Ephesians 3

The mystery entrusted to Paul

1For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles — 2if indeed you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace given to me for you: 3that the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words. 4Reading them, you can grasp my insight into the mystery of the Christ, 5which in other generations was not made known to the children of men as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets: 6that the Gentiles are heirs together, members of the same body, sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7Of this gospel I became a servant, by the gift of God’s grace given to me through the working of his power. 8To me, the very least of all the saints, this grace was given: to announce to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of the Christ, 9and to bring to light for everyone what the stewardship of the mystery is — the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things; 10so that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms, 11according to the purpose of the ages that he carried out in the Christ, Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in him. 13So I ask you not to lose heart over my afflictions for you: they are your glory.

To know the love that surpasses knowledge

14For this reason I bend my knees before the Father, 15from whom every family in the heavens and on earth takes its name: 16that out of the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner self, 17so that the Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; 18rooted and founded in love, may you have strength to grasp, with all the saints, what is the breadth and the length and the height and the depth, 19and to know the love of the Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled to all the fullness of God. 20Now to him who is able to do far beyond all that we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us — 21to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen.