can grasp [how well] I understand the mystery
of the Anointed One.
5 [Though
this mystery] wasn’t revealed to past generations of the sons of men, it has
now been revealed through his holy Apostles and Prophets by means of [God’s]
Breath…
6 That gentiles will
also be fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the
promise (in the Anointed Jesus) through the Good News.
7 And I became a servant of this through
the gift that was given to me by the loving care
of God, and in harmony with His Power.
8 This
loving care was revealed to me (a man who is less than the least of all the
Holy Ones) so that I should preach the good news about the unimaginable
richness of the Anointed One to the gentiles, 9
and to shine a light on how this mystery that was hidden away through the ages in The God who created all things works out, 10 so that governments and heavenly powers
might learn about the vast wisdom of The God through His called
ones, 11 which has been His
age-long purpose through the Anointed Jesus our Lord.
12 And it’s through our confidence and
faith in him that we have been given this direction and this freedom to speak
out.
13 It’s also
because of this that I’m asking you not to grow tired of the concern that I
have for you, because it glorifies you.
14
For it’s over this that I thankfully bend my knees to the Father 15 (out of whom all lines in heaven and on
earth get their paternal names) 16
to [ask Him to] grant you (by the richness of His glory) the power to become
strong in His Spirit and to make the people that you are on the inside 17 alive in the Anointed One through the
faith in your hearts along with love, and to give you sufficient roots and
foundation 18 to be able to
understand (along with the rest of the Holy Ones) the width, the length, the
height, and the depth…
19 To
recognize the love of the Anointed One (which is more than you can comprehend)
and to fill you with all the fullness that can only come from The God.
20 Now, to
the One who through His power that operates in us can do far more than anything
we can ask or even conceive;
21 May He be glorified by the called
ones and by the Anointed Jesus throughout all generations and into ages of ages…
May it be so!
Chapter 4
1 So as a prisoner in the Lord, I am urging you to be sure that you’re worthy of the calling that you’ve received 2 in all humility, gentleness, and patience, while you lovingly put up with each other.
3
Try hard to recognize
the unifying force of [God’s] Breath and its power to bring you together in
peace.
4 For there’s just one
body and one Spirit, according to the one hope to which you were called (when
you were called)…
5
There’s just one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 and one God and Father of everyone, who is over all,
through all, and in all.
7 Now, the
amount of loving care that was shown to each of us depends upon how much of the
Gift that the Anointed One measured out to us.
8 For he says:
‘To the highest places, he has stepped up,
And he’s taken captivity as his captive;
Then, he gave gifts to the people.’
9 So when
it says ‘he stepped up,’ this also means that he first had to step down to the
lower places… to the earth.
10
So the one that stepped down also stepped back up – high above the skies – so that he
could bring everything to a completion.
11 Then he gave some to be Apostles, some to be Prophets, some to be messengers of the Good News, and some to be shepherds and teachers, 12 in order to prepare the Holy Ones for the work of serving and strengthening the body of the Anointed One, 13 until we all become one in the faith and gain a full knowledge of the Son of The God to the point where it’s a complete man that fully measures up to the stature of the Anointed One, 14 so we won’t be babies anymore, being tossed up and back by waves and being blown about by every spirit of the treacherous teachings of people that will use any means to do whatever is wrong.
15 Therefore, while
holding onto the truth (and in love), let’s grow up in
every way into this one who is the head… the Anointed One.
16 For he brings the whole body together…
He
assembles its parts and makes all the connections so as to supply each part
with what it needs (depending on its function), in order to make the whole body
grow and strengthen itself in love.
17 I tell
you this and testify to it in the Lord:
You must not continue in the same path
that the nations are following, because their thoughts are worthless, 18 their minds have been darkened to any
understanding, and they are aliens to a god-fearing life because of their ignorance
and dull hearts.
19 For since
it no longer brings them any pain, they have given themselves over to living
wasted lives and they’re greedily doing filthy things.
20 However,
that isn’t what you’ve learned to be true of the Anointed One 21 (if you for a fact heard and were
taught about him);
Because, truth comes through Jesus.
22
Therefore, you must get rid
of those old ways that are being corrupted by the enticements that come from
desires, 23 and renew the
spirit of your minds!
24 Then
put on the new person… [the one] that is created by God’s will in the
righteousness and loyalty of the truth.
25
Also, get rid of lying… you must always tell your neighbors the truth, because
we’re all fellow body parts of each other!
26 [Yes, you
can] get irritated, but don’t sin…
Don’t let the sun set on the reasons for
your irritation, 27 nor should
you allow any room for the Slanderer.
28 If you’ve been a thief; you shouldn’t
steal anymore.
Rather, you should work hard and do good things with your hands,
so you’ll have something to share with the needy.
29 Nor should you allow any foul words to come out of your
mouths.
Rather, use good words that are upbuilding (as they are needed) to show
that you care about everyone that listens to you.
30 Don’t
impede the Holy Breath of The God with which you
were sealed on the Day that your ransom was paid!
31 Yes, get rid of all the bitterness,
anger, wrath, screaming, and slandering, along with everything [else] that is
bad, 32 and be kind to each
other…
Be sympathetic and graciously forgive each other, as God (through the
Anointed One) has graciously forgiven you.
Chapter 5
1 Become imitators of God as His beloved children, 2 and keep on walking in love in the same way that the Anointed One loved you and gave himself up for you as an offering and a sweet-smelling sacrifice to The God.
3 Don’t
allow sexual immorality or any type of uncleanness
or greediness to be even mentioned among you, as would be expected of holy
people.
4 Nor [should you share
in] shameful conduct, foolishness, or dirty jokes (which are all unbecoming),
but rather, in the giving of thanks.
5
[For it’s easy] to recognize those that are immoral, unclean, and greedy (which
really amounts to being idol worshipers), and you know that such ones won’t
receive an inheritance in the Kingdom
of the Anointed One and of The God.
6 So don’t
allow anyone to seduce you into using empty words.
For it’s because of things
like this that the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience.
7 Therefore, don’t go along with them, 8 because;
Though you were once dark,
you’ve now become light in the Lord.
Rather, keep on walking as children of the
light!
9 For the fruitage of
light is every sort of goodness, righteousness, and truth… 10 things that prove to be pleasing to the
Lord.
11 Don’t share in the
unproductive deeds of darkness. Rather, speak out against them!
12 It’s
shameful to talk about things that are only done in private, 13 because everything that the light
speaks against is being exposed, since the light shines on everything.
14 And this is why He said:
‘Wake up, you
who are sleeping, and lift yourselves from among the dead…
then the Anointed One will shine upon you.’
15 So you
must pay close attention to the ways that you’re walking… that it’s not like
those who are foolish, but as those who are wise.
16 You must [set aside] time for yourselves [to do such
things], because these are wicked days.
17
Don’t be foolish, but start learning what the Lord’s will for us is.
18 And don’t be getting drunk on wine,
which leads down an unsavory path.
Rather, fill yourselves with the Breath [of
God], 19 and speak to each
other in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs… sing and create music in your
hearts to Jehovah 20
in the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed One.
Yes, always give thanks to our
God and Father for everything!
21 You
should also submit to each other in the same way that you show fear for the Anointed One.
22 Women should submit to their men as
they would to the Lord, 23
because a man is the head of his woman as the Anointed One is the head of the
congregation and the savior of that body.
24
So, just as the congregation submits to the Anointed One; that’s how women
should [submit] to their men in everything.
25 Men; love
your women as the Anointed One loved the congregation and gave himself up to
make it holy.
26 He washed it
in a bath of water (so to speak), 27
in order to present a glorious gathering to himself
that doesn’t have any spots, wrinkles, or any such things, but which is holy
and without any blemishes.
28
Yes, that’s how the men should love their women… as their own bodies.
So, the man that loves his woman is really showing love for
himself… 29 and nobody ever
hates his own flesh. Rather, he feeds it and takes pride in it, just as the
Anointed One does the congregation.
30
And we’ve become parts of [Jesus’] body… of his very flesh and his bones!
31 [So as the scripture says]:
‘A man will
leave his father and mother and stick with his woman, and the two will become
one flesh.’
32 Now, this
is a great mystery, because I’m comparing [the
relationship between husbands and wives] to the Anointed One and [his love for]
the congregation.
33 But this
is how each man should love his woman… as he does himself.
And women should
have a [Godly] fear of their men.
Chapter 6
1 Children;
Obey your parents in the Lord, because this is righteous.
2 Honor your father and mother, for this
is the first Commandment that came with a promise… 3 so that things will go well for you and you can live a
long time on the earth.
4 Fathers;
Don’t frustrate your children, but bring them up in the discipline and council
of the Lord.
5 Slaves;
Be obedient to those that are your fleshly masters with [Godly] fear and sincere hearts, as you would to the Anointed One.
6
Don’t just put on a good show to please men; but as slaves of the Anointed One,
do the will of God whole souled.
7 Be willing slaves as to the Lord (not of
men), 8 because you know that
whatever good you do will be rewarded by the Lord, whether you’re a slave or a
free man.
9 Masters;
Keep on doing the same for [your slaves]… and don’t be
threatening them, because you know that there’s a Master who’s over both them
and you in the heavens, and He doesn’t recognize any difference [between you].
10 Finally,
become powerful in the mightiness and strength of the Lord.
11 Put on the complete suit
of God’s armor, so that you can resist the methods of the
Slanderer.
12 For our fight
isn’t against flesh and blood, but against the governments, the authorities,
the mighty ones of this worldly darkness, and against the unseen wicked powers
in the heavens.
13 So because
of this, take up the complete suit [that comes from] God so that you can fight
in that wicked day and still be found standing.
14 Yes,
stand firm with your hips wrapped in the truth and wearing the breastplate of
righteousness.
15 Wrap your
feet and prepare them with the good news of peace.
16 And above all else, pick up the large shield of faith,
with which you can quench all the flaming missiles of the wicked one.
17 Also, accept the helmet of salvation
and the sword of the Spirit (the things that God has said).
18 Keep on
praying and begging [God] about everything in Spirit throughout each season.
Be
aware of this and never stop petitioning [God] on behalf of all the Holy Ones.
19 Also
[pray] for me… that the words may be given to me to open my mouth and speak
freely so as to make the mystery of the good news
known.
20 For that’s why I’m
now an ambassador in chains… so that I can speak out boldly about these things
and to say the things that I’m supposed to say.
21 Now, so
you can know how I’m getting along and what I’m doing; TychiKos
(a beloved brother and faithful servant of the Lord) will explain everything to
you.
22 This is why I’m sending
him to you… to let you know what’s happening to us and to bring comfort your
hearts.
23 Peace to
the brothers, and love with faith from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus
the Anointed One.
24 May all
those who have an uncorrupted love for our Lord Jesus the Anointed One receive
[His] loving care.