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¹ Children, what you should do in union with the Lord is obey your parents, for this is right. ² "Honor your father and mother" — this is the first commandment that embodies a promise — ³ "so that it may go well with you, and you may live long in the Land."^[a]

⁴ Fathers, don't irritate your children and make them resentful; instead, raise them with the Lord's kind of discipline and guidance.

⁵ Slaves, obey your human masters with the same fear, trembling and single-heartedness with which you obey the Messiah. ⁶ Don't obey just to win their favor, serving only when they are watching you; but serve as slaves of the Messiah, doing what God wants with all your heart. ⁷ Work willingly as slaves, as people do who are serving not merely human beings but the Lord. ⁸ Remember that whoever does good work, whether he be a slave or a free man, will be rewarded by the Lord.

⁹ And masters, treat your slaves the same way. Don't threaten them. Remember that in heaven both you and they have the same Master, and he has no favorites.

¹⁰ Finally, grow powerful in union with the Lord, in union with his mighty strength! ¹¹ Use all the armor and weaponry that God provides, so that you will be able to stand against the deceptive tactics of the Adversary. ¹² For we are not struggling against human beings, but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers governing this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. ¹³ So take up every piece of war equipment God provides; so that when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist; and when the battle is won, you will still be standing. ¹⁴ Therefore, stand! Have the belt of truth buckled around your waist,^[b] put on righteousness for a breastplate,^{[c] 15} and wear on your feet the readiness that comes from the Good News of shalom.^{[d] 16} Always carry the shield of trust, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. ¹⁷ And take the helmet of deliverance;^[e] along with the sword given by the Spirit, that is, the Word of God; ¹⁸ as you pray at all times, with all kinds of prayers and requests, in the Spirit, vigilantly and persistently, for all God's people.

¹⁹ And pray for me, too, that whenever I open my mouth, the words will be given to me to be bold in making known the secret of the Good News, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may speak boldly, the way I should.

²¹ Now, so that you may also be informed about how I am and what I am doing, Tychicus, the dear brother and a faithful worker for the Lord, will tell you everything. ²² This is the very reason I have sent him to you, so that you may know how we are getting along and so that he may comfort and encourage you.

²³ Shalom to the brothers. May God the Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah give you love and trust. ²⁴ Grace be to all who love our Lord Yeshua the Messiah with undying love.