Ephesians 3:2

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
Surely you know that God gave me this work through his grace to help you.

Revised Standard Version
assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Yf ye have hearde of the ministracion of the grace of god which is geven me to you warde.

Hebrew Names Version
if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you;

New American Standard Bible
if indeed you have heard of the administration of God's grace which was given to me for you;

New Century Version
Surely you have heard that God gave me this work to tell you about his grace.

Update Bible Version
if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of that grace of God which was given to me toward you;

Webster's Bible Translation
If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me on your account.

English Standard Version
assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you,

World English Bible
if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you;

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
given me to you ward, That by revelation he made known to me the mystery:

Weymouth's New Testament
if, that is, you have heard of the work which God has graciously entrusted to me for your benefit,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
if netheles ye han herd the dispensacioun of Goddis grace, that is youun to me in you.

English Revised Version
if so be that ye have heard of the dispensation of that grace of God which was given me to you-ward;

Berean Standard Bible
Surely you have heard about the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you,

Contemporary English Version
You have surely heard about God's kindness in choosing me to help you.

Amplified Bible
assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was entrusted to me [to share with you] for your benefit;

American Standard Version
if so be that ye have heard of the dispensation of that grace of God which was given me to you-ward;

Bible in Basic English
If that ordering of the grace of God has come to your knowledge, which was given to me for you,

Complete Jewish Bible
I assume that you have heard of the work God in his grace has given me to do for your benefit,

Darby Translation
(if indeed ye have heard of the administration of the grace of God which has been given to me towards you,

International Standard Version
Surely you have heard about the responsibility of administering God's grace that was given to me on your behalf,Acts 9:15; 13:2; Romans 1:5; 11:13; 12:3; 1 Corinthians 4:1; Galatians 1:16; Ephesians 1:8; 4:7; Colossians 1:25;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
if you have heard the dispensation of the grace of Aloha which was given me for you;

Murdock Translation
if so be, ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which was given to me among you:

King James Version (1611)
If ye haue heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is giuen me to youward:

New Living Translation
assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles.

New Life Bible
I am sure you have heard that God trusted me with His loving-favor.

New Revised Standard
for surely you have already heard of the commission of God's grace that was given me for you,

Geneva Bible (1587)
If ye haue heard of the dispensation of the grace of God, which is giuen me to you warde,

George Lamsa Translation
Have you ever heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
If at least ye have heard of the administration of the favour of God which hath been given unto me for you,

Douay-Rheims Bible
If yet you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me towards you:

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Yf ye haue hearde of the dispensatio of the grace of God, which is geuen me to youwarde:

Good News Translation
Surely you have heard that God in his grace has given me this work to do for your good.

Christian Standard Bible®
you have heard, haven’t you, about the administration of God’s grace that he gave to me for you?

King James Version
If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward:

Lexham English Bible
—if indeed you have heard about the stewardship of God's grace given to me for you.

Literal Translation
if, indeed, you heard of the stewardship of the grace of God given to me for you,

Young's Literal Translation
if, indeed, ye did hear of the dispensation of the grace of God that was given to me in regard to you,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
acordinge as ye haue herde of ye office of the grace of God which is geuen me to you warde.

Mace New Testament (1729)
if so be you have heard of the charge, which God has graciously dispens'd to me for you Gentiles;

New English Translation
if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for you,

New King James Version
if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you,

Simplified Cowboy Version
Surely, you've heard that God picked me to saddle up and ride out to bring his grace to y'all.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace which was given to me for you;

Legacy Standard Bible
if indeed you heard of the stewardship of God's grace which was given to me for you;

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: Ephesians 4:21, Galatians 1:13, Colossians 1:4, Colossians 1:6, 2 Timothy 1:11

the dispensation: Ephesians 3:8, Ephesians 4:7, Acts 9:15, Acts 13:2, Acts 13:46, Acts 22:21, Acts 26:17, Acts 26:18, Romans 1:5, Romans 11:13, Romans 12:3, Romans 15:15, Romans 15:16, 1 Corinthians 4:1, 1 Corinthians 9:17-22, Galatians 1:15, Galatians 1:16, Galatians 2:8, Galatians 2:9, Colossians 1:25-27, 1 Timothy 1:11, 1 Timothy 2:7, 2 Timothy 1:11

Reciprocal: John 17:8 - I have 1 Corinthians 3:10 - to the Ephesians 3:7 - I

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God,.... Not the free love and favour of God in his heart towards his people; nor internal grace wrought in the heart of the apostle; but either the gift of grace, as in Ephesians 3:7 qualifying him for the work of the ministry; and so the Ethiopic version renders it, "if ye have heard the gift of the grace of God"; or rather the doctrine of grace, the Gospel, the subject matter of which is the grace of God; it is a declaration of the free grace of God in the salvation of men; and it is the means of conveying the grace of God into their hearts. Now the apostle had a dispensation to preach this Gospel committed to him; he acted by authority, and as a steward of the mysteries of God; and which he faithfully dispensed to the family of Christ, who appointed him to this service: this the Ephesians had heard of, from the relations of the apostle, and others, and knew it themselves, having often heard him preach, for he was with them for the space of three years; wherefore this is not said as if he questioned, whether they had heard or not, but as taking it for granted that they had: "if", or "seeing ye have heard", c.

which is given me to you-ward it was not for his own private use, that the Gospel was committed to him, or gifts were given him to qualify him for the dispensation of it, but for the sake of others, especially the Gentiles, and particularly the Ephesians.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

If ye have heard - Εἴ-γε Ei-ge “If at least, if indeed, if so be, spoken of what is taken for granted.” “Robinson;” compare 2 Corinthians 5:3; Galatians 3:4; Ephesians 4:21; Colossians 1:23, for the use of the particle. The particle here is not designed to express a doubt whether they had heard of it or not, for he takes it for granted that they had. Doddridge renders it, “since I well know you have heard,” etc. He had informed them of his being called to be the minister to the Gentiles Ephesians 3:3, but still there was a possibility that they had not received the letter containing the information, and he goes, therefore, into another statement on the subject, that they might fully comprehend it. Hence, this long parenthetical sentence - one of the longest that occurs in the writings of Paul, and expressed under the impulse of a mind full of the subject; so full, as we would say, that he did not know what to say first.

Hence, it is exceedingly difficult to understand the exact state of mind in which he was. It seems to me that the whole of this long statement grew out of the incidental mention Ephesians 3:1 of the fact that he was a prisoner for the Gentiles. Instantly he seems to have reflected that they would be grieved at the intelligence that he was suffering on their account. He goes, therefore, into this long account, to show them how it happened; that it was by the appointment of God; that it was in the evolving of a great and glorious mystery; that it was in a cause adapted to promote, in an eminent degree, the glory of God; that it was according to an eternal purpose; and he, therefore Ephesians 3:13, says, that he desires that they would not “faint” or be unduly distressed on account of his sufferings for them, since his sufferings were designed to promote their “glory.” He was comforted in the belief that he was making known the glorious and eternal plan of God, and in the belief that it was for the welfare of mankind; and he, therefore, entreated them also not to be troubled inordinately at his sufferings.

The dispensation - Greek “economy;” rendered “stewardship,” Luke 16:2-4; and “dispensation,” Ephesians 1:10; Ephesians 3:2; Colossians 1:25; see the notes at Ephesians 1:10. It means here that this arrangement was made that he should be the apostle to the Gentiles. In the assignment of the different parts of the work of preaching the gospel, the office had been committed to him of making it known to the pagan.

Of the grace of God - In the arrangements of his grace.

Which is given me to you-ward - Toward you who are Gentiles. Not to the Ephesians particularly, but to the nations at large; see the notes at Galatians 2:7.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ephesians 3:2. If ye have heard of the dispensation — The compound particle ειγε, which is commonly translated if indeed, in several places means since indeed, seeing that, and should be translated so in this verse, and in several other places of the New Testament. Seeing ye have heard of the dispensation of God, which is given me to you-ward: this they had amply learned from the apostle during his stay at Ephesus, for he had not shunned to declare unto them the whole counsel of God, Acts 20:27, and kept nothing back that was profitable to them, Acts 20:20. And this was certainly among those things that were most profitable, and most necessary to be known.

By the dispensation of the grace of God we may understand, either the apostolic office and gifts granted to St. Paul, for the purpose of preaching the Gospel among the Gentiles, see Romans 1:5; or the knowledge which God gave him of that gracious and Divine plan which he had formed for the conversion of the Gentiles. For the meaning of the word economy, Ephesians 1:10; Ephesians 1:10.