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Ephesians chapter 3

English Standard Version

1For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles — 2assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God 's grace that was given to me for you, 3how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4When you read this, you can perceive my insight into 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 that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God 's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.
14For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, 16that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith — that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
New International Version

1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
2Surely you have heard about the administration of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. 4In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5which 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. 6This 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.
7I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace given me through the working of his power. 8Although 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, 9and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. 10His 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, 11according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. 13I ask you, therefore, not to be discouraged because of my sufferings for you, which are your glory.
14For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. 16I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may 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, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
20Now 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, 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
New American Standard Bible

1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles— 2if indeed you have heard of the administration of God’s grace which was given to me for you; 3that by revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before briefly. 4By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5which in other generations was not made known to mankind, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit; 6to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel, 7of which I was made a minister, according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power. 8To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, 9and to enlighten all people as to what the plan of the mystery is which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; 10so that the multifaceted wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. 11This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. 13Therefore I ask you not to become discouraged about my tribulations in your behalf, since they are your glory.
14For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self, 17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth, 19and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to all the fullness of God.
20Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 21to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.
Christian Standard Bible

1For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles— 2you have heard, haven’t you, about the administration of God’s grace that he gave to me for you? 3The mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have briefly written above. 4By reading this you are able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. 5This was not made known to people in other generations as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power.
8This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ, 9and to shed light for all about the administration of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things. 10This is so that God’s multi-faceted wisdom may now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavens. 11This is according to his eternal purpose accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. 12In him we have boldness and confident access through faith in him. 13So then I ask you not to be discouraged over my afflictions on your behalf, for they are your glory.
14For this reason I kneel before the Father 15from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named. 16I pray that he may grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power in your inner being through his Spirit, 17and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, 19and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us— 21to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
New Living Translation

1When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . . 2assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. 3As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. 4As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. 5God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.
6And 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. 7By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.
8Though 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. 9I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.
10God’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. 11This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.
12Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. 13So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.
14When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, 15the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. 16I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 17Then 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. 18And 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. 19May 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.
20Now 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. 21Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.
King James Version

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.
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.
New King James Version

1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— 2if indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you, 3how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, 4by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), 5which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets: 6that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel, 7of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power.
8To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; 10to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, 11according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. 13Therefore I ask that you do not lose heart at my tribulations for you, which is your glory.
14For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15from 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 through His Spirit in the inner man, 17that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height— 19to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
20Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

What does Ephesians chapter 3 mean?

Chapter 3 speaks about the mystery of Christ revealed (Ephesians 3:1–13). The second part of this chapter emphasizes Paul's prayer for spiritual strength, and ends the first half of his letter (Ephesians 3:14–21).

The first passage (Ephesians 3:1–13) includes Paul mentioning himself by name as a prisoner on behalf of the Gentiles (Ephesians 3:1). He assumes his readers know of his calling to serve them (Ephesians 3:2). The gospel was revealed to him as he had previously mentioned (Ephesians 3:3). This was information not known in the past (Ephesians 3:4–5). The mystery he spoke of was that Gentiles are now fellow family members of the church in Jesus through the gospel (Ephesians 3:6).

Paul was a minister of this gospel according to God's grace (Ephesians 3:7). Though he was the least likely to be in this role, God gave him this calling to share Christ with the Gentiles (Ephesians 3:8). He sought to bring light, to everyone, regarding the plan and grace of God (Ephesians 3:9). This was part of the eternal plan of God (Ephesians 3:11). Paul said "we" have boldness and access to God, with confidence through our faith in Jesus (Ephesians 3:12). Paul also asked that his readers not be discouraged by his imprisonment (Ephesians 3:13).

The imprisonment Paul described was his first Roman imprisonment, which took place between approximately AD 60 and 62. During this time, Paul was under house arrest while awaiting trial. Despite the confinement, for two full years he was able to freely preach the gospel to all who came to him. As a result, even some among Caesar's household came to faith (Philippians 4:22). In addition, during this time, Paul wrote four letters which are now part of the New Testament: Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, and this letter to the Ephesians. Presumably, his imprisonment allowed him to write even more letters which did not become part of the Bible.

The second part (Ephesians 3:14–21) of this chapter includes a personal prayer by Paul. He bowed on his knees (Ephesians 3:14), asking God to give the Ephesians strength through His Spirit (Ephesians 3:16). He desired for Christ to dwell in the hearts of the church of Ephesus by faith (Ephesians 3:17). His desire was for them to know the depth of Christ's love that surpassed all knowledge (Ephesians 3:18–19).

Paul concludes the chapter with a doxology to the Lord (Ephesians 3:20–21). Paul describes God as one able to do far more than we can ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). God deserves all glory for all things at all times (Ephesians 3:21). This doxology also concludes the first half of Paul's letter, with the remaining chapters transitioning to new themes and more practical matters within the church.
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