Ephesians 2

1 And to you did he give life, when you were dead through your wrongdoing and sins,

To you Gentiles also, who were dead through your offences and sins,

2 In which you were living in the past, after the ways of this present world, doing the pleasure of the lord of the power of the air, the spirit who is now working in those who go against the purpose of God; (aiōn g165)

which were once habitual to you while you walked in the ways of this world and obeyed the Prince of the powers of the air, the spirits that are now at work in the hearts of the sons of disobedience--to you God has given Life. (aiōn g165)

3 Among whom we all at one time were living in the pleasures of our flesh, giving way to the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and the punishment of God was waiting for us even as for the rest.

Among them all of us also formerly passed our lives, governed by the inclinations of our lower natures, indulging the cravings of those natures and of our own thoughts, and were in our original state deserving of anger like all others.

4 But God, being full of mercy, through the great love which he had for us,

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the intense love which He bestowed on us,

5 Even when we were dead through our sins, gave us life together with Christ (by grace you have salvation),

caused us, dead though we were through our offences, to live with Christ--it is by grace that you have been saved--

6 So that we came back from death with him, and are seated with him in the heavens, in Christ Jesus;

raised us with Him from the dead, and enthroned us with Him in the heavenly realms as being in Christ Jesus,

7 That in the time to come he might make clear the full wealth of his grace in his mercy to us in Christ Jesus: (aiōn g165)

in order that, by His goodness to us in Christ Jesus, He might display in the Ages to come the transcendent riches of His grace. (aiōn g165)

8 Because by grace you have salvation through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is given by God:

For it is by grace that you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is God's gift, and is not on the ground of merit--

9 Not by works, so that no man may take glory to himself.

so that it may be impossible for any one to boast.

10 For by his act we were given existence in Christ Jesus to do those good works which God before made ready for us so that we might do them.

For we are God's own handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for good works which He has pre-destined us to practise.

11 For this reason keep it in mind that in the past you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are looked on as being outside the circumcision by those who have circumcision, in the flesh, made by hands;

Therefore, do not forget that formerly you were Gentiles as to your bodily condition. You were called the Uncircumcision by those who style themselves the Circumcised--their circumcision being one which the knife has effected.

12 That you were at that time without Christ, being cut off from any part in Israel's rights as a nation, having no part in God's agreement, having no hope, and without God in the world.

At that time you were living apart from Christ, estranged from the Commonwealth of Israel, with no share by birth in the Covenants which are based on the Promises, and you had no hope and no God, in all the world.

13 But now in Christ Jesus you who at one time were far off are made near in the blood of Christ.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were so far away have been brought near through the death of Christ.

14 For he is our peace, who has made the two into one, and by whom the middle wall of division has been broken down,

For He is our peace--He who has made Jews and Gentiles one, and in His own human nature has broken down the hostile dividing wall,

15 Having in his flesh put an end to that which made the division between us, even the law with its rules and orders, so that he might make in himself, of the two, one new man, so making peace;

by setting aside the Law with its commandments, expressed, as they were, in definite decrees. His design was to unite the two sections of humanity in Himself so as to form one new man,

16 And that the two might come into agreement with God in one body through the cross, so putting an end to that division.

thus effecting peace, and to reconcile Jews and Gentiles in one body to God, by means of His cross--slaying by it their mutual enmity.

17 And he came preaching peace to you who were far off, and to those who were near;

So He came and proclaimed good news of peace to you who were so far away, and peace to those who were near;

18 Because through him the two of us are able to come near in one Spirit to the Father.

because it is through Him that Jews and Gentiles alike have access through one Spirit to the Father.

19 So then you are no longer as those who have no part or place in the kingdom of God, but you are numbered among the saints, and of the family of God,

You are therefore no longer mere foreigners or persons excluded from civil rights. On the contrary you share citizenship with God's people and are members of His family.

20 Resting on the base of the Apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief keystone,

You are a building which has been reared on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, the cornerstone being Christ Jesus Himself,

21 In whom all the building, rightly joined together, comes to be a holy house of God in the Lord;

in union with whom the whole fabric, fitted and closely joined together, is growing so as to form a holy sanctuary in the Lord;

22 In whom you, with the rest, are united together as a living-place of God in the Spirit.

in whom you also are being built up together to become a fixed abode for God through the Spirit.