it is not from works, so that no one can boast.

so that he may present the church to himself as glorious – not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless.

to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word,

“that it may go well with you and that you will live a long time on the earth.”

He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.

for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may be able to speak boldly as I ought to speak.

I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you spiritual wisdom and revelation in your growing knowledge of him,

to demonstrate in the coming ages the surpassing wealth of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works that God prepared beforehand so we may do them.

The purpose of this enlightenment is that through the church the multifaceted wisdom of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms.

I pray that according to the wealth of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person,

you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes.

The one who steals must steal no longer; rather he must labor, doing good with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with the one who has need.

You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of the one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Nevertheless, each one of you must also love his own wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

For this reason, take up the full armor of God so that you may be able to stand your ground on the evil day, and having done everything, to stand.

Pray for me also, that I may be given the message when I begin to speak – that I may confidently make known the mystery of the gospel,

Tychicus, my dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you, so that you too may know about my circumstances, how I am doing.