
{1}1{/}

[=]_[*]_{R}_{I}1_{/}Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
to the saints in Ephesus, to you who share Christian faith:
{R}_{I}2_{/}receive grace and peace from God our Father and from Jesus 
the Lord.
[\u0095]_[=]_[*]_{R}_{I}3_{/}Blessed be God, the Father of Christ Jesus our 
Lord,
who in Christ has blessed us from heaven with every spiritual 
blessing.
[=]_{R}_{I}4_{/}God chose us in him before the creation of the world
to be holy and without sin in his presence.
[=]_{R}_{I}5_{/}From eternity he destined us in love
to be his sons and daughters through Christ Jesus,
thus fulfilling his free and generous will.
This goal suited him:
{I}6_{/}that his loving-kindness which he granted us in his Beloved
might finally receive all glory and praise.
[=]_{I}7_{/}For in Christ we obtain freedom, sealed by his blood,
and have the forgiveness of sins.
In this appears the greatness of his grace,
[=]_{I}8_{/}which he lavished on us.
In all wisdom and understanding,
{R}_{I}9_{/}God has made known to us his mysterious design,
in accordance with his loving-kindness in Christ.
[=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}In him and under him God wanted to unite,
when the fullness of time had come,
everything in heaven and on earth.
[=]_{I}11_{/}By a decree of Him who disposes all things
according to his own plan and decision
we, the Jews, have been chosen and called
[=]_{I}12_{/}and we were awaiting the Messiah,
for the praise of his glory.
[=]_{R}_{I}13_{/}You, on hearing the word of truth,
the Gospel that saves you,
have believed in him.
And, as promised, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit,
[=]_{R}_{I}14_{/}the first pledge of what we shall receive,
on the way to our deliverance as a people of God,
for the praise of his glory.

{N}GOD HAS PUT ALL THINGS UNDER THE FEET OF CHRIST{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{I}15_{/}I have been told of your faith and your affection 
towards all the believers, {R}_{I}16_{/}so I always give thanks to God, 
remembering you in my prayers.
[=]_{R}_{I}17_{/}May the God of Christ Jesus our Lord, the Father of 
Glory, reveal himself to you and give you a spirit of wisdom, that 
you may know him.
{R}_{I}18_{/}May he enlighten your inner vision, that you may appreciate 
the things we hope for, since we were called by God.
May you know how great is the inheritance, the glory, God sets 
apart for his saints;
{I}19_{/}may you understand with what extraordinary power he acts in 
favor of us who believe.
[=]_{R}_{I}20_{/}He revealed his almighty power in Christ when he raised 
him from the dead and had him sit at his right hand in heaven, 
[=]_{I}21_{/}far above all rule, power, authority, dominion, or any 
other supernatural force that could be named, not only in this 
world but in the world to come as well.
[=]_{R}_{I}22_{/}Thus has God put all things under the feet of Christ and 
set him above all things, as head of the Church [*]_{I}23_{/}which is 
his body. He who fills all in all unfolds his fullness in the 
Church.

{N}BY GRACE YOU HAVE BEEN SAVED!{/}

{1}2{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}You were dead through  the faults and sins. 
[=]_[*]_{I}2_{/}Once you lived through them according to this world 
and followed the Sovereign Ruler who reigns between heaven and 
earth and who goes on working in those who resist the faith. 
{I}3_{/}All of us belonged to them at one time and we followed human 
greed; we obeyed the urges of our human nature and consented to 
its desires. By ourselves, we went straight to the judgment like 
the rest of humankind.
[=]_{R}_{I}4_{/}But God, who is rich in mercy, revealed his immense love. 
[=]_{R}_{I}5_{/}As we were dead through our sins, he gave us life with 
Christ. By grace you have been saved! {I}6_{/}And he raised us to life 
with Christ, giving us a place with him in heaven.
{R}_{I}7_{/}In showing us such kindness in Christ Jesus, God willed to 
reveal and unfold in the coming ages the extraordinary riches of 
his grace. {R}_{I}8_{/}By the grace of God you have been saved through 
faith. This has not come from you: it is God's gift. {I}9_{/}This was 
not the result of your works, so you are not to feel proud. 
[=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}What we are is God's work. He has created us in Christ 
Jesus for the good works he has prepared that we should devote 
ourselves to them. 

{N}CHRIST IS OUR PEACE{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{I}11{/}Remember that you were pagans even in your flesh and 
the Jews, who call themselves Circumcised (because of a surgical 
circumcision), called you Uncircumcised. [=]_{I}12{/}At that time you 
were without Christ, you did not belong to the community of 
Israel; the covenants of God and his promises were not for you; 
you had no hope and were without God in this world. [=]_{I}13{/}But 
now, in Christ Jesus and by his blood, you who were once far off 
have come near.
[=]_{R}_{I}14_{/}For Christ is our peace, he who has made the two peoples 
one, [=]_{R}_{I}15_{/}destroying in his own flesh the wall - the hatred - 
which separated us. He abolished the Law with its commands and 
precepts. He made peace in uniting the two peoples in him, 
creating out of the two one New Man. {R}_{I}16_{/}He destroyed hatred and 
reconciled us both to God through the cross, making the two one 
body.
[=]_{I}17_{/}He came to proclaim peace; peace to you who were far off, 
peace to the Jews who were near. {R}_{I}18_{/}Through him we - the two 
peoples - approach the Father in one Spirit.
[=]_{R}_{I}19_{/}Now you are no longer strangers or guests, but fellow 
citizens of the holy people: you are of the household of God. You 
are the house [=]_[*]_{R}_{I}20_{/}whose foundations are the apostles and 
prophets, and whose cornerstone is Christ Jesus. [=]_{I}21_{/}In him 
the whole structure is joined together and rises to be a holy 
temple in the Lord. [=]_{R}_{I}22_{/}In him you too are being built to 
become the spiritual sanctuary of God.

{N}GOD'S INHERITANCE IS FOR ALL{/}

{1}3{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}For this reason I, Paul,  came to be the prisoner of 
Christ for you, the non-Jews. [=]_{R}_{I}2_{/}You may have heard of the 
graces God bestowed on me for your sake. [=]_{I}3_{/}By a revelation 
he gave me the knowledge of his mysterious design, as I have 
explained in a few words. {I}4_{/}On reading them you will have some 
idea of how I understand the mystery of Christ.
[=]_{R}_{I}5_{/}This mystery was not made known to past generations but 
only now, through revelations given to holy apostles and prophets. 
{R}_{I}6_{/}Now the non-Jewish people share the Inheritance; in Christ 
Jesus the non-Jews are incorporated and are to enjoy the Promise.
This is the Good News {R}_{I}7_{/}of which I have become minister by a 
gift of God, a grace he gave me, when his power worked in me.
[=]_{I}8_{/}This grace was given to me, the least among all the holy 
ones: to announce to the pagan nations the immeasurable riches of 
Christ {R}_{I}9_{/}and to make clear to all how the mystery, hidden from 
the beginning in God, the Creator of all things, is to be 
fulfilled.
[=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}Even the heavenly forces and powers will now discover 
through the Church the wisdom of God in its manifold expression, 
as the plan is being fulfilled {R}_{I}11_{/}which God designed from the 
beginning in Christ Jesus, our Lord. [=]_{R}_{I}12_{/}In him we receive 
boldness and confidence to approach God.
{I}13_{/}So I ask you not to be discouraged at seeing the trials I 
endure for you, but rather to feel proud because of them.
[\u0095]_{I}14_{/}And now I kneel in the presence of the Father  {I}15_{/}from 
whom every family in heaven and on earth has received its name.
{R}_{I}16_{/}May he strengthen in you the inner self through his Spirit, 
according to the riches of his glory;
[=]_{I}17_{/}may Christ dwell in your hearts through faith;
may you be rooted and founded in love.
[=]_{I}18_{/}All of this so that you may understand with all the holy 
ones the width, the length, the height and the depth - in a word, 
[=]_{R}_{I}19_{/}that you may know the love of Christ which surpasses all 
knowledge, that you may be filled and reach the fullness of God.
{R}_{I}20_{/}Glory to God who shows his power in us and can do much more 
than we could ask or imagine; {R}_{I}21_{/}glory to him in the Church and 
in Christ Jesus through all generations for ever and ever. Amen.

{N}WE SHALL BECOME THE PERFECT CREATION{/}

{1}4{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}1_{/}Therefore I, the prisoner of Christ, invite you to 
live the vocation you have received. {I}2_{/}Be humble, kind, patient, 
and bear with one another in love.
{R}_{I}3_{/}Make every effort to keep among you the unity of Spirit 
through bonds of peace. [=]_{R}_{I}4_{/}Let there be one body and one 
spirit, for God, in calling you, gave the same Spirit to all. 
{I}5_{/}One Lord, one faith, one baptism. [=]_{R}_{I}6_{/}One God, the Father 
of all, who is above all and works through all and is in all.
{I}7_{/}But to each of us divine grace is given according to the 
measure of Christ's gift. [=]_{I}8_{/}Therefore it is said: When he 
ascended to the heights, he brought captives and gave his gifts to 
people.
{R}_{I}9_{/}He ascended: this refers to the one who first descended to 
the dead in the lower parts of the world. [=]_{I}10_{/}He himself who 
went down, then ascended far above all the heavens to fill all 
things. {I}11{/}As for his gifts, to some he gave to be apostles, to 
others prophets, or even evangelists, or pastors and teachers. 
[=]_{I}12_{/}So he prepared those who belong to him for the ministry, 
in order to build up the Body of Christ, [=]_{R}_{I}13_{/}until we are 
all united in the same faith and knowledge of the Son of God. Thus 
we shall become the perfect Man, upon reaching maturity and 
sharing the fullness of Christ.
[=]_{I}14_{/}Then no longer shall we be like children tossed about by 
any wave or wind of doctrine, and deceived by the cunning of 
people who drag them along into error. {I}15_{/}Rather, with sincere 
love, we shall grow in every way towards him who is the head, 
Christ. {I}16_{/}From him comes the growth of the whole body to which 
a network of joints gives order and cohesion, taking into account 
and making use of the function of each one. So the body builds 
itself in love.

{N}PUT ON THE NEW SELF{/}

[\u0095]_{I}17_{/}I say to you, then, and with insistence I advise you in 
the Lord: do not  imitate the pagans who  live an aimless kind of 
life. {R}_{I}18_{/}Their understanding is in darkness and they remain in 
ignorance because of their blind conscience, very far from the 
life of God. {I}19_{/}As a result of their corruption, they have 
abandoned themselves to sensuality and have eagerly given 
themselves to every kind of immorality.
{I}20_{/}But it is not for this that you have followed Christ. 
{R}_{I}21_{/}For I suppose that you heard of him and received his 
teaching which is seen in Jesus himself. [=]_{I}22_{/}You must give up 
your former way of living, the old self, whose deceitful desires 
bring self-destruction. {I}23_{/}Renew yourselves spiritually, from 
inside, [=]_{R}_{I}24_{/}and put on the new self, or self according to 
God, which is created in true righteousness and holiness.
[=]_{I}25_{/}Therefore, give up lying; let all of us speak the truth 
to our neighbors for we are members of one another. [=]_{I}26_{/}Be 
angry but do not sin: do not let your anger last until the end of 
the day, {I}27_{/}lest you give the devil a foothold.
[=]_{I}28_{/}Let the one who used to steal, steal no more, but busy 
himself working usefully with his hands so that he may have 
something to share with the needy. [=]_{I}29_{/}Do not let even one 
bad word come from your mouth, but only good words that will 
encourage when necessary and be helpful to those who hear.
[=]_{I}30_{/}Do not sadden the Holy Spirit of God which you were 
marked with. It will be your distinctive mark on the day of 
salvation. {I}31_{/}Do away with all quarreling, rage, anger, insults 
and every kind of malice: {R}_{I}32_{/}be good and understanding, 
mutually forgiving one another as God forgave you in Christ.

{N}IMITATE GOD{/}

{1}5{/}

[\u0095]_{R}_{I}1_{/}As most beloved children of God, strive to imitate him. 
[=]_{R}_{I}2_{/}Follow the way of love, the example of Christ who loved 
you. He gave himself up for us and became the offering and 
sacrificial victim whose fragrance rises to God. {I}3_{/}And since you 
are holy, there must not be among you even a hint of sexual 
immorality or greed, or any kind of impurity: these should not be 
named among you. {R}_{I}4_{/}So too for scandalous words, nonsense and 
foolishness, which are not fitting; instead offer thanksgiving to 
God.
[=]_{R}_{I}5_{/}Know this: no depraved, impure or covetous person who 
serves the god 'Money' shall have part in the kingdom of Christ 
and of God. [=]_{R}_{I}6_{/}Let no one deceive you with empty arguments, 
for these are the sins which God is about to condemn in people who 
do not obey. {I}7_{/}Do not associate with such people. [=]_{I}8_{/}You 
were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Behave as 
children of light; {I}9_{/}the fruits of light are kindness, justice 
and truth in every form.
{I}10_{/}You yourselves search out what pleases the Lord, {I}11_{/}and 
take no part in works of darkness that are of no benefit; expose 
them instead. {I}12_{/}Indeed it is a shame even to speak of what 
those people do in secret, {I}13_{/}but as soon as it is exposed to 
the light, everything becomes clear. [=]_{R}_{I}14_{/}And what has become 
clear becomes light. Therefore it is said:
"Awake, you who sleep, arise from the dead that the light of 
Christ may shine on you."
[=]_{I}15_{/}Pay attention to how you behave. Do not live as the 
unwise do, but as responsible persons. {I}16_{/}Try to make good use 
of the present time, because these days are evil. {I}17_{/}So do not 
be foolish but understand what the will of the Lord is.
{R}_{I}18_{/}Do not get drunk: wine leads to levity; but be filled with 
the Holy Spirit. {R}_{I}19_{/}Gather together to pray with psalms, hymns 
and spiritual songs. Sing and celebrate the Lord in your heart, 
[=]_{R}_{I}20_{/}giving thanks to God the Father in the name of Christ 
Jesus, our Lord, always and for everything.

{N}HUSBANDS, LOVE YOUR WIVES{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{I}21_{/}Let all kinds of submission to one another become 
obedience to Christ. {I}22_{/}So wives to their husbands: as to the 
Lord.
{I}23_{/}The husband is the head of his wife, as Christ is the head of 
the Church, his body, of whom he is also the Savior. [=]_{I}24_{/}And 
as the Church submits to Christ, so let a wife submit in 
everything to her husband.
{I}25_{/}As for you, husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the 
Church and gave himself up for her. {I}26_{/}He washed her and made 
her holy by baptism in the Word. [=]_{I}27_{/}As he wanted a radiant 
Church without stain or wrinkle or any blemish, but holy and 
blameless, he himself had to prepare and present her to himself.
{I}28_{/}In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they 
love their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves  himself. 
{I}29_{/}And no one has ever hated his body; he feeds and takes care 
of it. That is just what Christ does for the Church, {I}30_{/}because 
we are a part of his body.
[=]_{R}_{I}31_{/}Scripture says: Because of this a man shall leave his 
father and mother to be united with his wife, and the two shall 
become one flesh. [*]_{I}32_{/}This is a very great mystery, and I 
refer to Christ and the Church. {I}33_{/}As for you, let each one love 
his wife as himself, and let the wife respect her husband.

{N}CHILDREN, PARENTS, SERVANTS AND MASTERS{/}

{1}6{/}

[\u0095]_{I}1_{/}Children, obey your parents for this is right: {R}_{I}2_{/}Honor 
your father and your mother. And this is the first commandment 
that has promise: [=]_{I}3_{/}that you may be happy and enjoy long 
life in the land. [=]_{I}4_{/}And you, fathers, do not make rebels of 
your children, but educate them by correction and instruction 
which the Lord may inspire.
[=]_{I}5_{/}Servants, obey your masters of this world with fear and 
respect, with simplicity of heart, as if obeying Christ. {R}_{I}6_{/}Do 
not serve only when you are watched or in order to please others, 
but become servants of Christ who do God's will with all your 
heart. {I}7{/}Work willingly, for the Lord and not for humans, mindful 
that the good each one has done, {I}8_{/}whether servant or free, will 
be rewarded by the Lord.
{I}9_{/}And you, masters, deal with your servants in the same way, and 
do not threaten them, since you know that they and you have the 
same Lord who is in heaven, and he treats all fairly.

{N}BE STRONG IN THE LORD{/}

[\u0095]_{I}10_{/}Finally, be strong in the Lord with his energy and 
strength. {R}_{I}11_{/}Put on the whole armor of God to be able to resist 
the cunning of the devil. [=]_{I}12_{/}Our battle is not against human 
forces but against the rulers and authorities and their dark 
powers that govern this world. We are struggling against the 
spirits and supernatural forces of evil.
{R}_{I}13_{/}Therefore put on the whole armor of God, that in the evil 
day, you may resist and stand your ground, making use of all your 
weapons. {I}14_{/}Take truth as your belt, justice as your 
breastplate, {I}15_{/}and zeal as your shoes to propagate the Gospel 
of peace. [=]_{I}16_{/}Always hold in your hand the shield of faith to 
repel the flaming arrows of the devil. [=]_{R}_{I}17_{/}Finally, use the 
helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, that is, the Word 
of God.
[=]_{R}_{I}18_{/}Pray at all times as the Spirit inspires you. Keep 
watch, together with sustained prayer and supplication for all the 
holy ones. [=]_{I}19_{/}Pray also for me, so that when I speak, I may 
be given words to proclaim bravely the mystery of the Gospel. 
[=]_{R}_{I}20_{/}Even when in chains I am an ambassador of God; may he 
give me the strength to speak as I should.
[=]_{I}21_{/}I also want you to know how I am and what I am doing. 
Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful minister in the Lord, 
will tell you everything. {I}22_{/}I am sending him precisely to give 
you news of us and comfort you all.
{R}_{I}23_{/}May peace and love with faith from God the Father and from 
Christ Jesus the Lord, be with the brothers and sisters. {R}_{I}24_{/}And 
may his blessing be with all who love Christ Jesus, our Lord, with 
undying love.

