Προς Εφεσιους 3
1 Τούτου χάριν, ἐγὼ Παῦλος, ὁ δέσμιος τοῦ ˚Χριστοῦ ˚Ἰησοῦ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν τῶν ἐθνῶν–
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus, the Christ, for the sake of you Gentiles –
2 εἴ γε ἠκούσατε τὴν οἰκονομίαν τῆς χάριτος τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ, τῆς δοθείσης μοι εἰς ὑμᾶς,
For you have heard, I suppose, of the responsible charge with which God entrusted me for your benefit,
3 κατὰ ἀποκάλυψιν ἐγνωρίσθη μοι τὸ μυστήριον, καθὼς προέγραψα ἐν ὀλίγῳ,
and also that it was by direct revelation that the hidden purpose of God was made known to me, as I have already briefly told you.
4 πρὸς ὃ δύνασθε ἀναγινώσκοντες νοῆσαι τὴν σύνεσίν μου ἐν τῷ μυστηρίῳ τοῦ ˚Χριστοῦ,
And, by reading what I have written, you will be able to judge how far I understand this hidden purpose of God in Christ.
5 ὃ ἑτέραις γενεαῖς οὐκ ἐγνωρίσθη τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὡς νῦν ἀπεκαλύφθη τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις αὐτοῦ καὶ προφήταις ἐν ˚Πνεύματι,
In former generations it was not made known to humanity, as fully as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to the apostles and prophets among Christ’s people –
6 εἶναι τὰ ἔθνη, συγκληρονόμα, καὶ σύσσωμα, καὶ συμμέτοχα, τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐν ˚Χριστῷ ˚Ἰησοῦ, διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου,
That, by union with Christ Jesus and through the good news, the Gentiles are coheirs with us and members of one body, and that they share with us in God’s Promise.
7 οὗ ἐγενήθην διάκονος κατὰ τὴν δωρεὰν τῆς χάριτος τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ τῆς δοθείσης μοι, κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ.
Of this good news I become an assistant, in virtue of the charge with which God entrusted me in the exercise of his power –
8 Ἐμοὶ τῷ, ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ πάντων ἁγίων, ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις αὕτη, τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εὐαγγελίσασθαι, τὸ ἀνεξιχνίαστον πλοῦτος τοῦ ˚Χριστοῦ,
Yes, to me, who am less than the least of all Christ’s people, was this charge entrusted! – to tell the Gentiles the good news of the boundless wealth to be found in the Christ,
9 καὶ φωτίσαι πάντας, τίς ἡ οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου, τοῦ ἀποκεκρυμμένου ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων ἐν τῷ ˚Θεῷ, τῷ τὰ πάντα κτίσαντι, (aiōn g165)
and to make clear what is God’s way of working out that hidden purpose which from the first has been concealed in the mind of the Creator of all things; (aiōn g165)
10 ἵνα γνωρισθῇ νῦν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις διὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἡ πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ,
so that now to the archangels and to all the powers on high should be made known, through the church, the all-embracing wisdom of God,
in accordance with that purpose which runs through all the ages and which he has now accomplished in Jesus, the Christ, our Master. (aiōn g165)
12 ἐν ᾧ ἔχομεν τὴν παρρησίαν καὶ προσαγωγὴν ἐν πεποιθήσει διὰ τῆς πίστεως αὐτοῦ.
And in union with him, and through our trust in him, we find courage to approach God with confidence.
13 Διὸ αἰτοῦμαι μὴ ἐγκακεῖν ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσίν μου ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, ἥτις ἐστὶν δόξα ὑμῶν.
Therefore I beg you not to be disheartened at the sufferings that I am undergoing for your sakes; for they redound to your honour.
14 Τούτου χάριν, κάμπτω τὰ γόνατά μου πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα,
For this reason, then, I kneel before the Father –
15 ἐξ οὗ πᾶσα πατριὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ὀνομάζεται,
from whom all “fatherhood” in heaven and on earth derives its name –
16 ἵνα δῷ ὑμῖν κατὰ τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ, δυνάμει κραταιωθῆναι διὰ τοῦ ˚Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον,
and pray that, in proportion to the wealth of his glory, he will strengthen you with his power by breathing his Spirit into your inmost soul,
17 κατοικῆσαι τὸν ˚Χριστὸν διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν ἐν ἀγάπῃ, ἐρριζωμένοι καὶ τεθεμελιωμένοι,
so that the Christ, through your faith, may make his home within your hearts in love; and I pray that you, now firmly rooted and established, may, with all Christ’s people,
18 ἵνα ἐξισχύσητε καταλαβέσθαι σὺν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἁγίοις, τί τὸ πλάτος, καὶ μῆκος, καὶ ὕψος, καὶ βάθος,
have the power to comprehend in all its width and length and height and depth,
19 γνῶναί τε τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν τῆς γνώσεως ἀγάπην τοῦ ˚Χριστοῦ, ἵνα πληρωθῆτε εἰς πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ.
and to understand – though it surpasses all understanding – the love of the Christ; and so be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Τῷ δὲ δυναμένῳ ὑπὲρ πάντα, ποιῆσαι ὑπερεκπερισσοῦ ὧν αἰτούμεθα ἢ νοοῦμεν, κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν τὴν ἐνεργουμένην ἐν ἡμῖν,
To him who, through his power which is at work within us, is able to do far more than anything that we can ask or conceive –
