| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles-- | 1When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . . |
| 2if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you, | 2assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. |
| 3that by revelation the divine secret was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly. | 3As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. |
| 4When reading this, you will be able to understand my insight into this secret of Christ. | 4As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. |
| 5Now this secret was not disclosed to people in former generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, | 5God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets. |
| 6namely, that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. | 6And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. |
| 7I became a servant of this gospel according to the gift of God's grace that was given to me by the exercise of his power. | 7By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News. |
| 8To me--less than the least of all the saints--this grace was given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ | 8Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. |
| 9and to enlighten everyone about God's secret plan--a secret that has been hidden for ages in God who has created all things. | 9I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. |
| 10The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms. | 10God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. |
| 11This was according to the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, | 11This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. |
| 12in whom we have boldness and confident access to God because of Christ's faithfulness. | 12Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. |
| 13For this reason I ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. | 13So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored. Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth |
| 14For this reason I kneel before the Father, | 14When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, |
| 15from whom every family in heaven and on the earth is named. | 15the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. |
| 16I pray that according to the wealth of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, | 16I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. |
| 17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love, | 17Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. |
| 18you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, | 18And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. |
| 19and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. | 19May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. |
| 20Now to him who by the power that is working within us is able to do far beyond all that we ask or think, | 20Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. |
| 21to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. | 21Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. |
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