Day 57 of 365

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:

²Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

³Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ;

⁴even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and without blemish before him in love;

⁵having predestined us for adoption as children through Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his desire,

⁶to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved One,

⁷in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

⁸which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

⁹making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him

¹⁰to an administration of the fullness of the times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, in him;

¹¹in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his will;

¹²to the end that we should be to the praise of his glory, we who had before hoped in Christ:

¹³in whom you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation,-in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,

¹⁴who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of his glory.

¹⁵For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is among you, and the love which you have toward all the saints,

¹⁶do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,

¹⁷that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;

¹⁸having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

¹⁹and what is the exceeding greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might

²⁰which he worked in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,

²¹far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come.

²²He put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things for the church,

²³which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

¹You were made alive when you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

²in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience;

³among whom we also all once lived in the lust of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

⁴But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us,

⁵even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

⁶and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

⁷that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus;

⁸for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

⁹not of works, that no one would boast.

¹⁰For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.

¹¹Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "uncircumcision" by that which is called "circumcision," (in the flesh, made by hands);

¹²that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

¹³But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ.

¹⁴For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of partition,

¹⁵having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace;

¹⁶and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility thereby.

¹⁷He came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.

¹⁸For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God,

²⁰being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone;

²¹in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord;

²²in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.

¹For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,

²if it is so that you have heard of the administration of that grace of God which was given me toward you;

³how that by revelation the mystery was made known to me, as I wrote before in few words,

⁴by which, when you read, you can perceive my understanding in the mystery of Christ;

⁵which in other generations was not made known to the children of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;

⁶that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Good News,

⁷of which I was made a servant, according to the gift of that grace of God which was given me according to the working of his power.

⁸To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to proclaim to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,

⁹and to make all men see what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things;

¹⁰to the intent that now through the church the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,

¹¹according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord;

¹²in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through our faith in him.

¹³Therefore I ask that you may not lose heart at my troubles for you, which are your glory.

¹⁴For this cause, I bow my knees before the Father,

¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named,

¹⁶that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;

¹⁷that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

¹⁸may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,

¹⁹and to know Christ's love which surpasses 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 the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

¹Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me, for my soul takes refuge in you. Yes, in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge, until disaster has passed.

²I cry out to God Most High, to God who accomplishes my requests for me.

³He will send from heaven, and save me, he rebukes the one who is pursuing me. Selah. God will send out his loving kindness and his truth.

⁴My soul is among lions. I lie among those who are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

⁵Be exalted, God, above the heavens! Let your glory be above all the earth!

⁶They have prepared a net for my steps. My soul is bowed down. They dig a pit before me. They fall into its midst themselves. Selah.

⁷My heart is steadfast, God, my heart is steadfast. I will sing, yes, I will sing praises.

⁸Wake up, my glory! Wake up, psaltery and harp! I will wake up the dawn.

⁹I will give thanks to you, Lord, among the peoples. I will sing praises to you among the nations.

¹⁰For your great loving kindness reaches to the heavens, and your truth to the skies.

¹¹Be exalted, God, above the heavens. Let your glory be over all the earth.

¹Like snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.

²Like a fluttering sparrow, like a darting swallow, so the undeserved curse doesn't come to rest.

³A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools!

⁴Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him.

⁵Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

⁶One who sends a message by the hand of a fool is cutting off feet and drinking violence.

⁷Like the legs of the lame that hang loose: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

⁸As one who binds a stone in a sling, so is he who gives honor to a fool.

⁹Like a thornbush that goes into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

¹⁰As an archer who wounds all, so is he who hires a fool or he who hires those who pass by.

¹¹As a dog that returns to his vomit, so is a fool who repeats his folly.

¹²Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

¹³The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion roams the streets!"

¹⁴As the door turns on its hinges, so does the sluggard on his bed.

¹⁵The sluggard buries his hand in the dish. He is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.

¹⁶The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer with discretion.

¹⁷Like one who grabs a dog's ears is one who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own.

¹⁸Like a madman who shoots firebrands, arrows, and death,

¹⁹is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, "Am I not joking?"

²⁰For lack of wood a fire goes out. Without gossip, a quarrel dies down.

²¹As coals are to hot embers, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindling strife.

²²The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, they go down into the innermost parts.

²³Like silver dross on an earthen vessel are the lips of a fervent one with an evil heart.

²⁴A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but he harbors evil in his heart.

²⁵When his speech is charming, do not believe him; for there are seven abominations in his heart.

²⁶His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

²⁷Whoever digs a pit shall fall into it. Whoever rolls a stone, it will come back on him.

²⁸A lying tongue hates those it hurts; and a flattering mouth works ruin.