Children and Parents
(Deuteronomy 6:20-25)
1Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2Honour thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
4And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
Slaves and Masters
(1 Timothy 6:1-2)
5Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
9And, 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.
The Full Armor of God
10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12For 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. 13Wherefore 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. 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
Pray Continually
18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; 19And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, 20For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Final Greetings
21But 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: 22Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts.
23Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. {Written from Rome unto the Ephesians by Tychicus.
King James Bible
Text courtesy of BibleProtector.com.
Children and Parents
(Colossians 3:18–21)
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with a promise: 3 “that it may be well with you, and you may live long on the earth.”
4 You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Serving with Honor
(Colossians 3:22–25; 1 Timothy 6:1–2)
5 Servants, be obedient to those who according to the flesh are your masters, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as to Christ; 6 not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men; 8 knowing that whatever good thing each one does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is bound or free.
9 You masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with him.
The Full Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. 14 Stand therefore, having the utility belt of truth buckled around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having fitted your feet with the preparation of the Good News of peace; 16 above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 with all prayer and requests, praying at all times in the Spirit, and being watchful to this end in all perseverance and requests for all the saints: 19 on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Good News, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Final Greetings
(Philippians 4:21–23; 2 Timothy 4:19–22)
21 But that you also may know my affairs, how I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make known to you all things; 22 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our state, and that he may comfort your hearts.
23 Peace be to the brothers, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ with incorruptible love. Amen.
Children and Parents
(Colossians 3:18–21)
1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 “that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.” a
4 Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Serving with Honor
(Colossians 3:22–25; 1 Timothy 6:1–2)
5 Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. 6 And do this not only to please them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. 7 Serve with good will, as to the Lord and not to men, 8 because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
9 And masters, do the same for your slaves. Give up your use of threats, because you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.
The Full Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
13 Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.
Final Greetings
(Philippians 4:21–23; 2 Timothy 4:19–22)
21 Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know about me and what I am doing. 22 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about us, and that he may encourage your hearts.
23 Peace to the brothers and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
24 Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
Footnotes:
Children and Parents
(Deuteronomy 6:20-25)
1The children! obey your parents in the Lord, for this is righteous; 2honour thy father and mother, 3which is the first command with a promise, 'That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live a long time upon the land.'
4And the fathers! provoke not your children, but nourish them in the instruction and admonition of the Lord.
Slaves and Masters
(1 Timothy 6:1-2)
5The servants! obey the masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to the Christ; 6not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but as servants of the Christ, doing the will of God out of soul, 7with good-will serving, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8having known that whatever good thing each one may do, this he shall receive from the Lord, whether servant or freeman.
9And the masters! the same things do ye unto them, letting threatening alone, having known that also your Master is in the heavens, and acceptance of persons is not with him.
The Full Armor of God
10As to the rest, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might; 11put on the whole armour of God, for your being able to stand against the wiles of the devil, 12because we have not the wrestling with blood and flesh, but with the principalities, with the authorities, with the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, with the spiritual things of the evil in the heavenly places; 13because of this take ye up the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to resist in the day of the evil, and all things having done -- to stand. 14Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about in truth, and having put on the breastplate of the righteousness, 15and having the feet shod in the preparation of the good-news of the peace; 16above all, having taken up the shield of the faith, in which ye shall be able all the fiery darts of the evil one to quench, 17and the helmet of the salvation receive, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the saying of God,
Pray Continually
18through all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit, and in regard to this same, watching in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints -- 19and in behalf of me, that to me may be given a word in the opening of my mouth, in freedom, to make known the secret of the good news, 20for which I am an ambassador in a chain, that in it I may speak freely -- as it behoveth me to speak.
Final Greetings
21And that ye may know -- ye also -- the things concerning me -- what I do, all things make known to you shall Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful ministrant in the Lord, 22whom I did send unto you for this very thing, that ye might know the things concerning us, and that he might comfort your hearts.
23Peace to the brethren, and love, with faith, from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ! 24The grace with all those loving our Lord Jesus Christ -- undecayingly! Amen.
The Favor of God paraphrase
Instructions for Children and Parents
¹ Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right! ² “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—³ “so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” ⁴ Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.
Instructions for Slaves and Masters
⁵ Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. ⁶ Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. ⁷ Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, ⁸ because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.
⁹ And masters, treat your slaves in the same way. Do not threaten them, since you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.
The Armor of God
¹⁰ Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power! ¹¹ Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. ¹² For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³ Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand!
¹⁴ Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, ¹⁵ and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶ In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷ Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.
Final Greetings
²¹ Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. ²² I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you.
²³ Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.
Footnotes:
1.“Honor your father and mother” (verse 2) refers to one of the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20:12. This command comes with a promise of blessing for those who keep it, connecting obedience to God’s favor and protection.
2.“Slaves, obey your earthly masters” (verse 5) reflects the social structures of the time. Paul’s emphasis on serving “as you would obey Christ” elevates this service beyond human relationships and points to a higher motivation for doing good, even in unjust systems.
3.“The armor of God” (verse 11) uses a military metaphor to describe the spiritual defenses believers need against Satan’s schemes. Each piece of armor represents a specific virtue or truth essential to standing firm in faith.
4.“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (verse 12) reminds believers that the true enemy is not other people, but spiritual forces of evil. The Greek term kosmokratores used here refers to cosmic powers—dark spiritual beings who oppose God’s kingdom.
5.“The belt of truth” (verse 14) is the first part of the armor, symbolizing integrity and the core truths of the gospel. In Roman armor, the belt held everything together, just as truth holds the believer’s life together.
6.“Pray in the Spirit” (verse 18) emphasizes the importance of Spirit-led, consistent prayer as a vital part of the believer’s spiritual armor. This kind of prayer strengthens the believer and aligns them with God’s will in the spiritual battle.
7.“Ambassador in chains” (verse 20) reflects Paul’s physical imprisonment at the time of writing. Despite his chains, he sees himself as a representative of Christ, continuing to spread the gospel with boldness.
