the Week of Christ the King / Proper 29 / Ordinary 34
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International Standard Version
Ephesians 3
1 For this reason I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles.[xr] 2 Surely you have heard about the responsibility of administering God's grace that was given to me on your behalf,[xr] 3 and how this secret was made known to me through a revelation, just as I wrote about briefly in the past.[xr] 4 By reading this, you will be able to grasp my understanding of the secret about Christ,[xr] 5 which in previous generations was not made known to human beings[fn] as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's[fn] holy apostles and prophets:[xr] 6 The Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow sharers of what was promised[fn] in Christ Jesus through the gospel.[xr] 7 I have become a servant of this gospel[fn] according to the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power.[xr] 8 To me, the very least of all the saints, this grace was given so that I might proclaim to the Gentiles the immeasurable wealth of Christ[xr] 9 and help everyone see how this secret, which was hidden for ages in God who created all things, has been at work.[xr] 10 He did this[fn] so that now, through the church, the wisdom of God in all its variety might be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm[xr] 11 in keeping with the eternal purpose that God[fn] carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord,[xr] 12 in whom we have boldness and confident access through his faithfulness.[fn][xr] 13 So then, I ask you not to become discouraged because of my troubles on your behalf, which are your glory.[xr]
14 This is the reason I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,[fn] 15 from whom every family[fn] in heaven and on earth receives its name.[xr] 16 I pray[fn] that he would give you, according to his glorious riches, strength in your inner being and power through his Spirit,[xr] 17 and that Christ would make his home in your hearts through faith. Then, having been rooted and grounded in love,[xr] 18 you will be able to understand, along with all the saints, what is wide, long, high, and deep[xr] - 19 that is, you will know the love of Christ, which goes far beyond knowledge, and will be filled with all the fullness of God.[xr] 20 Now to the one who can do infinitely more than all we can ask or imagine according to the power that is working among[fn] us[xr] - 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever! Amen.[xr]
International Standard Version
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version. Release 2.0, Build 2015.02.09. Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.