| New American Standard Bible 1995 | New Living Translation |
| 1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles-- | 1When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . . |
| 2if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace which was given to me for you; | 2assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. |
| 3that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. | 3As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. |
| 4By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, | 4As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. |
| 5which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; | 5God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets. |
| 6to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, | 6And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. |
| 7of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God's grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. | 7By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News. |
| 8To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, | 8Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. |
| 9and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; | 9I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. |
| 10so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. | 10God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. |
| 11This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, | 11This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord. |
| 12in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. | 12Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. |
| 13Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory. | 13So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored. Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth |
| 14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, | 14When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, |
| 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, | 15the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. |
| 16that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, | 16I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. |
| 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, | 17Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. |
| 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, | 18And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. |
| 19and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. | 19May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. |
| 20Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, | 20Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. |
| 21to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. | 21Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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