Ephesians 6

¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is just. ²“Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment accompanied by a promise— ³“so that it may go well with you and you may live a long time on the earth.” ⁴And fathers, do not provoke your children to resentment, but provide for their growth in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

⁵Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart as you would obey the Christ. ⁶Do not serve only when you are being watched, as those who merely want to please people, but serve as slaves of Christ who are doing the will of God from the soul. ⁷Render your service with goodwill, as if to the Lord and not to human beings, ⁸knowing that whatever good each person does, they will receive this back from the Lord, whether they are a slave or a free person. ⁹And masters, do the same toward them. Give up the use of threats, knowing that the one who is both their Master and yours is in the heavens, and there is no favoritism with him.

¹⁰Finally, be empowered in the Lord and in the strength of his might. ¹¹Clothe yourselves in the full armor of God so that you are able to stand against the schemes of the slanderer. ¹²For our struggle is not against blood and flesh, but against the cosmic rulers, against the authorities, against the world-powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ¹³Because of this, take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the day of evil, and having accomplished everything, to stand firm.

¹⁴Stand, therefore, having fastened the belt of truth around your waist, having put on the breastplate of justice, ¹⁵and having shod your feet with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. ¹⁶In every situation, take up the great shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. ¹⁷Receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the spoken word of God. ¹⁸Pray in the Spirit at every opportunity with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance and petition for all the holy ones. ¹⁹Pray also for me, that a message may be given to me when I open my mouth, so that I may boldly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may speak it boldly, as I am required to speak.

²¹Now, so that you also may know my circumstances and what I am doing, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you. ²²I have sent him to you for this very purpose: so that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts. ²³Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴Grace be with all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with a love that never decays.