1I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned.
I am sending this letter to you, God’s holy people in Ephesus. Because you belong to Christ Jesus, you are faithful.
2May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Praise God for His Spiritual Blessings in Christ
3Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. Those blessings come from the heavenly world. They belong to us because we belong to Christ. 4God chose us to belong to Christ before the world was created. He chose us to be holy and without blame in his eyes. He loved us. 5So he decided long ago to adopt us. He adopted us as his children with all the rights children have. He did it because of what Jesus Christ has done. It pleased God to do it. 6All those things bring praise to his glorious grace. God freely gave us his grace because of the One he loves. 7We have been set free because of what Christ has done. Because he bled and died our sins have been forgiven. We have been set free because God’s grace is so rich. 8He poured his grace on us. By giving us great wisdom and understanding, 9he showed us the mystery of his plan. It was in keeping with what he wanted to do. It was what he had planned through Christ. 10It will all come about when history has been completed. God will then bring together all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
11We were also chosen to belong to him. God decided to choose us long ago in keeping with his plan. He works out everything to fit his plan and purpose. 12We were the first to put our hope in Christ. We were chosen to bring praise to his glory. 13You also became believers in Christ. That happened when you heard the message of truth. It was the good news about how you could be saved. When you believed, he stamped you with an official mark. That official mark is the Holy Spirit that he promised. 14The Spirit marks us as God’s own. We can now be sure that someday we will receive all that God has promised. That will happen after God sets all his people completely free. All these things will bring praise to his glory.
Paul Prays and Gives Thanks
15I have heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus. I have also heard about your love for all God’s people. That is why 16I have not stopped thanking God for you. I always remember you in my prayers. 17I pray to the God of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the glorious Father. I keep asking him to give you the wisdom and understanding that come from the Holy Spirit. I want you to know God better. 18I pray that you may understand more clearly. Then you will know the hope God has chosen you to receive. You will know that what God will give his holy people is rich and glorious. 19And you will know God’s great power. It can’t be compared with anything else. His power works for us who believe. It is the same mighty strength 20God showed. He showed this when he raised Christ from the dead. God seated him at his right hand in his heavenly kingdom. 21There Christ sits far above all who rule and have authority. He also sits far above all powers and kings. He is above every name that is appealed to in this world and in the world to come. 22God placed all things under Christ’s rule. He appointed him to be ruler over everything for the church. 23The church is Christ’s body and is filled by Christ. He fills everything in every way.
1Paulo, mtumwi wa Khristu Yesu mwachifuniro cha Mulungu.
Kulembera oyera mtima a ku Efeso, okhulupirika mwa Khristu Yesu:
2Chisomo ndi mtendere kwa inu zochokera kwa Mulungu Atate athu ndi Ambuye Yesu Khristu.
Madalitso Auzimu mwa Khristu
3Tiyamike Mulungu, Atate a Ambuye athu Yesu Khristu, amene anatipatsa madalitso onse a uzimu kumwamba mwa Khristu. 4Dziko lapansi lisanalengedwe, Mulungu anatisankhiratu mwa Khristu kuti tikhale oyera mtima ndi wopanda cholakwa pamaso pake. Mwa chikondi chake, 5Iye anakonzeratu kuti ife titengedwe ngati ana mwa Yesu Khristu, molingana ndi kukonda kwake ndi chifuniro chake. 6Anachita zimenezi kuti tiziyamika ulemerero wa chisomo chake, umene watipatsa kwaulere mwa Khristu amene amamukonda. 7Mwa Yesu Khristu, chifukwa cha magazi ake, ife tinawomboledwa ndi kukhululukidwa machimo athu molingana ndi kuchuluka kwa chisomo cha Mulungu 8chimene anatipatsa mosawumira. Mwa nzeru zonse ndi chidziwitso, 9Iye watiwululira chifuniro chake chimene chinali chobisika, chimene anachikonzeratu mwa Khristu, molingana ndi kukoma mtima kwake. 10Chimene anakonza kuti chichitike nʼchakuti, ikakwana nthawi yake asonkhanitsa pamodzi mwa Khristu zinthu zonse za kumwamba ndi pa dziko lapansi.
11Iye anatisankhiratu mwa Khristu, atatikonzeratu molingana ndi machitidwe a Iye amene amachititsa zinthu zonse kuti zikwaniritse cholinga cha chifuniro chake, 12nʼcholinga chakuti, ife amene tinali oyamba kukhala ndi chiyembekezo mwa Khristu, tiyamike ulemerero wake. 13Ndipo inunso pamene munamva mawu a choonadi, Uthenga Wabwino wa chipulumutso chanu, munayikidwanso mwa Khristu. Mutakhulupirira, anakusindikizani chizindikiro pokupatsani Mzimu Woyera amene Iye analonjeza. 14Mzimu Woyerayo ndi chikole chotsimikizira kuti tidzalandira madalitso athu, ndipo kuti Mulungu anatiwombola kuti tikhale anthu ake. Iye anachita zimenezi kuti timuyamike ndi kumulemekeza.
Kuyamika ndi Kupemphera
15Choncho, kuyambira pamene ndinamva za chikhulupiriro chanu mwa Ambuye Yesu ndi za chikondi chanu pa oyera mtima onse, 16ine sindilekeza kuyamika Mulungu chifukwa cha inu. Ndimakukumbukirani mʼmapemphero anga. 17Ndimapemphera kuti Mulungu wa Ambuye athu Yesu Khristu, Atate a ulemerero akupatseni mzimu wa nzeru ndi wa vumbulutso, kuti mumudziwe kwenikweni. 18Ndimapempheranso kuti maso a mitima yanu atsekuke ndi cholinga choti mudziwe chiyembekezo chimene Iye anakuyitanirani, chuma cha ulemerero chomwe chili mwa anthu oyera mtima. 19Ndiponso ndikufuna kuti mudziwe mphamvu zake zazikulu koposa zimene zili mwa ife amene timakhulupirira. Mphamvuyi ndi yofanana ndi mphamvu yoposa ija 20imene inagwira ntchito pamene Mulungu anaukitsa Khristu kwa akufa, namukhazika Iye ku dzanja lake lamanja mʼdziko la kumwamba. 21Anamukhazika pamwamba pa ulamuliro onse ndi mafumu, mphamvu ndi ufumu, ndiponso pamwamba pa dzina lililonse limene angalitchule, osati nthawi ino yokha komanso imene ikubwerayo. 22Ndipo Mulungu anayika zinthu zonse pansi pa mapazi ake ndi kumusankha Iyeyo kukhala mutu pa chilichonse chifukwa cha mpingo, 23umene ndi thupi lake, chidzalo cha Iye amene adzaza chilichonse mu njira iliyonse.
