Ephesians 3:13

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
So then I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory.

King James Version (1611)
Wherefore I desire that yee faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

King James Version
Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

English Standard Version
So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

New American Standard Bible
Therefore I ask you not to become discouraged about my tribulations in your behalf, since they are your glory.

New Century Version
So I ask you not to become discouraged because of the sufferings I am having for you. My sufferings are for your glory.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory.

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my afflictions on your behalf, which are your glory.

Berean Standard Bible
So I ask you not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.

Contemporary English Version
That's why you should not be discouraged when I suffer for you. After all, it will bring honor to you.

Complete Jewish Bible
So I ask you not to be discouraged by the troubles I endure on your behalf — it is all for your glory.

Darby Translation
Wherefore I beseech [you] not to faint through my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Easy-to-Read Version
So I ask you not to be discouraged because of what is happening to me. My sufferings are for your benefit—for your honor and glory.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for your sakes, which is your glory.

George Lamsa Translation
Therefore I ask that I may not grow weary in my afflictions for your sakes, which is for your happiness.

Good News Translation
I beg you, then, not to be discouraged because I am suffering for you; it is all for your benefit.

Lexham English Bible
Therefore I ask you not to be discouraged at my afflictions on behalf of you, which are your glory.

Literal Translation
Therefore, I ask you not to faint at my troubles on your behalf, which is your glory.

Amplified Bible
So I ask you not to lose heart at my sufferings on your behalf, for they are your glory and honor.

American Standard Version
Wherefore I ask that ye may not faint at my tribulations for you, which are your glory.

Bible in Basic English
For this reason it is my prayer that you may not become feeble because of my troubles for you, which are your glory.

Hebrew Names Version
Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory.

International Standard Version
So then, I ask you not to become discouraged because of my troubles on your behalf, which are your glory.Acts 14:22; 2 Corinthians 1:6; Ephesians 3:1; Philippians 1:14; 1 Thessalonians 3:3;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
WHEREFORE I pray that I may not weary in my affliction, which is on your account,

Murdock Translation
Therefore I pray, that I may not be discouraged by my afflictions, which are for your sakes; for this is your glory.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Wherfore I desire that ye faynt not in my tribulations for you, whiche is your glorie.

English Revised Version
Wherefore I ask that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which are your glory.

World English Bible
Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Wherefore I intreat you not to faint at my afflictions for you, which is your glory.

Weymouth's New Testament
Therefore I entreat you not to lose heart in the midst of my sufferings on your behalf, for they bring you honour.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For which thing Y axe, that ye faile not in my tribulaciouns for you, which is youre glorie.

Update Bible Version
Therefore I ask that you may not faint at my tribulations for you, which are your glory.

Webster's Bible Translation
Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

New English Translation
For this reason I ask you not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

New King James Version
Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

New Living Translation
So please don't lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.

New Life Bible
So I ask you not to lose heart because of my suffering for you. It is to help you.

New Revised Standard
I pray therefore that you may not lose heart over my sufferings for you; they are your glory.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Wherefore I request, that there be no fainting in my tribulations in your behalf, the which is your glory; -

Douay-Rheims Bible
Wherefore I pray you not to faint at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Revised Standard Version
So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Wherfore I desire yt ye faynt not because of my trybulacios for youre sakes: which is youre prayse.

Young's Literal Translation
wherefore, I ask [you] not to faint in my tribulations for you, which is your glory.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Wherfore I desyre that ye faynte not because of my tribulacions, yt I suffre for you, which is youre prayse.

Mace New Testament (1729)
Wherefore I desire that you be not dejected at the tribulations I am under for your sake, which are matter of glory to you.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Even though I am suffering greatly, don't lose heart. I suffer so y'all don't have to.

Contextual Overview

¹This is why I, Paul, am in jail for Christ, having taken up the cause of you outsiders, so-called. I take it that you're familiar with the part I was given in God's plan for including everybody. I got the inside story on this from God himself, as I just wrote you in brief. ⁴As you read over what I have written to you, you'll be able to see for yourselves into the mystery of Christ. None of our ancestors understood this. Only in our time has it been made clear by God's Spirit through his holy apostles and prophets of this new order. The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I've been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board. ⁷This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities. And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels! All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we're free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don't let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud! My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes! ⁹The Secret Plan of God This is why I, Paul, am in jail for Christ, having taken up the cause of you outsiders, so-called. I take it that you're familiar with the part I was given in God's plan for including everybody. I got the inside story on this from God himself, as I just wrote you in brief. As you read over what I have written to you, you'll be able to see for yourselves into the mystery of Christ. None of our ancestors understood this. Only in our time has it been made clear by God's Spirit through his holy apostles and prophets of this new order. The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I've been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board. This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities. And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels! All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we're free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don't let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud! My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you'll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God. God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us. Glory to God in the church! Glory to God in the Messiah, in Jesus! Glory down all the generations! Glory through all millennia! Oh, yes! ¹⁰The Secret Plan of God This is why I, Paul, am in jail for Christ, having taken up the cause of you outsiders, so-called. I take it that you're familiar with the part I was given in God's plan for including everybody. I got the inside story on this from God himself, as I just wrote you in brief. As you read over what I have written to you, you'll be able to see for yourselves into the mystery of Christ. None of our ancestors understood this. Only in our time has it been made clear by God's Spirit through his holy apostles and prophets of this new order. The mystery is that people who have never heard of God and those who have heard of him all their lives (what I've been calling outsiders and insiders) stand on the same ground before God. They get the same offer, same help, same promises in Christ Jesus. The Message is accessible and welcoming to everyone, across the board. This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. When it came to presenting the Message to people who had no background in God's way, I was the least qualified of any of the available Christians. God saw to it that I was equipped, but you can be sure that it had nothing to do with my natural abilities. And so here I am, preaching and writing about things that are way over my head, the inexhaustible riches and generosity of Christ. My task is to bring out in the open and make plain what God, who created all this in the first place, has been doing in secret and behind the scenes all along. Through followers of Jesus like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels! ¹¹All this is proceeding along lines planned all along by God and then executed in Christ Jesus. When we trust in him, we're free to say whatever needs to be said, bold to go wherever we need to go. So don't let my present trouble on your behalf get you down. Be proud!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

ye: Deuteronomy 20:3, Isaiah 40:30, Isaiah 40:31, Zephaniah 3:16, Acts 14:22, Galatians 6:9, 2 Thessalonians 3:13, Hebrews 12:3-5

at: Ephesians 3:1, 2 Corinthians 1:6, Philippians 1:12-14, Colossians 1:24, 1 Thessalonians 3:2-4

Reciprocal: Genesis 9:27 - dwell Proverbs 24:10 - thou Isaiah 55:6 - while he is near Lamentations 1:22 - my heart Acts 20:24 - none Romans 5:3 - but we 2 Corinthians 4:1 - we faint not Philippians 1:14 - waxing Philippians 2:18 - do Philippians 2:26 - ye had 1 Thessalonians 2:16 - Forbidding 1 Thessalonians 3:3 - moved 1 Timothy 2:1 - exhort 2 Timothy 1:8 - ashamed 2 Timothy 2:10 - I endure 1 Peter 4:16 - as

Cross-References

Genesis 3:4
The serpent told the Woman, "You won't die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you'll see what's really going on. You'll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil."

Genesis 3:6
When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she'd know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate.

Genesis 3:9
God called to the Man: "Where are you?"

Genesis 3:10
He said, "I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid."

Genesis 3:12
The Man said, "The Woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree, and, yes, I ate it." God said to the Woman, "What is this that you've done?"

Genesis 44:15
Joseph accused them: "How can you have done this? You have to know that a man in my position would have discovered this."

1 Samuel 13:11
Samuel said, "What on earth are you doing?" Saul answered, "When I saw I was losing my army from under me, and that you hadn't come when you said you would, and that the Philistines were poised at Micmash, I said, ‘The Philistines are about to come down on me in Gilgal, and I haven't yet come before God asking for his help.' So I took things into my own hands, and sacrificed the burnt offering."

2 Samuel 3:24
Joab went straight to the king: "What's this you've done? Abner shows up, and you let him walk away scot-free? You know Abner son of Ner better than that. This was no friendly visit. He was here to spy on you, figure out your comings and goings, find out what you're up to."

John 18:35
Pilate said, "Do I look like a Jew? Your people and your high priests turned you over to me. What did you do?"

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you,.... The apostle was a man attended with many tribulations, and great afflictions, which he did not suffer as an evildoer, either from God or men; wherefore he was not ashamed of them, but gloried in them; yea, he took pleasure in them, having much of the presence of God in them; they did not come to him unawares, he always expected them, and was helped to look to the glory which should follow them, the view of which greatly supported him under them; and these tribulations were endured for the sake of the elect, for Christ's body's sake; the church, and among others, for the Ephesians, for the sake of preaching the Gospel among them, and for the confirmation of their faith in it; and yet they were a stumbling to them, they were ready to faint at them; but he desires they would not, since they were on account of the Gospel, which he had such a distinct knowledge of, and so clear a call to; and since they were for their sakes, and since he and they had such nearness of access to God by the faith of Christ, with so much boldness and confidence; and seeing also they turned to their account: which is your glory; meaning either that it was matter of glorying to them, and what they might boast of, that the apostle's afflictions were not for any crime that was found in him, but for preaching the Gospel to them, and that it was an honour to suffer in such a cause; or that their perseverance and constancy in the doctrines of the Gospel, notwithstanding the scandal of the cross, would be an honour to them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Wherefore I desire that ye faint not - The connection here is this. Paul was then a prisoner at Rome. He had been made such in consequence of his efforts to diffuse the Christian religion among the Gentiles; see the notes at Ephesians 3:1. His zeal in this cause, and the opinions which he held on this subject, had roused the wrath of the Jews, and led to all the calamities which he was now suffering. Of that the Ephesians. he supposes, were aware. It was natural that they should be distressed at his sufferings, for all his privations were endured on their account. But here he tells them not to be troubled and disheartened. He was indeed suffering; but he was reconciled to it, and they should be also, since it was promoting their welfare. The word rendered “faint” - ἐκκακέω egkakeō - means literally, to turn out “a coward,” or to lose one’s courage; then to be fainthearted, etc.; notes, 2 Corinthians 4:1. It is rendered “faint” in Luk 18:1; 2 Corinthians 4:1, 2 Corinthians 4:16; Ephesians 3:13, and “weary” in Gal 6:9; 2 Thessalonians 3:13. It does not elsewhere occur. It is rendered here by Locke “dismayed.” Koppe supposes it means that they should not suppose that the Christian religion was vain and false because he was suffering so much from his countrymen on account of it. But it rather means that they might be in danger of being discouraged by the fact that “he” was enduring so much. They might become disheartened in their attachment to a system of religion which exposed its friends to such calamities. Paul tells them that this ought not to follow. They were to be profited by all his sufferings, and they should, therefore, hold fast to a religion which was attended with so many benefits to them - though he should suffer.

Which is your glory - Which tends to your honor and welfare. You have occasion to rejoice that you have a friend who is willing thus to suffer for you; you have occasion to rejoice in all the benefits which will result to you from, his trials in your behalf.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 13. I desire that ye faint not — In those primitive times, when there was much persecution, people were in continual danger of falling away from the faith who were not well grounded in it. This the apostle deprecates, and advances a strong reason why they should be firm: "I suffer my present imprisonment on account of demonstrating your privileges, of which the Jews are envious: I bear my afflictions patiently, knowing that what I have advanced is of God, and thus I give ample proof of the sincerity of my own conviction. The sufferings, therefore, of your apostles are honourable to you and to your cause; and far from being any cause why you should faint, or draw back like cowards, in the day of distress, they should be an additional argument to induce you to persevere."