Chapter 1
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ
By the will of God,
To the saints which are at Ephesus,
And to the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace to you,
And peace, from God our Father,
And the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed the God and Father
Of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who hath blessed us
With all spiritual blessings
In heavenly places in Christ:
According as He hath chosen us in Him
Before the foundation of the world,
That we should be holy
And without blame before Him in love:
Having predestinated us
Unto the adoption of children
By Jesus Christ to Himself,
According to the good pleasure of His will,
To the praise of the glory of His grace,
Wherein He hath made us accepted
In the beloved.
In whom we have redemption
Through His blood,
The forgiveness of sins,
According to the riches of His grace;
Wherein He hath abounded toward us
In all wisdom and prudence;
Having made known unto us
The mystery of His will,
According to His good pleasure
Which He hath purposed in Himself:
That in the dispensation of the fullness of times
He might gather together in one,
All things in Christ, both which are in heaven,
And which are on earth; even in him:
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance,
Being predestinated according to the purpose
Of Him who worketh all things
After the counsel of His own will:
That we should be to the praise of His glory,
Who first trusted in Christ.
In whom ye also trusted,
After that ye heard the word of truth,
The gospel of your salvation:
In whom also after that ye believed,
Ye were sealed
With that Holy Spirit of promise,
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until
The redemption of the purchased possession,
Unto the praise of His glory.
Wherefore I also,
After I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus,
And love unto all the saints,
Cease not to give thanks for you,
Making mention of you in my prayers;
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
The Father of glory,
May give unto you the spirit of wisdom
And revelation in the knowledge of Him:
The eyes of your understanding
Being enlightened; that ye may know
What is the hope of His calling,
And what the riches of the glory
Of His inheritance in the saints,
And what is the exceeding greatness
Of His power to us-ward who believe,
According to the working of His mighty power,
Which He wrought in Christ,
When He raised Him from the dead,
And set Him at His own right hand
In the heavenly places,
Far above all principality, and power,
And might, and dominion,
And every name that is named,
Not only in this world,
But also in that which is to come:
And hath put all things under His feet,
And gave Him to be the head
Over all things to the church,
Which is His body,
The fullness of Him
That filleth all in all.
Chapter 2
And you hath He quickened,
Who were dead in trespasses and sins;
Wherein in time past ye walked
According to the course of this world,
According to the prince of the power of the air,
The spirit that now worketh
In the children of disobedience:
Among whom also we all had
Our conversation in times past,
In the lusts of our flesh,
Fulfilling the desires of the flesh
And of the mind;
And were by nature
The children of wrath,
Even as others.
But God, who is rich in mercy,
For His great love wherewith He loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins,
Hath quickened us together with Christ,
By grace ye are saved;
And hath raised us up together,
And made us sit together
In heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come He might shew
The exceeding riches of His grace
In His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
For by grace are ye saved through faith;
And that not of yourselves:
It is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are His workmanship,
Created in Christ Jesus unto good works,
Which God hath before ordained
That we should walk in them.
Wherefore remember, that ye
Being in time past Gentiles in the flesh,
Who are called Uncircumcision
By that which is called the Circumcision
In the flesh made by hands;
That at that time ye were without Christ,
Being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,
And strangers from the covenants of promise,
Having no hope, and without God in the world:
But now in Christ Jesus
Ye who sometimes were far off
Are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
For He is our peace,
Who hath made both one,
And hath broken down
The middle wall of partition between us;
Having abolished in His flesh the enmity,
Even the law of commandments
Contained in ordinances;
For to make in Himself of twain
One new man, so making peace;
And that He might reconcile
Both unto God
In one body, by the cross,
Having slain the enmity thereby:
And came and preached peace to you
Which were afar off,
And to them that were nigh.
For through Him we both have access
By one Spirit unto the Father.
Now therefore ye are no more
Strangers and foreigners,
But fellow citizens with the saints,
And of the household of God;
And are built upon the foundation
Of the apostles and prophets,
Jesus Christ Himself
Being the chief corner stone;
In whom all the building fitly framed together
Groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
In whom ye also are builded together
For an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Chapter 3
For this cause, I Paul, am
The prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
If ye have heard
Of the dispensation of the grace of God
Which is given me to you-ward:
How that by revelation
He made known unto me the mystery;
As I wrote afore in few words,
Whereby, when ye read,
Ye may understan d my knowledge
In the mystery of Christ,
Which in other ages was not
Made known unto the sons of men,
As it is now revealed unto His holy apostles
And prophets by the Spirit;
That the Gentiles should be fellow heirs,
And of the same body, and partakers
Of his promise in Christ by the Gospel:
Whereof, I was made a Minister,
According to the gift of the Grace of God
Given unto me
By the effectual working of His power.
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints,
Is this grace given,
That I should preach among the Gentiles
The unsearchable riches of Christ;
And to make all men see
what is the fellowship of the mystery,
which from the beginning of the world
hath been hid in God,
who created all things by Jesus Christ:
To the intent that now unto the principalities
And powers in heavenly places
Might be known by the church
The manifold wisdom of God,
According to the eternal purpose
Which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
In whom we have boldness and access
with confidence by the faith of Him.
Wherefore I desire that ye faint not
At my tribulations for you,
Which is your glory.
For this cause I bow m y knees
Unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Of whom the whole family
In heaven and earth is named,
That He would grant you,
According to the riches of His glory,
To be strengthened with might
By His Spirit in the inner man;
That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith;
That ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
May be able to comprehend with all saints
What is the breadth, and length,
And depth, and height ;
And to know the love of Christ,
Which passeth knowledge,
That ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly
Above all that we ask or think,
According to the power that worketh in us,
Unto Him be glory in the church
By Christ Jesus throughout all ages,
World without end. Amen.
Chapter 4
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord,
Beseech you that ye walk worthy
Of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
With all lowliness and meekness,
With longsuffering,
Forbearing one another in love;
Endeavouring to keep
The unity of the Spirit
In the bond of peace.
There is one body, and one Spirit,
Even as ye are called
In one hope of your calling;
One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One God and Father of all,
Who is above all,
And through all, and in you all.
But unto every one of us is given grace
According to the measure of the gift of Christ.
Wherefore He saith,
When He ascended up on high,
He led captivity captive,
And gave gifts unto men.
Now that He ascended,
What is it but that He also descended first
Into the lower parts of the earth?
He that descended is the same also
That ascended up far above all heavens,
That He might fill all things.
And He gave some, apostles;
And some, prophets; and some, evangelists;
And some, pastors and teachers;
For the perfecting of the saints,
For the work of the ministry,
For the edifying of the body of Christ:
Till we all come in the unity of the faith,
And of the knowledge of the Son of God,
Unto a perfect man, unto the measure
Of the stature of the fullness of Christ:
That we henceforth be no more children,
Tossed to and fro, and carried about
With every wind of doctrine,
By the sleight of men,
And cunning craftiness,
Whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
But speaking the truth in love,
May grow up into Him in all things,
Which is the head, even Christ:
From whom the whole body
Fitly joined together and compacted
By that which every joint supplieth,
According to the effectual working
In the measure of every part,
Maketh increase of the body
Unto the edifying of itself in love.
This I say therefore,
and testify in the Lord,
That ye henceforth walk
Not as other Gentiles walk,
In the vanity of their mind,
Having the understanding darkened,
Being alienated from the life of God
Through the ignorance that is in them,
Because of the blindness of their heart:
Who being past feeling
Have given themselves over
Unto lasciviousness,
To work all uncleanness with greediness.
But ye have not so learned Christ;
If so be that ye have heard Him,
And have been taught by Him,
As the truth is in Jesus:
That ye put off
Concerning the former conversation
The old man, which is corrupt
According to the deceitful lusts;
And be renewed
In the spirit of your mind;
And that ye put on the new man,
Which after God is created
In righteousness and true holiness.
Wherefore putting away lying,
Speak every man truth with his neighbour:
For we are members one of another.
Be ye angry, and sin not:
Let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
Neither give place to the devil.
Let him that stole steal no more:
But rather let him labor,
Working with his hands the thing which is good,
That he may have to give to him that needeth.
Let no corrupt communication
Proceed out of your mouth,
But that which is good to the use of edifying,
That it may minister grace unto the hearers.
And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God,
Whereby ye are sealed
Unto the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger,
And clamor, and evil speaking,
Be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another,
Tenderhearted, forgiving one another,
Even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Chapter 5
Be ye therefore
Followers of God,
As dear children;
And walk in love,
As Christ also hath loved us,
And hath given himself for us
An offering and a sacrifice to God
For a sweet smelling savor.
But fornication,
And all uncleanness, or covetousness,
Let it not be once named among you,
As becometh saints;
Neither filthiness,
Nor foolish talking, nor jesting,
Which are not convenient:
But rather giving of thanks.
For this ye know, that no whore-monger,
Nor unclean person, nor covetous man,
Who is an idolater, hath any inheritance
In the kingdom of Christ and of God.
Let no man deceive you with vain words:
For because of these things
Cometh the wrath of God
Upon the children of disobedience.
Be not ye therefore partakers with them.
For ye were sometimes darkness,
But now are ye light in the Lord:
Walk as children of light:
For the fruit of the Spirit
Is in all goodness
And righteousness and truth;
Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.
And have no fellowship
With the unfruitful works of darkness,
But rather reprove them.
For it is a shame
Even to speak of those things
Which are done of them in secret.
But all things that are reproved
Are made manifest by the light:
For whatsoever doth make manifest is light.
Wherefore He saith,
Awake thou that sleepest,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ shall give thee light.
See then that ye walk circumspectly,
Not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time,
Because the days are evil.
Wherefore be ye not unwise,
But understanding
What the will of the Lord is.
And be not drunk with wine,
Wherein is excess;
But be filled with the Spirit;
Speaking to yourselves in psalms
And hymns and spiritual songs,
Singing and making melody
In your heart to the Lord;
Giving thanks always for all things
Unto God and the Father
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
Submitting yourselves
One to another
In the fear of God.
Wives, submit yourselves
Unto your own husbands,
As unto the Lord.
For the husband is the head of the wife,
Even as Christ is the head of the church:
And he is the savior of the body.
Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ,
So let the wives be to their own husbands
In every thing.
Husbands, love your wives,
Even as Christ also loved the church,
And gave Himself for it;
That He might sanctify and cleanse it
With the washing of water by the word,
That He might present it to Himself,
A glorious church, not having spot,
Or wrinkle, or any such thing;
But that it should be holy and without blemish.
So ought men to love their wives
As their own bodies.
He that loveth his wife loveth himself.
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh;
But nourisheth and cherisheth it,
Even as the Lord the church:
For we are members of His body,
Of His flesh, and of His bones.
For this cause
Shall a man leave his father and mother,
And shall be joined unto his wife,
And they two shall be one flesh.
This is a great mystery:
but I speak concerning
Christ and the church.
Nevertheless,
Let every one of you, in particular,
So love his wife, even as himself; and
The wife, see that she reverence her husband.
Chapter 6
Children,
Obey your parents in the Lord:
For this is right.
Honor thy father and mother;
Which is the first commandment with promise;
That it may be well with thee,
And thou mayest live long on the earth.
And, ye fathers,
Provoke not your children to wrath:
But bring them up in the nurture
And admonition of the Lord.
Servants, be obedient
To them that are your masters
According to the flesh, with fear and trembling,
In singleness of heart, as unto Christ;
Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers;
But as the servants of Christ,
Doing the will of God from the heart;
With good will doing service,
As to the Lord, and not to men:
Knowing that
Whatsoever good thing any man doeth,
The same shall he receive of the Lord,
Whether he be bond or free.
And, ye masters, do the same things unto them,
Forbearing threatening:
Knowing that your Master also is in heaven;
Neither is there respect of persons with Him.
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord,
And in the power of His might.
Put on the whole armor of God,
That ye may be able to stand
Against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,
But against principalities, against powers,
Against the rulers of the darkness of this world,
Against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God,
That ye may be able to withstand in the evil day,
And having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore,
Having your loins girt about with truth, and
Having on the breastplate o f righteousness;
And your feet shod with
The preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith,
Wherewith ye shall be able to quench
All the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation,
And the sword of the Spirit,
Which is the word of God:
Praying always with all prayer
And supplication in the Spirit,
And watching thereunto
With all perseverance
And supplication for all saints;
And for me,
That utterance may be given unto me,
That I may open my mouth boldly,
To make known the mystery of the gospel,
For which I am an ambassador in bonds:
That therein I may speak boldly,
As I ought to speak.
But that ye also may know my affairs,
And how I do, Tychicus, a beloved brother
And faithful minister in the Lord,
Shall make known to you all things:
Whom I have sent unto you for the purpose,
That ye might know our affairs,
And he might comfort your hearts.
Peace to the brethren,
And love with faith,
From God the Father
And the Lord Jesus Christ.
Grace be with all them
That love our Lord Jesus Christ
In sincerity. Amen.
Written from Rome unto the Ephesians
By Tychicus.
Commentary:
The purpose of this work is to pay homage to God, whose word has been published in many versions and translations, by writing yet another grateful tribute intended to edify the true believer.
The majestic King James Version of the Bible, like Shakespeare's works, is 500 years old, and like Shakespeare it has seen many attempts to "modernize" the text to make it easier to understand and appreciate, and yet the original texts of both retain their beauty and power, undimmed by time and changing languages.
This poetic rendering of the KJV is not intended to replace anything, but to be just one more tribute. The idea was to retain the original language, excepting only a few corrections of a spelling nature. Verse numbering was omitted as not integral to this version of the text, as was the prose formating.
The prose text was broken up into shorter lines and formed into stanzas for the purpose of showcasing the profoundly powerful poetic beauty of the language by slowing down the pace of comprehension. The plan was to break the teaching into smaller sized bites to enhance the meaning and make it more comprehensible to the reader.
It is hoped that this slowing down and spreading out of the text will lead to a closer and more careful thoughtful study of the great immortal truths in this greatest of all books. These biblical lessons taught to us by God are often difficult for us sinners to follow and understand, and the text due to the passage of time and changing language often presents difficulties as well. The intention here is to make our journey of learning what the Bible teaches both easier and more fruitful.
Only the reader can answer as to whether that purpose has been well served.
NOTE: Additions to this commentary, explicating various passages, will be made from time to as time permits. For example:
Chapter 2 deals with two topics: The first part is the general topic of our Salvation from the abyss of sin, and the second part is an explanation of the role of Christ in joining together the Jew and Gentile by means of the crucification of Christ. Thus furthering God's plan for humanity.
