The Mystery of the Gospel
1For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5Which 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; 6That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 8Unto 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; 9And 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: 10To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him. 13Wherefore I desire that ye faint not at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Paul's Prayer for the Ephesians
14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
20Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
The Mystery of the Gospel
1 For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles, 2 if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you; 3 how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words, 4 by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ; 5 which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 6 that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of his promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News, 7 of which I was made a servant, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power. 8 To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10 to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places, 11 according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord; 12 in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him. 13 Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory.
Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians
14 For this cause, I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16 that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man; 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to him be the glory in the assembly and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
The Mystery of the Gospel
1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles... a
2 Surely you have heard about the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.
7 I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace, given me through the working of His power. 8 Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to illuminate for everyone the stewardship b of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10 His purpose was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to the eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 In Him and through faith in Him c we may enter God’s presence with boldness and confidence. 13 So I ask you not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
Paul’s Prayer for the Ephesians
14 ... for this reason I bow my knees before the Father, d 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16 I ask that out of the riches of His glory He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth 19 of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, 21 to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Footnotes:
1 a This train of thought is continued in verse 14.
9 b NE and WH and to illuminate the stewardship ; TR and to illuminate for everyone the fellowship
12 c Or through His faithfulness
14 d BYZ and TR before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
The Mystery of the Gospel
1For this cause, I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you the nations, 2if, indeed, ye did hear of the dispensation of the grace of God that was given to me in regard to you, 3that by revelation He made known to me the secret, according as I wrote before in few words -- 4in regard to which ye are able, reading it, to understand my knowledge in the secret of the Christ, 5which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it was now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit -- 6that the nations be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in the Christ, through the good news, 7of which I became a ministrant, according to the gift of the grace of God that was given to me, according to the working of His power; 8to me -- the less than the least of all the saints -- was given this grace, among the nations to proclaim good news -- the untraceable riches of the Christ, 9and to cause all to see what is the fellowship of the secret that hath been hid from the ages in God, who the all things did create by Jesus Christ, 10that there might be made known now to the principalities and the authorities in the heavenly places, through the assembly, the manifold wisdom of God, 11according to a purpose of the ages, which He made in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have the freedom and the access in confidence through the faith of him, 13wherefore, I ask you not to faint in my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
Paul's Prayer for the Ephesians
14For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15of whom the whole family in the heavens and on earth is named, 16that He may give to you, according to the riches of His glory, with might to be strengthened through His Spirit, in regard to the inner man, 17that the Christ may dwell through the faith in your hearts, in love having been rooted and founded, 18that ye may be in strength to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, 19to know also the love of the Christ that is exceeding the knowledge, that ye may be filled -- to all the fulness of God;
20and to Him who is able above all things to do exceeding abundantly what we ask or think, according to the power that is working in us, 21to Him is the glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus, to all the generations of the age of the ages. Amen.
The Favor of God paraphrase
Paul’s Mission to the Gentiles
¹ For this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—² surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, ³ that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. ⁴ In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, ⁵ which was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. ⁶ This mystery is that through the gospel, the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
⁷ I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of His power. ⁸ Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ, ⁹ and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. ¹⁰ His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, ¹¹ according to His eternal purpose that He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. ¹² In Him and through faith in Him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence. ¹³ I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
A Prayer for the Ephesians
¹⁴ For this reason I kneel before the Father, ¹⁵ from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. ¹⁶ I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit in your inner being, ¹⁷ so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, ¹⁸ may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, ¹⁹ and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, ²¹ to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen.
Footnotes:
1.The “administration of God’s grace” (verse 2) refers to Paul’s unique role in revealing the mystery of Christ, specifically the inclusion of Gentiles in God’s redemptive plan. The Greek word for “administration” (oikonomia) carries the sense of stewardship or management of a divine task.
2.“The mystery of Christ” (verse 4) signifies the hidden plan of salvation that is now revealed through Jesus, particularly the breaking down of the barriers between Jews and Gentiles. In the ancient world, mysteries were often secrets only shared with initiates, but this mystery is now open to all.
3.“Heirs together with Israel” (verse 6) highlights the radical nature of the gospel message—Gentiles, who were once outsiders, are now equal participants in the blessings promised to Abraham and his descendants.
4.“Manifold wisdom of God” (verse 10) refers to the vast and multifaceted nature of God’s plan. The Greek word polupoikilos means “many-sided” or “richly diverse,” suggesting the depth and complexity of God’s redemptive strategy.
5.“Rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms” (verse 10) indicates spiritual powers, both good and evil, that now see God’s plan unfold through the church. The church, as God’s people, demonstrates God’s wisdom to these spiritual beings.
6.“Rooted and established in love” (verse 17) uses agricultural and architectural metaphors. “Rooted” suggests a deep connection and nourishment from love, while “established” refers to a solid foundation. Both emphasize the believer’s secure place in God’s love.
7.“Immeasurably more” (verse 20) reflects the vastness of God’s ability to exceed human expectations. Paul stresses that God’s power is not limited by what we can ask or imagine, but works beyond our understanding for His glory.
