Ephesians 3

English Standard Version

The Mystery of the Gospel Revealed

3 For this reason I, Paul, ^(A)a prisoner of Christ Jesus ^(B)on behalf of you Gentiles— ²assuming that you have heard of ^(C)the stewardship of ^(D)God's grace that was given to me for you, ³^(E)how the mystery was made known to me ^(F)by revelation, ^(G)as I have written briefly. ⁴^(H)When you read this, you can perceive my insight into ^(I)the mystery of Christ, ⁵which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. ⁶This mystery is^[a] that the Gentiles are ^(J)fellow heirs, ^(K)members of the same body, and ^(L)partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

⁷^(M)Of this gospel I was made ^(N)a minister according to the gift of ^(O)God's grace, which was given me ^(P)by the working of his power. ⁸To me, ^(Q)though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, ^(R)to preach to the Gentiles the ^(S)unsearchable ^(T)riches of Christ, ⁹and ^(U)to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery ^(V)hidden for ages in^[b] God, ^(W)who created all things, ¹⁰so that through the church the manifold ^(X)wisdom of God ^(Y)might now be made known to ^(Z)the rulers and authorities ^(AA)in the heavenly places. ¹¹This was ^(AB)according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, ¹²in whom we have ^(AC)boldness and ^(AD)access with ^(AE)confidence through our ^(AF)faith in him. ¹³So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering ^(AG)for you, ^(AH)which is your glory.

Prayer for Spiritual Strength

¹⁴For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵from whom ^(AI)every family^[c] in heaven and on earth is named, ¹⁶that according to ^(AJ)the riches of his glory ^(AK)he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit ^(AL)in your inner being, ¹⁷^(AM)so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being ^(AN)rooted and ^(AO)grounded in love, ¹⁸may have strength to ^(AP)comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and ^(AQ)height and depth, ¹⁹and to know the love of Christ ^(AR)that surpasses knowledge, that ^(AS)you may be filled with all ^(AT)the fullness of God.

²⁰^(AU)Now to ^(AV)him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, ^(AW)according to the power at work within us, ²¹^(AX)to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

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Footnotes

Ephesians 3:6 The words This mystery is are inferred from verse 4
Ephesians 3:9 Or by
Ephesians 3:15 Or from whom all fatherhood; the Greek word patria in verse 15 is closely related to the word for Father in verse 14

Isaiah 43:14-45:10

English Standard Version

¹⁴Thus says the Lord,
    your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel:
^(A)“For your sake I send to Babylon
    and ^(B)bring them all down as fugitives,
    ^(C)even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice.
¹⁵I am the Lord, your Holy One,
    the Creator of Israel, your King.”

¹⁶Thus says the Lord,
    ^(D)who makes a way in the sea,
    a path in the mighty waters,
¹⁷who ^(E)brings forth chariot and horse,
    army and warrior;
they lie down, they cannot rise,
    ^(F)they are extinguished, ^(G)quenched like a wick:
¹⁸^(H)“Remember not the former things,
    nor consider the things of old.
¹⁹^(I)Behold, I am doing a new thing;
    now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?
^(J)I will make a way in the wilderness
    ^(K)and rivers in the desert.
²⁰The wild beasts will honor me,
    ^(L)the jackals and the ostriches,
^(M)for I give water in the wilderness,
    rivers in the desert,
to give drink to my chosen people,
²¹    the people whom I formed for myself
^(N)that they might declare my praise.

²²“Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob;
    but ^(O)you have been weary of me, O Israel!
²³^(P)You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings,
    or honored me with your sacrifices.
I have not burdened you with offerings,
    ^(Q)or wearied you with frankincense.
²⁴You have not bought me sweet cane with money,
    or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices.
But you have burdened me with your sins;
    you have wearied me with your iniquities.

²⁵“I, I am he
    ^(R)who blots out ^(S)your transgressions for my own sake,
    and I will not remember your sins.
²⁶Put me in remembrance; ^(T)let us argue together;
    set forth your case, that you may be proved right.
²⁷^(U)Your first father sinned,
    and ^(V)your mediators transgressed against me.
²⁸Therefore ^(W)I will profane the princes of the sanctuary,
    and ^(X)deliver Jacob to utter destruction
    and Israel to reviling.

Israel the Lord's Chosen

44 “But now hear, ^(Y)O Jacob my servant,
    Israel whom I have chosen!
²Thus says the Lord who made you,
    ^(Z)who formed you from the womb and will help you:
^(AA)Fear not, O Jacob my servant,
    ^(AB)Jeshurun whom I have chosen.
³^(AC)For I will pour water on the thirsty land,
    and streams on the dry ground;
I will pour my Spirit upon your offspring,
    and my blessing on your descendants.
⁴They shall spring up among the grass
    ^(AD)like willows by flowing streams.
⁵^(AE)This one will say, ‘I am the Lord's,’
    another will call on the name of Jacob,
and another will write on his hand, ‘The Lord's,’
    and name himself by the name of Israel.”

Besides Me There Is No God

⁶Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
    and ^(AF)his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
^(AG)“I am the first and I am the last;
    besides me there is no god.
⁷^(AH)Who is like me? Let him proclaim it.^[a]
    Let him declare and set it before me,
since I appointed an ancient people.
    Let them declare what is to come, and what will happen.
⁸Fear not, nor be afraid;
    have I not told you from of old and declared it?
    ^(AI)And you are my witnesses!
^(AJ)Is there a God besides me?
    There is no ^(AK)Rock; I know not any.”

The Folly of Idolatry

⁹^(AL)All who fashion idols are nothing, and the things they delight in do not profit. Their witnesses neither see nor know, that they may be put to shame. ¹⁰^(AM)Who fashions a god or casts an idol that is profitable for nothing? ¹¹^(AN)Behold, all his companions shall be put to shame, and the craftsmen are only human. Let them all assemble, let them stand forth. They shall be terrified; they shall be put to shame together.

¹²^(AO)The ironsmith takes a cutting tool and works it over the coals. He fashions it with hammers and works it with his strong arm. He becomes hungry, and his strength fails; he drinks no water and is faint. ¹³The carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil.^[b] He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. ^(AP)He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house. ¹⁴^(AQ)He cuts down cedars, or he chooses a cypress tree or an oak and lets it grow strong among the trees of the forest. He plants a cedar and the rain nourishes it. ¹⁵Then it becomes fuel for a man. He takes a part of it and warms himself; he kindles a fire and bakes bread. Also he makes a god and worships it; he makes it an idol and falls down before it. ¹⁶Half of it he burns in the fire. Over the half he eats meat; he roasts it and is satisfied. Also he warms himself and says, “Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire!” ¹⁷And the rest of it he makes into a god, his idol, and falls down to it and worships it. ^(AR)He prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god!”

¹⁸They know not, nor do they discern, for he has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see, and their hearts, so that they cannot understand. ¹⁹No one considers, nor is there knowledge or discernment to say, “Half of it I burned in the fire; I also baked bread on its coals; I roasted meat and have eaten. And shall I make the rest of it an ^(AS)abomination? Shall I fall down before a block of wood?” ²⁰^(AT)He feeds on ^(AU)ashes; a deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is there not ^(AV)a lie in my right hand?”

The Lord Redeems Israel

²¹Remember these things, O Jacob,
    and Israel, for you are ^(AW)my servant;
I formed you; you are my servant;
    ^(AX)O Israel, you will not be forgotten by me.
²²^(AY)I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud
    and your sins like mist;
return to me, for I have redeemed you.

²³^(AZ)Sing, O heavens, for the Lord has done it;
    shout, O ^(BA)depths of the earth;
break forth into singing, O mountains,
    O forest, and every tree in it!
For the Lord has redeemed Jacob,
    ^(BB)and will be glorified^[c] in Israel.

²⁴Thus says the Lord, ^(BC)your Redeemer,
    ^(BD)who formed you from the womb:
^(BE)“I am the Lord, who made all things,
    ^(BF)who alone stretched out the heavens,
    who spread out the earth by myself,
²⁵who frustrates the signs of liars
    and makes fools of diviners,
^(BG)who turns wise men back
    and makes their knowledge foolish,
²⁶^(BH)who confirms the word of his servant
    and fulfills the counsel of his messengers,
who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited,’
    ^(BI)and of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built,
    and I will raise up their ruins’;
²⁷^(BJ)who says to the deep, ‘Be dry;
    I will dry up your rivers’;
²⁸who says of ^(BK)Cyrus, ‘He is ^(BL)my shepherd,
    and he shall fulfill all my purpose’;
saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be built,’
    ^(BM)and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid.’”

Cyrus, God's Instrument

45 Thus says the Lord to ^(BN)his anointed, to Cyrus,
    ^(BO)whose right hand I have grasped,
to subdue nations before him
    and ^(BP)to loose the belts of kings,
to open doors before him
    that gates may not be closed:
²“I will go before you
    and ^(BQ)level the exalted places,^[d]
^(BR)I will break in pieces the doors of bronze
    and cut through the bars of iron,
³^(BS)I will give you the treasures of darkness
    and the hoards in secret places,
that you may know that it is I, the Lord,
    the God of Israel, ^(BT)who call you by your name.
⁴For the sake of my servant Jacob,
    and Israel my chosen,
^(BU)I call you by your name,
    ^(BV)I name you, though you do not know me.
⁵^(BW)I am the Lord, and there is no other,
    besides me there is no God;
    ^(BX)I equip you, though you do not know me,
⁶^(BY)that people may know, from the rising of the sun
    and from the west, that there is none besides me;
    I am the Lord, and there is no other.
⁷I form light and create darkness;
    I make well-being and ^(BZ)create calamity;
    I am the Lord, who does all these things.

⁸^(CA)“Shower, O heavens, from above,
    and ^(CB)let the clouds rain down righteousness;
let the earth open, that salvation and righteousness may bear fruit;
    let the earth cause them both to sprout;
    I the Lord have created it.

⁹^(CC)“Woe to him who strives with him who formed him,
    a pot among earthen pots!
^(CD)Does the clay say to him who forms it, ‘What are you making?’
    or ‘Your work has no handles’?
¹⁰Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’
    or to a woman, ‘With what are you in labor?’”

Footnotes

Isaiah 44:7 Or Who like me can proclaim it?
Isaiah 44:13 Hebrew stylus
Isaiah 44:23 Or will display his beauty
Isaiah 45:2 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scroll, Septuagint level the mountains

Psalm 68:1-18

English Standard Version

God Shall Scatter His Enemies

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A Song.

68 ^(A)God shall arise, his enemies shall be ^(B)scattered;
    and those who hate him shall flee before him!
²As ^(C)smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away;
    ^(D)as wax melts before fire,
    so the wicked shall perish before God!
³But ^(E)the righteous shall be glad;
    they shall exult before God;
    they shall be jubilant with joy!

⁴Sing to God, ^(F)sing praises to his name;
    ^(G)lift up a song to him who ^(H)rides through ^(I)the deserts;
his name is ^(J)the Lord;
    exult before him!
⁵^(K)Father of the fatherless and ^(L)protector of widows
    is God in his holy habitation.
⁶God ^(M)settles the solitary in a home;
    he ^(N)leads out the prisoners to prosperity,
    but ^(O)the rebellious dwell in ^(P)a parched land.

⁷O God, when you ^(Q)went out before your people,
    ^(R)when you marched through ^(S)the wilderness, Selah
⁸^(T)the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain,
    before God, the One of Sinai,
    before God,^[a] the God of Israel.
⁹^(U)Rain in abundance, O God, you shed abroad;
    you restored your inheritance as it languished;
¹⁰your flock^[b] found a dwelling in it;
    in your goodness, O God, you ^(V)provided for the needy.

¹¹The Lord gives ^(W)the word;
    ^(X)the women who announce the news are a great host:
¹²    ^(Y)“The kings of the armies—they flee, they flee!”
The women at home ^(Z)divide the spoil—
¹³    though you men lie among ^(AA)the sheepfolds—
the wings of a dove covered with silver,
    its pinions with shimmering gold.
¹⁴When the Almighty scatters kings there,
    let snow fall on ^(AB)Zalmon.

¹⁵O mountain of God, mountain of Bashan;
    O many-peaked^[c] mountain, mountain of Bashan!
¹⁶Why do you look with hatred, O many-peaked mountain,
    at the mount that God ^(AC)desired for his abode,
    yes, where the Lord will dwell forever?
¹⁷^(AD)The chariots of God are twice ten thousand,
    thousands upon thousands;
    the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary.
¹⁸^(AE)You ascended on high,
    ^(AF)leading a host of captives in your train
    and ^(AG)receiving gifts among men,
even among ^(AH)the rebellious, ^(AI)that the Lord God may dwell there.