| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for 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 dispensation of the grace of God which 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. |
| 3how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, | 3As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. |
| 4by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), | 4As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. |
| 5which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: | 5God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets. |
| 6that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, | 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. |
| 7of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working 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, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable 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 make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; | 9I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. |
| 10to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, | 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. |
| 11according to the eternal purpose which 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 access with confidence through faith in Him. | 12Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. |
| 13Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations 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 bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, | 14When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, |
| 15from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, | 15the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. |
| 16that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, | 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; that you, being 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. |
| 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— | 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. |
| 19to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with 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 is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, | 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 glory in the church by 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. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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