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.
1Bulus, wanda Allah ya zaɓa don yă zama manzon Kiristi Yesu,
Zuwa ga tsarkaka da suke a Afisa,1.1 Waɗansu rubuce-rubucen hannu na dā ba su da a Afisa. da kuma suke amintattu1.1 Ko kuwa masu bi waɗanda cikin Kiristi Yesu.
2Alheri da salama daga Allah Ubanmu da Ubangiji Yesu Kiristi, su kasance tare da ku.
Albarkun ruhaniya a cikin Kiristi
3Yabo ya tabbata ga Allah Uban Ubangijinmu Yesu Kiristi, wanda ya kawo mana kowace albarka ta ruhaniya daga sama. 4Gama ya zaɓe mu a cikin Kiristi tun dā can, kafin ma a halicci duniya don mu zama masu tsarki da kuma marasa aibi a gabansa. 5A cikin ƙauna, ya1.4,5 Ko kuwa gani cikin ƙauna. 5 Ya ƙaddara mu zama ’ya’yansa na riƙo ta wurin Kiristi Yesu, bisa ga nufinsa na alheri. 6Ya yi haka don mu yabi Allah saboda alherin da ya yi mana saboda mu na ƙaunataccen Ɗansa ne. 7A cikinsa muka sami fansa ta wurin jininsa, wato, yafewar zunubanmu. Kiristi ya yi wannan saboda yawan alherin Allah 8wanda ya ba mu babu iyaka tare da dukan hikima da fahimta. 9Allah ya yi abin da ya nufa, ya kuma sanar mana shirin asirin da ya riga ya shirya yă cika ta wurin Kiristi. 10Nufinsa ke nan, idan lokaci ya cika, yă harhaɗa dukan abubuwa a ƙarƙashin ikon Kiristi, wato, dukan abubuwan da suke sama da abubuwan da suke ƙasa.
11A cikinsa ne kuma aka zaɓe mu mu sami gādo daga Allah,1.11 Ko kuwa mun zama abin gādon Allah an kuwa ƙaddara mu ga haka bisa ga nufin wannan da yake zartar da dukan abubuwa yadda ya yi nufi yă yi. 12Manufar Allah ita ce cewa mu da muka fara sa bege a cikin Kiristi, mu yi zaman yabon ɗaukakar Allah. 13An kuma haɗa ku a cikin Kiristi lokacin da kuka ji saƙon nan na gaskiya, wanda yake labari mai daɗi na cetonku. Da kuka ba da gaskiya, sai aka yi muku alamar shaida a cikinsa da Ruhu Mai Tsarki. 14Ruhu Mai Tsarkin nan shi ne tabbacin da Allah ya yi na cewa zai ba mu kome da ya yi alkawari, har ya sa muka sani nan gaba Allah zai ceci waɗanda suke nasa. Wannan kuwa domin yabon ɗaukakarsa ne.
Godiya da addu’a
15Saboda haka, tun lokacin da na ji labarin bangaskiyarku cikin Ubangiji Yesu da kuma ƙaunar da kuke yi wa dukan mutanen Allah, 16ban fasa yin godiya saboda ku ba, ina tuna da ku cikin addu’o’ina. 17Ina ta roƙo cewa Allah na Ubangijinmu Yesu Kiristi, Uba Maɗaukaki, yă ba ku Ruhun hikima da na ganewa, domin ku san shi da kyau. 18Ina kuma addu’a cewa zuciyarku tă waye don ku gane ko mene ne sa zuciyan nan da ya kira ku a kansa, ku kuma san darajar dukiyan nan wadda take ta mutanen Allah, wato, albarkunsa. 19Ina addu’a ku san girman ikon Allah wanda ya wuce misali, wanda yake namu. Ikon da yake aiki a cikinmu, ɗaya ne da ikon nan 20da ya tā da Kiristi daga matattu, ya kuma sa ya zauna a hannun damansa a cikin mulkin samaniya. 21Yanzu yana mulki a kan dukan masu sarauta, da masu iko, da masu ƙarfi, da kuma masu mulki. Yana mulkin kome a wannan duniya, zai kuma yi mulkin duniya mai zuwa. 22Allah ya sa kome a ƙarƙashin ikonsa, ya kuma ba shi iko a kan kome don amfanin ikkilisiya. 23Kuma ikkilisiya ce jikinsa; ta kuma cika da Kiristi, wanda ya cika kome ta kowace hanya.
