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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Ephesians 3 NLT</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/ephesians/3.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/ephesians/3-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">NLT</a> > Ephesians 3</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../ephesians/2.htm" title="Ephesians 2">◄</a> Ephesians 3 <a href="../ephesians/4.htm" title="Ephesians 4">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">New Living Translation</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/nlt/esv/ephesians/3.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></td></tr></table></div><div class="chap"><p class="hdg">God’s Mysterious Plan Revealed</p><p class="reg"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">a</span></a> . . . <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>God did not reveal it to previous generations, but now by his Spirit he has revealed it to his holy apostles and prophets.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>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.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">b</span></a> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>I was chosen to explain to everyone<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">c</span></a> this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>Because of Christ and our faith in him,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">d</span></a> we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>So please don’t lose heart because of my trials here. I am suffering for you, so you should feel honored.</p><p class="hdg">Paul’s Prayer for Spiritual Growth</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">e</span></a> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.<a href="#footnotes"><span class="fn">f</span></a> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>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.</p><p class="reg"> <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>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. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/ephesians/3-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="fn">a</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">3:1 </span><span class="ft">Paul resumes this thought in verse 14: “When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father.”</span><br><span class="fn">b</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">3:6 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">because they are united with Christ Jesus.</span><br><span class="fn">c</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">3:9 </span><span class="ft">Some manuscripts do not include </span><span class="it">to everyone.</span><br><span class="fn">d</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">3:12 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">Because of Christ’s faithfulness.</span><br><span class="fn">e</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">3:14 </span><span class="ft">Some manuscripts read </span><span class="it">the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.</span><br><span class="fn">f</span><note caller="+" style="f"><span class="fr">3:15 </span><span class="ft">Or </span><span class="it">from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name.</span><br></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center"><em>Holy Bible</em>, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. 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