3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus 1 for the sake of you Gentiles – 3:2 if indeed 2 you have heard of the stewardship 3 of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3:3 that 4 by revelation the divine secret 5 was made known to me, as I wrote before briefly. 6 3:4 When reading this, 7 you will be able to 8 understand my insight into this secret 9 of Christ. 3:5 Now this secret 10 was not disclosed to people 11 in former 12 generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by 13 the Spirit, 3:6 namely, that through the gospel 14 the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members 15 of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus. 3:7 I became a servant of this gospel 16 according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by 17 the exercise of his power. 18 3:8 To me – less than the least of all the saints 19 – this grace was given, 20 to proclaim to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ 3:9 and to enlighten 21 everyone about God’s secret plan 22 – a secret that has been hidden for ages 23 in God 24 who has created all things. 3:10 The purpose of this enlightenment is that 25 through the church the multifaceted wisdom 26 of God should now be disclosed to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly realms. 3:11 This was according to 27 the eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, 3:12 in whom we have boldness and confident access 28 to God 29 because of 30 Christ’s 31 faithfulness. 32 3:13 For this reason I ask you 33 not to lose heart because of what I am suffering for you, 34 which 35 is your glory. 36
3:14 For this reason 37 I kneel 38 before the Father, 39 3:15 from 40 whom every family 41 in heaven and on the earth is named. 3:16 I pray that 42 according to the wealth of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner person, 3:17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, so that, because you have been rooted and grounded in love, 3:18 you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 43 3:19 and thus to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled up to 44 all the fullness of God.
3:20 Now to him who by the power that is working within us 45 is able to do far beyond 46 all that we ask or think, 3:21 to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.