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Ephesians 6
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Ephesians 6
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 6
Children and Parents. 1 Children, obey your parents [in the Lord], for this is right.(A) 2 “Honor your father and mother.”(B) This is the first commandment with a promise, 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on earth.” 4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up with the training and instruction of the Lord.(C)
Slaves and Masters. 5 Slaves, be obedient to your human masters with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ,(D) 6 not only when being watched, as currying favor, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,(E) 7 willingly serving the Lord and not human beings, 8 knowing that each will be requited from the Lord for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. 9 Masters, act in the same way toward them, and stop bullying, knowing that both they and you have a Master in heaven and that with him there is no partiality.(F)
Battle Against Evil. 10 [a]Finally, draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power. 11 Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.(G) 12 For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens.(H) 13 Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground.(I) 14 So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate,(J) 15 and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace.(K) 16 In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all [the] flaming arrows of the evil one.(L) 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.(M)
Constant Prayer. 18 With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit. To that end, be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the holy ones(N) 19 and also for me, that speech may be given me to open my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel(O) 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains, so that I may have the courage to speak as I must.(P)
V. Conclusion
A Final Message.[b] 21 So that you also may have news of me and of what I am doing, Tychicus, my beloved brother and trustworthy minister in the Lord, will tell you everything.(Q) 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, so that you may know about us and that he may encourage your hearts.(R)
23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in immortality.(S)
Footnotes
- 6:10–20 A general exhortation to courage and prayer. Drawing upon the imagery and ideas of Is 11:5; 59:16–17; and Wis 5:17–23, Paul describes the Christian in terms of the dress and equipment of Roman soldiers. He observes, however, that the Christian’s readiness for combat is not directed against human beings but against the spiritual powers of evil (Eph 6:10–17; cf. Eph 1:21; 2:2; 3:10). Unique importance is placed upon prayer (Eph 6:18–20).
- 6:21–24 Tychicus: the bearer of the letter; see note on Col 4:7. Eph 6:21–22 parallel Col 4:7–8, often word for word. If Ephesians is addressed to several Christian communities (see Introduction), it is understandable that no greetings to individual members of these communities should have been included in it.
Ephesians 6
New International Version
Ephesians 6
New International Version
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.(A) 2 “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise— 3 “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”[a](B)
4 Fathers,[b] do not exasperate your children;(C) instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.(D)
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect(E) and fear, and with sincerity of heart,(F) just as you would obey Christ.(G) 6 Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ,(H) doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,(I) 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do,(J) whether they are slave or free.
9 And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours(K) is in heaven, and there is no favoritism(L) with him.
The Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord(M) and in his mighty power.(N) 11 Put on the full armor of God,(O) so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,(P) but against the rulers, against the authorities,(Q) against the powers(R) of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.(S) 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God,(T) so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist,(U) with the breastplate of righteousness in place,(V) 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.(W) 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith,(X) with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.(Y) 17 Take the helmet of salvation(Z) and the sword of the Spirit,(AA) which is the word of God.(AB)
18 And pray in the Spirit(AC) on all occasions(AD) with all kinds of prayers and requests.(AE) With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying(AF) for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me,(AG) that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly(AH) make known the mystery(AI) of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador(AJ) in chains.(AK) Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Final Greetings
21 Tychicus,(AL) the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. 22 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are,(AM) and that he may encourage you.(AN)
23 Peace(AO) to the brothers and sisters,[c] and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.[d]
Footnotes
- Ephesians 6:3 Deut. 5:16
- Ephesians 6:4 Or Parents
- Ephesians 6:23 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family.
- Ephesians 6:24 Or Grace and immortality to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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