New Living Translation NLT
Common English Bible CEB
1 When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . .
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This is why I, Paul, am a prisoner of Christ for you Gentiles.
2 assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles.
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You've heard, of course, about the responsibility to distribute God's grace, which God gave to me for you, right?
3 As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me.
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God showed me his secret plan in a revelation, as I mentioned briefly before (
4 As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ.
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when you read this, you'll understand my insight into the secret plan about Christ).
5 God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.
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Earlier generations didn't know this hidden plan that God has now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets through the Spirit.
6 And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.
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This plan is that the Gentiles would be coheirs and parts of the same body, and that they would share with the Jews in the promises of God in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7 By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.
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I became a servant of the gospel because of the grace that God showed me through the exercise of his power.
8 Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.
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God gave his grace to me, the least of all God's people, to preach the good news about the immeasurable riches of Christ to the Gentiles.
9 I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.
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God sent me to reveal the secret plan that had been hidden since the beginning of time by God, who created everything.
10 God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
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God's purpose is now to show the rulers and powers in the heavens the many different varieties of his wisdom through the church.
11 This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
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This was consistent with the plan he had from the beginning of time that he accomplished through Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.
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In Christ we have bold and confident access to God through faith in him.
13 So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.
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So then, I ask you not to become discouraged by what I'm suffering for you, which is your glory.
14 When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,
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This is why I kneel before the Father.
15 the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.
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Every ethnic group in heaven or on earth is recognized by him.
16 I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit.
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I ask that he will strengthen you in your inner selves from the riches of his glory through the Spirit.
17 Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.
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I ask that Christ will live in your hearts through faith. As a result of having strong roots in love,
18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.
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I ask that you'll have the power to grasp love's width and length, height and depth, together with all believers.
19 May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.
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I ask that you'll know the love of Christ that is beyond knowledge so that you will be filled entirely with the fullness of God.
20 Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
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Glory to God, who is able to do far beyond all that we could ask or imagine by his power at work within us;
21 Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
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glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus for all generations, forever and always. Amen.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible