Preface:

Bible Summary: When we were dead in sin God made us alive with Christ. Gentiles are now fellow citizens. You are being built together into a temple.

By the third draft, this should be the most extensive examination of Ephesians 2 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Brief Overview:

Outline of Chapter 2:

Preface

Introduction

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Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Preface

         Preface               Brief Overview

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Ephesians 2 (by Various Commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Ephesians 2 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Ephesians 2

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Prequel to Ephesians 2

         Introduction         The Principals of Ephesians 2

         Introduction         The Places of Ephesians 2

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Ephesians 2

         Introduction         Outlines and Summaries of Ephesians 2 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Ephesians 2 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Ephesians –)

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions

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         v.      14              Two Approaches to Ephesians 2:14–15

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         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Ephesians 2 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Ephesians 2

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Ephesians 2

         Summary            A Brief Review of Ephesians 2

         Summary 

         Summary 

         Addendum          Footnote for Ephesians 2:1 (Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          The Doctrine of Walking (by R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum          Footnote for Ephesians 2:11 (Christian Community Bible)

         Addendum          The Blood of Christ (by R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum 

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         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Ephesians 2

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Ephesians 2

         Addendum          Word Cloud from the Kukis Paraphrase of Ephesians 2

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Ephesians 2

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An Introduction to Ephesians 2

I ntroduction: Ephesians 2 has two general topics. In vv. 1–10, we who have believed in Jesus Christ, once dead in our trespasses and sins, have been raised up with Jesus Christ and we are seated now with Him in the heavenlies (current positional truth). In vv. 11–22, Paul write to the Ephesians about the Jewish and gentiles believers, and how we are one in Christ, being built up into one body. Our unity and interconnectivity are emphasized.

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Although most translations treat vv. 1–3 as a complete sentence, some of them take in more verses than that. The FAA treats vv. 1–10 as one sentence. Charles Thomson and the Literal NT treat vv. 1–7 as a single sentence. Despite the fact that the Greek is one long sentence, either between vv. 1–7 or vv. 1–10 (or even reaching back into the previous chapter), I divided vv. 1–7 into five sentences. This is more how the English mind understands such things.

What is difficult to me is coming up with a generalization to explain all that is covered in vv. 1–7 with a single short summation. That is easy for me to do with narrative, but much more difficult when it comes to Paul’s writings.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       I will use the Westcott-Hort Greek text as the basis for my English translation. I use that test primarily because e-sword has a nice module by Rob Wolfram which has the interlinear English text, Strong’s #’s, and the Greek morphology. The e-sword tab is IWH+P. I do not use their English text for my translation. Also, throughout, I take in consideration alternate readings.

As a young Christian, I was quite interested in the alternative readings. After many decades of study, I have found that, as with the Hebrew text, disputed readings rarely have any affect on the interpretation of a text (apart from perhaps a half-dozen fairly well-known alternate readings, like the end of the book of Mark).

I will compare the Greek text to English translations of the Latin and Syriac (= Aramaic) texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation and George Lamsa’s translation from the Syriac. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls are irrelevant, as they preceded the writing of the New Testament by over 200 years.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    And you (all), being dead (ones) by the trespasses and by the sins of you (all), in which [sins and trespasses] you (all) once walked according to according to the age of the cosmos, this (one); according to the ruler of the power of the air; of the spirit, of the now working in the children of the obstinacy, in which even we all were returned once in the desires of the flesh of us, doing the desires of the flesh and of the minds and were being children of anger like even the rest.

Complete Apostles’ Bible      And you He made alive, being dead in transgressions and sins,

in which you once walked according to the age of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit which is now working in the sons of disobedience,

among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the senses, and were by nature children of wrath, as also the rest.

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And you, when you were dead in your offences and sins,

Wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of this air, of the spirit that now worketh on the children of unbelief:

In which also we all conversed in time past, in the desires of our flesh, fulfilling the will of the flesh and of our thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest:...

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        .

Original Aramaic NT              And he fills even you who were dead in your sins and in your stupidity.

And these things in which you walked from the first, you were in them according to the secular life of this world and according to the will of The Ruler of The Authority of The Air and of this spirit which is diligent in the children of disobedience.

We also were employed in those works from the first in the desires of our flesh, and we were doing the will of our flesh and of our minds, and we were entirely children of rage, as the rest.

Lamsa Peshitta (Syriac)         .

Significant differences: 

English Translations:          I have included translations which I disagree with and footnotes that I do not necessarily agree with. If I believe that the author is too far from the truth, I may even address that at the footnote. However, nearly all of the correct commentary will be found following the Greek text box and the translation of each phrase.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And to you did he give life, when you were dead through your wrongdoing and sins, 

In which you were living in the past, after the ways of this present world, doing the pleasure of the lord of the power of the air, the spirit who is now working in those who go against the purpose of God; 

Among whom we all at one time were living in the pleasures of our flesh, giving way to the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and the punishment of God was waiting for us even as for the rest.

Bible in Worldwide English     There was a time when you were dead. That was because of the bad and the wrong things you did.

At one time you did those wrong things, just like the people around you. You obeyed the ruler who has the power over things in the air. That ruler is the spirit who is working now in the people who do not obey God.

At one time we too all lived like them. We lived to please ourselves. We did what our bodies and our minds wanted us to do. We were people with whom God was angry, just like other people.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  In the past you were spiritually dead because of your sins and the things you did against God. Yes, in the past your lives were full of those sins. You lived the way the world lives, following the ruler of the evil powers over the earth. That same spirit is now working in those who refuse to obey God. In the past all of us lived like that, trying to please our sinful selves. We did all the things our bodies and minds wanted. Like everyone else in the world, we deserved to suffer God's anger just because of the way we were.

God’s Word™                         You were once dead because of your failures and sins. You followed the ways of this present world and its spiritual ruler. This ruler continues to work in people who refuse to obey God. All of us once lived among these people, and followed the desires of our corrupt nature. We did what our corrupt desires and thoughts wanted us to do. So, because of our nature, we deserved God's anger just like everyone else.

Good News Bible (TEV)         In the past you were spiritually dead because of your disobedience and sins. At that time you followed the world's evil way; you obeyed the ruler of the spiritual powers in space, the spirit who now controls the people who disobey God. Actually all of us were like them and lived according to our natural desires, doing whatever suited the wishes of our own bodies and minds. In our natural condition we, like everyone else, were destined to suffer God's anger.

J. B. Phillips                           .

The Message                         .

NIRV                                      .

New Life Version                    .

Radiant New Testament        .

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              .

Contemporary English V.       In the past you were dead because you sinned and fought against God. You followed the ways of this world and obeyed the devil. He rules the world, and his spirit has power over everyone who doesn't obey God. Once we were also ruled by the selfish desires of our bodies and minds. We had made God angry, and we were going to be punished like everyone else.

Goodspeed New Testament  .

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           .

The Passion Translation        And his fullness fills you, even though you were once like corpses, dead in your sins and offenses.  It wasn’t that long ago that you lived in the religion, customs, and values of this world, obeying the dark ruler of the earthly realm who fills the atmosphere with his authority, and works diligently in the hearts of those who are disobedient to the truth of God.  The corruption that was in us from birth was expressed through the deeds and desires of our self - life. We lived by whatever natural cravings and thoughts our minds dictated, living as rebellious children subject to God’s wrath like everyone else. The Passion Translation took the final few words from the previous chapter and tacked them onto the beginning of this chapter, to show a relationship between the two.

Plain English Version             .

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  Before you trusted the Messiah, you were spiritually dead and unable to stop sinning. You used to live in a sinful way, guided by the spirit of this world. You were guided by the ruler of the evil spirits who control the authorities of this world. This ruler is Satan, who now works through the people who disobey God. All of us used to live in the same way as these people who disobey God; we did the evil things that we desired, things that would bring pleasure to our bodies and our minds. We deserved for God to be very angry with us, just as he is with the other people.

Williams’ New Testament      You too were dead because of the shortcomings and sins in which you once lived in accordance with the spirit of this present world, and the mighty prince of the air, who is always at work in the disobedient, among whom all of us, we Jews as well as you heathen, once lived while gratifying the cravings of our lower nature, as we continued to carry out the impulses of our lower nature and its thoughts, and by nature we were exposed to God's wrath, as the rest of mankind.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          .

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            And He placed all things under His feet. And He gave Him (the head over everything) to the assembly (something that is His body, the fullness of the One who fills all in all);even you, who were dead to your infractions and sins, in which in the past, you traipsed around in line with the span of time of this world, in line with the head of the authority of the air (the spirit that is now active in the sons of the unbelief), among whom we all also were messed up in the past, in the desires of our physical body, doing what the physical body and the mind wanted. And we were children of punishment by nature, even as the rest. Ephesians 1:22–23 are included for context.

Common English Bible           .

Len Gane Paraphrase           You were dead because of sinful errors and sins, in which you lived in the past according this world's way, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. Among whom we also lived our life in the past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, by nature we were children of wrath even as others.

A. Campbell's Living Oracles ...even you who were dead in trespasses and sins; in which you formerly walked, according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air-of the spirit which now effectually works in the children of disobedience; amongst whom we, also, were all formerly conversant in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh, and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as others. Campbell’s Living Oracles treats Ephesians 1:15–2:3 as a single sentence.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       .

NT for Everyone                     .

20^th Century New Testament You yourselves were once dead because of your offenses and sins. For at one time you lived in sin, following the ways of the world, in subjection to the Ruler of the Powers of the air--the Spirit who is still at work among the disobedient. And it was among them that we all once lived our lives, indulging the cravings of our earthly nature, and carrying out the desires prompted by that earthly nature and by our own thoughts. Our very nature exposed us to the Divine Wrath, like the rest of mankind.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

An Understandable Version   .

Berean Study Bible                .

Christian Standard Bible        .

Conservapedia Translation    .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton           .

Free Bible Version                 At one time you were dead in your sins and evil actions, living your lives according to the ways of the world, under the control of the devil,* whose spirit is at work in those who disobey God. All of us were once like that, our behavior determined by the desires of our sinful human nature and our evil way of thinking. Like everyone else, in our nature we were children of anger.*

The Heritage Bible                          And you being dead in transgressions and sins,

In which you at some time walked according to the age of this world, according to the first in rank of the authority of the air, the spirit now supernaturally working in the children who are unconvinced,

In whom also we all conducted ourselves around for some time in the longings of our flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh and of the exercise of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, as also the rest.

International Standard V        God Has Brought Us from Death to Life

You used to be dead because of your offenses and sins that you once practiced as you lived according to the ways of this present world and according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now active in those who are disobedient. [Lit. the sons of disobedience] Indeed, all of us once behaved like [Or lived among] them in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of our flesh and senses. By nature we were destined for [Lit. were children of] wrath, just like everyone else.

Lexham Bible                         .

Montgomery NT                     And so God has given life to you Gentiles also, who were once dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you passed your lives after the way of this world, under the sway of the Prince of the Powers of the Air, the spirit who is now working among the sons of disobedience. And among them we all once passed our lives, indulging the passions of our flesh, carrying out the dictates of our senses and temperament, and were by nature the children of wrath like all the rest.

NIV, ©2011                             .

Riverside New Testament      YOU also God raised to life when you were dead in misdeeds and sins in which you once walked, following the ways of this age of the world, led by the Ruler of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. Among these we all lived once in the passions of our flesh and of our thoughts, and we were by nature children of wrath like the rest.

Leicester A. Sawyer’s NT      And you being dead in trespasses and sins,—in which you formerly walked according to the life of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit which now operates in the children of disobedience, among whom also we all formerly lived in the desires of our flesh, performing the wishes of the flesh and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath even as others;...

UnfoldingWord Literal Text    As for you, you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the authorities of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. We all once lived among these as well, in the evil desires of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the body and of the mind. We were by nature children of wrath, just like everyone else.

Urim-Thummim Version         And you he has raised, who were dead in deviations and sins; Which in time past you walked according to the course of this cosmos, according to the chief of the power of the air, the spirit that now operates in the children of obstinacy: Among whom we also all had our conduct in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

Weymouth New Testament    To you Gentiles also, who were dead through your offences and sins, which were once habitual to you while you walked in the ways of this world and obeyed the Prince of the powers of the air, the spirits that are now at work in the hearts of the sons of disobedience--to you God has given Life. Among them all of us also formerly passed our lives, governed by the inclinations of our lower natures, indulging the cravings of those natures and of our own thoughts, and were in our original state deserving of anger like all others.

Wikipedia Bible Project          At this point, Wikipedia has not provided the rest of the translation for Ephesians (at least not in its e-sword version).

Worsley’s New Testament    And you hath he made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which ye formerly walked after the manner of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that still operates in the children of disobedience: among whom also we were all conversant heretofore in our carnal desires, indulging the appetites of the flesh and of our imaginations; and were by nature children of wrath, even as others.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)     By grace you have been saved!

• You were dead through the faults and sins. Once you lived through them according to this world and followed the Sovereign Ruler who reigns between heaven and earth and who goes on working in those who resist the faith. All of us belonged to them at one time and we followed human greed; we obeyed the urges of our human nature and consented to its desires. By ourselves, we went straight to the judgment like the rest of humankind.

Col 2:13; Jn 12:31; 2Cor 4:4

The footnote for this verse has been placed in the Addendum.

New American Bible (2011)   .

New Catholic Bible                 .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) .

Revised English Bible–1989   .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

Eth Cipher Translation           .

Hebraic Roots Bible               And He has quickened you also who were dead because of your sins and trespasses, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the will of the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit which is active in the sons of disobedience, in those very deeds in which we also were corrupted from the very beginning through the lusts of our flesh, doing the things willed of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest.

Holy New Covenant Trans.    You were spiritually dead in your sins and violations. In the past you lived in those things. You followed the evil ways of this world and the ruler of the power of the air -that evil spirit who is now working in those who disobey God. We all used to live among people like that, with the evil desires in our human nature. We satisfied the impulses of our bodies and minds. We were like all other people - naturally deserving punishment.

The Scriptures 2009              And you were dead in trespasses and sins,^a in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience,^b among whom also we all once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, as also the rest.

^aSee also Ephesians 2:5, as well as Matthew 8:22, Romans 8:6, Colossians 2:13, 1Timothy5:6, 1Jn. 3:14, Revelation 3:1. 

^b Ephesians 5:6, Colossians 3:6. 

Tree of Life Version                You were dead in your trespasses and sins. At that time, you walked in the way of this world, in conformity to the ruler of the domain of the air—the ruler of the spirit who is now operating in the sons of disobedience. We too all lived among them in the cravings of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and the mind. By nature we were children of wrath, just like the others.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...and you* being dead [in] the errors and [in] the offenses [of] you* in whom* ever [You*] walk in the age [of] the world this in the ruler [of] the authority [of] the air the spirit [of] the [one] now working in the sons [of] the disobedience in whom* and We All are conducted ever in the desires [of] the flesh [of] us Making the wills [of] the flesh and [of] the minds and [We] were Children [by] nature [of] anger as and The [Men] Remaining {are}...

Alpha & Omega Bible            .

Awful Scroll Bible                   And yous being dead in falls-aside and misses-of-the-mark, from-within which at one time, yous walk-about according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the existence-by over the air, the breath that is now undertaking-from-among, from-within the sons of the un-persuaded, from-among whom also, we all were being turned- ourselves -about at one time, from-within the rages-over of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the knowledge-throughout, and we were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Concordant Literal Version    And you, being dead to your offenses and sins, in which once you walked, in accord with the eon of this world, in accord with the chief of the jurisdiction of the air, the spirit now operating in the sons of stubbornness "

(among whom we also all behaved ourselves once in the lusts of our flesh, doing the will of the flesh and of the comprehension, and were, in our nature, children of indignation, even as the rest),...

exeGeses companion Bible   SALVATION BY CHARISM THROUGH THE TRUST

And you

- being dead in backslidings and sins

wherein you formerly walked

according to the eon of this cosmos,

according to the arch of the authority of the air,

the spirit that now energizes in the sons of distrust:

among whom also we all had our behavior

ever in the pantings of our flesh,

doing the will of the flesh and of the mind;

and by nature

being the children of wrath even as the rest:...

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And you being dead in your peysha'im and chatta'im,

In which you amol (formerly) fier zich (comported oneself), according to the course of the Olam Hazeh, according to the Sar of the authority of the air [the Samekh Mem, Hasatan, teivel, the devil], the ruach now working in the bnei haMeri (sons of Rebellion).

Among them we too all formerly conducted ourselves in the ta'avot of our basar, following the lusts of the flesh and of the machshavot (thoughts), and we were by nature Bnei Rogez (Sons of Anger) of Hashem, as also the rest.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

An Understandable Version   And you [Gentiles] were once [spiritually] dead because of your shortcomings and sins. You practiced such things when you lived according to the evil ways of this world, and according to the ruler of the [spiritual] powers of the air. [Note: This refers to Satan, whose influence permeates life around us]. He is the [evil] spirit who is now at work in people who are disobedient [to God]. All of us [Jews] also once lived among such people, fulfilling the improper cravings of our physical being and doing what our bodies and minds desired. In this natural [unconverted] state we were deserving of [God’s] wrath, just like the rest [of mankind].

Benjamin Brodie’s trans.       And you [as Gentile believers], (being dead [spiritually] in your transgressions and sins,

In which [state of sin] you formerly walked [conducted your behavior] according to the viewpoint of this cosmic system [moral & immoral degeneracy], according to the ruler [Satan] of the domain of the lower atmosphere [demonic realm], the spirit [demonic influence] which is now operating in the sons [seed of the serpent] of disobedience [Gentile unbelievers],

Among whom [Gentile unbelievers] we also [as Jewish unbelievers] formerly allowed our behavior to be controlled [as a manner of lifestyle] by the lusts of the flesh [moral degeneracy], when we continually engaged in the desires [will] and mental attitudes [thoughts] of the flesh [sin nature]. In fact, like the rest [Gentile believers], we ourselves [as Jewish believers] were by natural disposition the children of wrath .

The Expanded Bible              .

Jonathan Mitchell NT             And you folks [who were] continuously existing being dead ones by (or: to; with; in) the results and effects of your stumblings aside (offences; wrong steps) and failures to hit the mark (or: mistakes; errors; times of falling short; sins; deviations)

within the midst of and in union with which things you once walked about (= lived your lives) in accord (or: in keeping; corresponding) with (or: as directed by) the age of this ordered System (or: down through the time period of this world of secular culture, religion, economy and government), in line with the primary directive of the right and privilege of air (or: corresponding to the Ruler out of Being with regard to air): the Breath-effect of the One at the present time continuously operating within the sons of The Disobedience (or: down under the controlling aspect of the authority of "the blowing" of the Spirit of the One now progressively working internally in union with people having the character and qualities of incompliance; or: in correlation to the chief and leader of the privilege which comes from blowing: the attitude which expresses a lack of persuasion, or of not being convinced, which repeatedly energizes at the present time; or: in keeping with the one in first position with regard to the right concerning the atmosphere the attitude now habitually effecting inward action within the midst of people displaying non-conviction or an incompliant disposition),

immersedamong which folks we all also were once twisted up (or: entangled; overturned; upset) within the cravings (full longings; over-desires) of our flesh (= the estranged human nature, or the alienated self; or: = system of our works and sacrificial religion), continually doing the will (or: producing the intentions) of the flesh (= our existence while in bondage, or the duties of religion), and of the divided thoughts and things passing through the mind. Furthermore, we were continuously existing in essence (in natural condition; by instinct) being children of natural impulse (natural disposition; inherent fervor and swelling passion; teeming desire; or: anger; wrath) even as (or: as also) the rest (the remaining ones) [were].

P. Kretzmann Commentary    .

Syndein/Thieme                     .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

Lexham Bible                         Made Alive in Christ

And you, although you were dead [Literally “and you being dead”] [*Here the participle (“being”) is understood as concessive] in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all formerly lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the will [Or “desires”] of the flesh and of the mind, and we were children of wrath [This phrase is a Semitic idiom which can mean either (1) “children characterized by wrath” or (2) “children destined for wrath”] by nature, as also the rest of them were.

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible (2011)   .

The Passion Translation        .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. [Unto] you also—

Being dead^g by your offences and sins, In which at one time ye walked^ˎh According to the age of the worldˎ According to the prince of the authority of the airˎ of the spirit that now energiseth in the sons of disobedience,ⁱ Among whom also ||we all|| had our behaviourˎ at one timeˎ in the covetings of our flesh, doing the things desired by the flesh and the mind, And were childrenˎ by natureˎ of anger^j—even as the rest,—...

^g Col. ii. 13.

^h Col. iii. 7.

ⁱ Cp. chap. v. 6, n.

^j Col. iii. 6.

The Spoken English NT         From Death to Life
Now, once you were dead in your offenses and sins. Those things used to be your way of life-when you followed the god of this world, the ruler of the atmospheric realm.^a He’s the spirit that’s working right now in those who are rebellious by nature.^b We were all with them once. We lived by the desires^c of our flesh, and we did whatever our flesh and our thoughts wanted. And we were headed for God’s anger by nature just like everyone else.^d

a.Lit. “…sins, in which you once walked around, according to the god of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air”.

b.Lit. “the children of disobedience”. This is a Hebrew expression—compare “children of this world” and “children of light” (Luk_16:8).

c.Or “lusts”.

d.Lit. “We too were by nature children of wrath, like also the rest”.

Updated ASV                         Made Alive in Christ

And you being dead in the trespasses[16] and your sins, in which you formerly walked according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience. Among whom also we all formerly lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

[16] Trespass: (παράπτωμα paraptōma) This is a sin that can come in the way of some desire (lusting), some thinking (entertaining a wrongdoing) or some action (carrying out one’s desires or thoughts that he or she has been entertaining) that is beyond or overstepping God’s righteous standards, as set out in the Scriptures. It is falling or making a false step as opposed to standing or walking upright in harmony with the righteous requirements of God. – Matt. 6:14; Mark 11:25; Rom. 4:25; 5:15-20; 11:11; 2 Cor. 5:19; Gal. 6:1; Eph. 1:7; 2:1, 5; Col 2:13.

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     Our position in Christ
He[F] raised you up as well, when you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you once walked, according to the Aeon of this world, the ruler of the domain of the air, the spirit who is now at work in the sons of the disobedience;¹ among whom all of us also used to conduct ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the flesh and of the senses,² and were by nature children of wrath,³ just like the rest.

(1) Strictly speaking the Text has “according to the Aeon of this world, according to the ruler of the domain of the air”—the phrases are parallel, so ‘Aeon’ and ‘ruler’ have the same referent, a specific person or being. This spirit is presently at work (present tense) in ‘the sons of the disobedience’. ‘Sons’ of something are characterized by that something, and the something in this case is ‘the’ disobedience (the Text has the definite article)—a continuation of the original rebellion against the Sovereign of the universe. Anyone in rebellion against the Creator is under satanic influence, direct or indirect (in most cases a demon acts as Satan’s agent).

(2) This is the way people who don’t belong to Christ may be expected to act. Far from being surprised, we should count on it, and our strategies should count on it.

(3) To be in rebellion against the Creator is to be under His wrath.

WEB — Messianic Edition       .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  Now you were dead in trespasses and sins, In which you walked in times past according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience; Among whom also we all once had our conduct in the lusts of our flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh and by the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest of the world.

Analytical-Literal Translation  And you_p being dead in transgressions and sins, in which at one time you_p walked about [fig., conducted yourselves] according to the age [fig., the practices] of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit of the one now supernaturally working in the sons [and daughters] of disobedience; among whom also we at one time lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the thoughts [fig., senses], and we were by nature children of wrath, as also the others.

Berean Literal Bible                .

Bill Puryear translation           Furthermore, when you were dead in the sphere of your transgressions and your sins, in the sphere of which you formerly walked according to the age characterized by this world, according to the ruler over the domain of the air, over the spiritual state which is now working in the sons of disobedience, in connection with whom all we also formerly conducted ourselves in the lusts produced by our flesh, by carrying out the desires of our flesh and thoughts; indeed we kept on being by nature the children destined for wrath even as the rest.

C. Thomson updated NT        .

Charles Thomson NT             And with respect to you, when you were dead in those trespasses, and those sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world; according to the prince of the power of the air, that spirit which is now working powerfully in the children of disobedience; among whom when we also were all formerly leading our lives in the desires of our flesh, executing the dictates of the flesh, and the imaginations, and were naturally children of wrath even as the rest;...

Context Group Version          And you (pl) [he made alive,] when you (pl) were dead through your (pl) trespasses and disgraceful acts, wherein you (pl) once walked according to this world's age, according to the ruler of the power of the air, of the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience; among whom we also all once lived in the desire of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of retaliation, even as the rest: --...

English Standard Version      . passions

Far Above All Translation       Including you who are dead to transgressions and sins, in which you once walked, according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit which is now active in the sons of disobedience, among whom we all also once had our mode of life, in the desires of our flesh, doing the will of the flesh, and of the mind, and we were children of wrath by nature, as the rest are too,...

Green’s Literal Translation    ...and you being dead in deviations and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience, among whom we also all conducted ourselves in times past in the lusts of our flesh, doing the things willed of the flesh and of the understanding, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest. This single sentence begins in Ephesians 1:15.

James Allen translation          .

Legacy Standard Bible           .

Literal New Testament           .

Literal Standard Version        ...also you—being dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the age of this world, according to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience, among whom we also all walked once in the desires of our flesh, doing the wishes of the flesh and of the thoughts, and were by nature children of wrath—as also the others,... In the LSV, this single sentence begins in Ephesians 1:15 and ends in 2:10.

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  Even you° being dead in your° trespasses and sins, in which you° previously walked according-to the age of this world {i.e. current things of this world}, according-to the ruler of the authority of the air, of the spirit which is now working in the sons of disobedience; among whom we also all conducted ourselves previously in the lusts of our flesh, practicing the wills of the flesh and of the perceptions and we were children of wrath by nature, even as the rest.

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

New Matthew Bible                .

NT (Variant Readings)           And you [did he make alive], when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins, wherein ye once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the powers of the air, of the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience; among whom we also all once lived in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest—...

Niobi Study Bible                   .

R. B. Thieme, Jr. translation   And you being spiritually dead in the sphere of your transgressions and sins, in which sphere you formerly walked according to the error of the cosmos, according to the supreme ruler of the authority of the atmosphere, the ruler of the spirit which now is operational in the sons of obstinacy. Among whom also formerly we all had our behaviour pattern in the lusts of our flesh [OSN], continually doing the desires of the flesh and the thoughts, and were continually by natural inherited endowment the posterity of wrath punishment, as also the rest of the human race.

R. B. Thieme, Jr. trans2         And you he made alive, when you were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. Among whom also formerly we have had our behavior patterns in the lust of the flesh or weaknesses of the Old Sin Nature, continually doing the desires of the flesh and thoughts which infiltrate the soul, and were by naturally inherited endowment of the genetic Old Sin Nature the posterity of wrath from the Justice of God, as also were the rest of the Human Race.

Revised Geneva Translation  .

Ron Snider translation           And you, although you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the ruler, the authority over the air, the spirit that is now working among the sons of disobedience. Among whom we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Translation           And you hath he revived, who were dead in trespasses and sins; In which in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our manner of life in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

World English Bible                .

Worrell New Testament         .

The gist of this passage: 

1-3

Translation: Even you (all) being dead by your trespasses and sins,...

There are no chapter or verse divisions in the original manuscripts. These were added later. Sometimes these divisions are brilliant and, at other times, they could have been done better. Let’s affix this to the previous two verses:

Ephesians 1:22–2:1 He subordinated all (things) under His feet and He gave to Him the headship over all the church, which keeps on being His body, the fullness of the [Christ], the One filling all (things) in all [ways], even you (all) being dead by your trespasses and sins. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

The Ephesians were filled with all things (the Holy Spirit and Bible doctrine) in all ways (the function of the spiritual life), even those who were dead by their trespasses and their sins. This is potentially true for all believers, although a number of believers go negative after salvation.

The Ephesians were not physically dead in their trespasses and sins; they were spiritual dead. They were dead to God. They had no contact with God and no understanding of God.

Translation: ...by which [trespasses and sins] you (all) once walked according to the period of this world order,...

The preposition en followed by feminine plural relative pronoun means, in the sphere of which things, which would refer back to the trespasses and sins. It is in this sphere that the Ephesians once walked.

When did the Ephesians walk in this manner? When did they walk in the sphere of their trespasses and sins? This is when they lived during the age of the cosmic system or the world order. That is, this took place while they were unbelievers.

Paul’s letters tend to be quite personal. Therefore, when we read things like this, we need to determine, is Paul making a general doctrinal point or is he talking about the believers to whom he is writing specifically?  Here, that choice is easy to make. The verb is in the 2^nd person plural, which would be a reference to the Ephesians. Paul is specifically speaking to the recipients of this letter about their own past behaviors.

See the Doctrine of Walking, by R. B. Thieme, Jr., in the Addendum.

Translation: ...according to the ruler of the power of the air,...

The Ephesians lived in the cosmic system, which cosmic system operates according to the standards of the prince of the power of the air. This is obviously Satan, and this is another of the many statements in Scripture which tell us that Satan is in charge of the earth (within some limitations). That Satan is the ruler of this world is found in Luke 4:5-7 John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11 2Corinthians 4:4 Ephesians 2:2.

Translation: ...the spirit [which is] now working in the children of disobedience,...

It is this spirit of Satan, the spirit of rebellion, which works in the children of disobedience—that is, those who have not believed in Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 2:1–2 Even you (all) being dead by your trespasses and sins, by which [trespasses and sins] you (all) once walked according to the period of this world order, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit [which is] now working in the children of disobedience,... (Kukis mostly literal translation)

The believers in Ephesus previously were dead in their trespasses and sins (not physically dead, but dead to God). They walked during that time period according to the cosmic system according to the ruler of the cosmic system, who is Satan. This same spirit of Satan inspires all the children of disobedience—those who have not believed in Christ Jesus.

Translation: ...among whom even we busied ourselves at one time in the desires of our flesh,...

Paul adds himself into the mix here by using the 1^st person plural. He uses the verb anastrephô (ἀναστρέφω) [pronounced an-as-TREF-oh], which means, to overturn; to return; by implication, to busy oneself, to remain, to live; to behave. Strong’s #390. We busied ourselves or we lived in the sphere of the desires of the flesh.

Translation: ...carrying out the will of (our) flesh and (our) minds.

We acted in order to carry out the will of our flesh (a reference to the sin nature) and our minds (in the Greek, the definite article can sometimes be understood to act as a personal possessive pronoun).

Ephesians 2:3a-b ...among whom even we busied ourselves at one time in the desires of our flesh, carrying out the will of (our) flesh and (our) minds. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Translation: We kept on being, by nature, children of wrath, even like the rest. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

As unbelievers, we were, by nature, children of wrath. We were agitated in our souls, in rebellion against God. We were just like the rest of humanity. Paul writes this, including himself, despite his being a very moral and self-righteous pharisee. Human degeneration is not only about chasing after sensual desires. Moral and self-righteous types have their own desires, and they are just as degenerate as the desires of those who seek to satisfy their craven urges. Whether a person leans toward asceticism or lasciviousness, his life is all about craven desires.

Let me quickly add that there is, to some degree, and exception to this. There are people who live according to the laws of divine establishment. These can be people brought up with a great sense of the laws of divine establishment, including the divine institutions. People can live genuinely moral lives, adhering the laws of divine establishment. An excellent example of this are the children of President Donald Trump. There is no indication that he brought up his children in some church, studying the Bible, but he did bring them up to work and to apply self-discipline. Now, I have not done a careful study of any of Trump’s children, but I am making this judgment based upon fairly superficial observations. Have any of them believed in Jesus Christ since 2016? I have no idea. Since his daughter has converted to Judaism, it is unlikely that she believes in Jesus Christ. People like this are generally going to have better lives, more productive lives and happier lives. These are not the standards of Satan but the standards of God (even though they may not realize that these are the standards of God).

Ephesians 2:3c We kept on being, by nature, children of wrath, even like the rest. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Ephesians 2:1–3 Even you (all) being dead by your trespasses and sins, by which [trespasses and sins] you (all) once walked according to the period of this world order, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit [which is] now working in the children of disobedience, among whom even we busied ourselves at one time in the desires of our flesh, carrying out the will of (our) flesh and (our) minds. We kept on being, by nature, children of wrath, even like the rest. (Kukis mostly literal translation)

Ephesians 2:1–3 God has filled all believers in all ways, even those of you who were once dead in your trespasses and sins, by which trespasses and sins you once walked, living according to the customs of the cosmic system, in accordance with the prince of the power of the air (Satan), which spirit is even today working in the lives of the children of disobedience. We once lived among such, busying ourselves with the desires of our flesh, carrying out the will of our flesh and our minds. At that time, we kept on being, by our very nature, children of wrath, children standing against God. (Kukis paraphrase)

——————————

Here is how others have translated this passage:

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    Now, the God rich keeps on being in mercy through the great agapê love of his whom He loved us and being to us deaths by the trespasses, has made us alive with the Christ (by grace you (all) keep on being saved) and he has raised [us] and has seated [us] in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus so that He might show the ages to keep on arriving the surpassing wealth of the grace of Him in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Complete Apostles Bible        But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

even when we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

and raised us up together, and seated us together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus,

that in the coming ages He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) But God (who is rich in mercy) for his exceeding charity wherewith he loved us

Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together in Christ (by whose grace you are saved)

And hath raised us up together and hath made us sit together in the heavenly places, through Christ Jesus.

That he might shew in the ages to come the abundant riches of his grace, in his bounty towards us in Christ Jesus.

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        .

Original Aramaic NT              But God who is rich in his compassion, because of his great love with which he loved us,

When we were dead in our sins, he gave us life together with The Messiah, and by his grace he saved us.

And he has raised us up with him and seated us with himself in Heaven in Yeshua The Messiah,

To show the coming ages the greatness of the riches of his grace and his sweetness, which has come upon us by Yeshua The Messiah.

Lamsa Peshitta (Syriac)         .

Significant differences: 

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             But God, being full of mercy, through the great love which he had for us, 

Even when we were dead through our sins, gave us life together with Christ by grace you have salvation, 

So that we came back from death with him, and are seated with him in the heavens, in Christ Jesus; 

That in the time to come he might make clear the full wealth of his grace in his mercy to us in Christ Jesus:...

Bible in Worldwide English     But God was very, very kind. He loved us very, very much.

We were dead because of the wrong things we had done. He has made us alive with Christ. You have been saved by his love and kindness.

God raised us from death with Christ Jesus and gave us a place to sit with him in heaven.

He did this to show us in all times to come how much he can bless people and how kind he is. It was Jesus Christ who brought this kindness to us.

Easy English                          .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  But God is rich in mercy, and he loved us very much. We were spiritually dead because of all we had done against him. But he gave us new life together with Christ. (You have been saved by God's grace.) Yes, it is because we are a part of Christ Jesus that God raised us from death and seated us together with him in the heavenly places. God did this so that his kindness to us who belong to Christ Jesus would clearly show for all time to come the amazing richness of his grace.

God’s Word™                         But God is rich in mercy because of his great love for us. We were dead because of our failures, but he made us alive together with Christ. (It is God's kindness that saved you.) God has brought us back to life together with Christ Jesus and has given us a position in heaven with him. He did this through Christ Jesus out of his generosity to us in order to show his extremely rich kindness in the world to come.

Good News Bible (TEV)         But God's mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God's grace that you have been saved. In our union with Christ Jesus he raised us up with him to rule with him in the heavenly world. He did this to demonstrate for all time to come the extraordinary greatness of his grace in the love he showed us in Christ Jesus.

J. B. Phillips                           .

The Message                         .

NIRV                                      .

New Life Version                    .

Radiant New Testament        .

New Simplified Bible              .

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Version          .

Contemporary English V.       But God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much that he made us alive with Christ, and God's wonderful kindness is what saves you. God raised us from death to life with Christ Jesus, and he has given us a place beside Christ in heaven. God did this so that in the future world he could show how truly good and kind he is to us because of what Christ Jesus has done.

Goodspeed New Testament  .

The Living Bible                     .

New Berkeley Version           .

New Living Translation           .

The Passion Translation        But God still loved us with such great love. He is so rich in compassion and mercy.  Even when we were dead and doomed in our many sins, he united us into the very life of Christ and saved us by his wonderful grace!  He raised us up with Christ the exalted One, and we ascended with him into the glorious perfection and authority of the heavenly realm, for we are now co-seated as one with Christ!  Throughout the coming ages we will be the visible display of the infinite, limitless riches of his grace and kindness, which was showered upon us in Jesus Christ.

Plain English Version             .

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  But God is very merciful to us, because he loves us very much. God loved us so much that even when we were spiritually dead and constantly sinning, he made us alive by joining us to the Messiah. Remember: God was very kind to you in a way that you did not deserve when he saved you from being spiritually dead. When God saved us, it was like he raised us up from our graves along with Jesus and made us alive again with him, and then he gave us seats of honor to rule with the Messiah Jesus in heaven. He did that to show to everyone in all future times how exceedingly gracious he is in being kind to us by joining us to the Messiah Jesus.

Williams’ New Testament      But God, who is so rich in mercy on account of the great love He has for us, has made us, though dead because of our shortcomings, live again in fellowship with Christ -- it is by His unmerited favor that you have been saved. And He raised us with Him and through union with Christ Jesus He made us sit down with Him in the heavenly realm, to show, throughout the coming ages, the boundless generosity of His unmerited favor shown us in His goodness to us through Christ Jesus.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          .

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            But God (being rich in forgiving kindness because of His great love that He loved us with) brought even us (who were dead with the infractions) to life together with the Anointed King. You are people who have been rescued by generosity. And He brought us back to life together and seated us together in the heavenly regions in the Anointed King Jesus so that He might display in the upcoming spans of time the superior wealth of His generosity in kindness on us in the Anointed King Jesus.

Common English Bible           .

Len Gane Paraphrase           But God who is rich in mercy, for his great love in which he loved us, even when we were dead because of sins, he has made us alive with Christ, for you are saved by grace. He has raised us up together and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

A. Campbell's Living Oracles But God being rich in mercy, through his great love with which he loved us, even us, who were dead in trespasses, he has made alive together with Christ; (by favor you are saved;) and has raised us up together, and has set us down together in heavenly places with Christ Jesus; that he might show, in the ages to come, the exceeding riches of his favor in his kindness toward us by Christ Jesus.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       .

NT for Everyone                     .

20^th Century New Testament Yet God, in his abundant compassion, and because of the great love with which he loved us, Even though we were 'dead' because of our offenses, gave Life to us in giving Life to the Christ. (By God's loving-kindness you have been saved.) And, through our union with Christ Jesus, God raised us with him, and caused us to sit with him on high, In order that, by his goodness to us in Christ Jesus, he might display in the ages to come the boundless wealth of his loving- kindness.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

An Understandable Version   .

Berean Study Bible                .

Christian Standard Bible        .

Conservapedia Translation    .

Revised Ferrar-Fenton Bible  .

Free Bible Version                 But God in his generous mercy, because of the amazing love he had for us even while we were dead in our sins, has made us alive together with Christ. Trusting in him has saved you! He raised us up with Christ, and in Christ Jesus seated us with him in heaven, so that in all eternity to come he could demonstrate the amazing extent of his grace in showing us kindness through Christ Jesus.

The Heritage Bible                          And God, being rich in mercy, through his much love with which he loved us,

Also our being dead by transgressions, he has made us alive together with Christ - by grace you are saved⁵ -

And has raised us up together, and seated us together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus,

That he might show in the ages coming on the surpassing riches of his grace in moral excellence upon us in Christ Jesus.

⁵ 2:5 you are saved; both the verb to be and the verb to be saved are here; literally it is, you are having been saved.

International Standard V        But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love for us [Lit. love with which he loved us] even when we were dead because of our offenses, made us alive together with [Other mss. read in] the Messiah [Or Christ] (by grace you have been saved), raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly realm in the Messiah [Or Christ] Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might display the limitless riches of his grace that comes to us through his kindness in the Messiah [Or Christ] Jesus.

Lexham Bible                         .

Montgomery NT                     .

NIV, ©2011                             .

Riverside New Testament      But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in misdeeds, made us alive along with Christ — by grace we have been saved — and raised us up with him and made us sit with him in the heavenly heights in Christ Jesus, that he might show in the ages to come the surpassing richness of his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Leicester A. Sawyer’s NT      .

The Spoken English NT         .

UnfoldingWord Literal Text    . immeasurably

Urim-Thummim Version         But Elohim, who is rich in mercy, for his great brotherly love in which he Loved us, even when we were dead in sins, has rescued us together with Christ, (by Grace you are saved;) And has raised us up together and made us sit together in the cosmos in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his Grace in integrity toward us through Christ Jesus.

Weymouth New Testament    But God, being rich in mercy, because of the intense love which He bestowed on us, caused us, dead though we were through our offences, to live with Christ--it is by grace that you have been saved--raised us with Him from the dead, and enthroned us with Him in the heavenly realms as being in Christ Jesus, in order that, by His goodness to us in Christ Jesus, He might display in the Ages to come the transcendent riches of His grace.

Wikipedia Bible Project          .

Worsley’s New Testament    . superabundant

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)  But God, who is rich in mercy, revealed his immense love. As we were dead through our sins, he gave us life with Christ. By grace you have been saved! And he raised us to life with Christ, giving us a place with him in heaven. V. 7 will be placed with the next passage for context.

34:6; Rom 5:8 2Tim 2:12

New American Bible (2011)   .

New Catholic Bible                 .

New Jerusalem Bible             .

NRSV (Anglicized Cath. Ed.) .

Revised English Bible–1989   .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           .

Eth Cipher Translation           But Elohiym, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, has quickened us together with Mashiach, (by grace ye are saved;) And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Mashiach Yahusha: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Mashiach Yahusha.

Hebraic Roots Bible               But YAHWEH, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our sins, He made us alive together with Messiah by whose grace we are saved; and raised us up together and seated us together in heaven through Messiah Yahshua, that in the ages to come, He might demonstrate, the exceeding great riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Messiah Yahshua.

Holy New Covenant Trans.    However, God was rich in mercy because of His great giving to us, for our good, expecting nothing in return, which He had for us. While we were spiritually dead in sins, God made us alive with Christ. (You have been saved by God's help in time of need.) And God raised us from spiritual death and seated us in the heavenly world with Christ Jesus. God wanted to show the superior riches of His help in time of need for all time. He did this by using Jesus to be kind to us.

The Scriptures 2009              But Elohim, who is rich in compassion, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Messiah – by favour you have been saved – and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Messiah יהושע, in order to show in the coming ages the exceeding riches of His favour in kindness toward us in Messiah יהושע. 

Tree of Life Version                But God was rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us. Even when we were dead in our trespasses, He made us alive together with Messiah. (By grace you have been saved!) And He raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Messiah Yeshua—to show in the olam ha-ba the measureless richness of His grace in kindness toward us in Messiah Yeshua.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...The but God {is} Rich Being in caring because of the much love [of] him whom [He] loves us and being us dead [in] the errors [He] makes (living together) [with] the christ [by] favor [You*] are Having Been Saved and [He] raises (together) {us} and [He] sits (down together) {us} in the [things] heavenly in christ Jesus that [He] may show in the ages the [ones] coming the surpassing wealth [of] the favor [of] him in kindness to us in christ jesus...

Alpha & Omega Bible            .

Awful Scroll Bible                   What is more, God being rich from-within Kindness, by His great Dear Love with which He Dearly Loves us, even we being dead in falls-aside, produces- us -alive-together-with the Anointed One, by Grace yous are having been preserved sound, and He raises- us -up-together, even sits- us -down-together, from-within that upon-the-Expanse, by-within the Anointed One, Jesus, in order that, from-among the ages coming-upon, He Himself should show-from-among us, the throwing-beyond riches of His Grace, from-within serviceableness toward us by-within the Anointed One, Jesus!

Concordant Literal Version    ...yet God, being rich in mercy, because of His vast love with which He loves us"

(we also being dead to the offenses and the lusts), vivifies us together in Christ (in grace are you saved!)"

and rouses us together and seats us together among the celestials, in Christ Jesus, that, in the oncoming eons, He should be displaying the transcendent riches of His grace in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus."

exeGeses companion Bible   ...and Elohim, being rich in mercy,

for his vast love wherewith he loved us,

even being dead in backslidings,

co-enlivened us with the Messiah

- by charism you are saved;

and co-raised and co-seated us

in the heavenlies in Messiah Yah Shua:

so that in the eons to come

he indicates the exceeding riches of his charism

in his kindness toward us in Messiah Yah Shua...

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           .

Orthodox Jewish Bible           But Hashem, being rich in rachamim (mercy), because of His ahavah harabba (great love) with which He loved us,

Even when we were dead in our peysha'im, He made us alive together with Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach (by the unmerited Chen v'Chesed Hashem you have been delivered in your personal Geulah and the Yeshu'at Eloheinu), [TEHILLIM 103:12]

And raised us up with Moshiach and seated us with Him in Shomayim in Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua,

In order that, in the Olam HaBah, He might display the surpassing osher of the Chen v'Chesed Hashem of Him in chesed toward us in Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua.

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. .

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                .

An Understandable Version   But God, who has great love for us and abundant mercy [toward us], restored [spiritual] life to us with Christ, even though we were [spiritually] dead because of our sins --- it is by God’s unearned favor that you have been saved. God raised us up with Christ [See Col. 2:12] and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms [i.e., in the church. See 1:3] in [fellowship with] Christ Jesus. This was so that, to future ages [of people on earth and in heaven], God could demonstrate the tremendous abundance of His unearned favor, expressed by His kindness to us in [fellowship with] Christ Jesus.

Brodie’s Expanded Trans.     But God [the Father] Who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,

Even when we were [spiritually] dead in transgressions, made us alive [regeneration] together with Christ), you were by grace saved in the past with the result that you will keep on being saved in the future,

And He [the Father] raised [resurrected] us together with Him [Jesus Christ] and caused us to sit together with Him in heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

So that in the ages which are to come [Millennial and Perfect], He [God the Father] might exhibit the riches [escrow blessings] which surpass [super-abound] His grace in generosity toward us [mature believers] by means of Christ Jesus, ...

The Expanded Bible              .

Jonathan Mitchell NT             But God, continuously being wealthy and rich in mercy, because of His vast (much; great in magnitude and quantity; outstretched; long-lasting; repeated) Love in (or: with) which He focused love on (or: loves and accepts) us [p46 reads: had mercy on us],

even us, being continuously dead ones by (or: in; to; with) the results and effects of stumblings aside (wrong steps; offences) [p46 reads: ... in (to; by) the bodies; other MSS: by the failure (s) to hit the mark (sin/sins); B reads: within the stumblings aside and the cravings (lusts)], He made alive together by (or: joins us in common life with, for and in; [p46, B: within; in union with]) the Christ by Grace and joyous favor you continually exist, being folks having been delivered (rescued and saved, so that you are now safe; made whole)!

and He jointly roused and raised (or: suddenly awakens and raises) [us] up, and caused [us] to sit (or: seats [us]) together within the things situated upon [thus, above] the heavens (or: in union with the full, perfected heavenlies; or, although neuter: among those comprising the complete and perfected heavenlies; among the ones [residing] upon the atmospheres; in union with the celestials) within and in union with Christ Jesus,

to the end that within the continuously oncoming ages (the indefinite time periods continually and progressively coming upon and overtaking [us]) He may exhibit (display; point out; give proof of) the continuously transcending (being cast beyond; overshooting) riches and wealth of His grace and favor, in useful goodness (beneficial kindness) [flooding] upon us, within Christ Jesus (or: in union with [the] Anointed Jesus).

P. Kretzmann Commentary    .

Syndein/Thieme                     .

Translation for Translators     .

The Voice                               .

Bible Translations with Many Footnotes:

Lexham Bible                         .

NET Bible®                             .

New American Bible (2011)   .

The Passion Translation        .

Rotherham’s Emphasized B. But ||God|| <Being rich in mercy>

    ||By reason of the great love wherewith he loved us||

<Although we wereʹ dead by our offences>^k

    Gave us life together with the Christ,—

|By favour| ye have been saved,—

    And raised us up together,

    And seated us together in the Heavenliesˎ^l

||In Christ||:

That he might point outˎ in the oncoming agesˎ The surpassingʹ riches of his favour in graciousness upon usˎ

||In Christ Jesus||;...

k Col. ii. 13.

l See chap. i. 20; cp. i. 3; iii. 10; vi. 12.

The Spoken English NT         But God is rich in mercy! Because of the great love that God has for us, even though we were dead in our offenses, God brought us to life with Christ. You’ve been rescued by God’s grace. And God has raised you up and enthroned you with Christ Jesus in heaven. That way, during the coming ages God can show the unbelievable^e riches of God’s grace in the kindness shown to us in Christ Jesus.

e.Lit. “surpassing”.

Updated ASV                         But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ[17] (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

[17] Two early MSS read in Christ

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     But God—being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions—made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,⁴ in order that in the coming ages He might display the surpassing riches of His grace, through His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

(4) This is tremendous! Here we have our authority. Christ is now seated at the Father’s right, ‘far above’ the enemy and his hosts. This verse affirms that we are there too! So in Christ we also are far above the enemy and his hosts. We should be consciously operating on that basis.

WEB — Messianic Edition       .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

A Faithful Version                  . are coming

Analytical-Literal Translation  But God, being rich [fig., abundant] in mercy, because of His great love [with] which He loved us, even while we were dead in transgressions, made us to live together with Christ (by grace you_p have been saved), and He raised [us] up together and seated [us] together in the heavenlies [or, heavenly [realms]] in Christ Jesus, so that He should show in the ages, the ones coming, the surpassing riches [fig., abundance] of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus!

Berean Literal Bible                .

Bill Puryear translation           But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great unconditional love, with which He loved us, even when we were dead in transgressions, caused [us] to be made alive in association with Christ (by grace you have been saved with the result that you are saved) and caused us to be raised up together with Him and caused [us] to sit together with [Him] in heaven in Christ Jesus, in order that He might show in the coming ages the surpassing riches of His grace in generosity toward us in Christ Jesus.

C. Thomson updated NT        .

Charles Thomson NT             ...then God, who is rich in mercy, on the account of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in those trespasses, did bring us to life with the Christ, (by grace you are saved) and did raise us up, and place us with him in the heavenly kingdom in Christ Jesus, in order that he might, in the ages which are to come, display the immense riches of his favour by kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Context Group Version          ...but God, being rich in generosity, for his great allegiance with which he gave allegiance to us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with the Anointed, (by favor you (pl) have been rescued) and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the celestial [places], in the Anointed Jesus: that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his favor in kindness toward us in the Anointed Jesus:...

English Standard Version      . immeasurable

Far Above All Translation       ...but God, being rich in mercy, on account of his great love with which he loved us, made us, being dead to transgressions, alive together with Christ – you have been saved by grace – and raised us together and seated us together in the upper-heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come he might exhibit the exceeding richness of his grace in kindness to us in Christ Jesus,... Vv. 1–10 is a single sentence in the FAAT.

Green’s Literal Translation    But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even we being dead in deviations, He made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are being saved), and raised us up together and seated us together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus, that He might demonstrate in the ages coming on, the exceeding great riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

James Allen translation          .

Legacy Standard Bible           .

Literal New Testament           .

Literal Standard Version        .

Modern English Version         .

Modern Literal Version 2020  But God, being rich in mercy, because of his much love* with which he loved* us, even us being dead in our trespasses, he made* us alive together-with the Christ; you° are saved in his grace. And God raised us up together-with him and seated us together-with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus; in-order-that in the coming ages, he might show the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness upon us in Christ Jesus.

New American Standard        .

New European Version          .

New King James Version       .

New Matthew Bible                .

NT (Variant Readings)           .

Niobi Study Bible                   .

R. B. Thieme, Jr. translation  But the God Who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loves us.

Although we were dead in our transgressions, He made us alive together in association with the Christ, (by means of grace you have been completely and permanently saved); and has both raised us up together, and has seated us together with Him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus; that in the approaching ages [phase 3] He might demonstrate His surpassing grace riches in generosity toward us in Christ Jesus.

R. B. Thieme, Jr. trans2         But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with him, and made us sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that, in the approaching Ages of the eternal future, he, God, might demonstrate his surpassing grace riches in generosity for us who are in Christ Jesus. It appears that only v. 7 was Thiemerized.

Revised Geneva Translation  .

Ron Snider translation           But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even though we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Updated Bible Version 2.17   .

A Voice in the Wilderness      .

Webster’s Translation           .

World English Bible                .

Worrell New Testament         .

The gist of this passage: 

4-7

Translation: Now, the God keeps on being rich in mercy [to us]...

God is rich toward us when it comes to His eleos (ἔ́λεος) [prnounced EHL-eh-oss], which refers to His grace, mercy, kindness, compassion; clemency. Strong’s #1656. Bear in mind that, whenever these words refer to an emotion, then this is not God, but a word used that we can relate to, in order for us to understand God.

When we think about the word mercy, there is a scene where John Turrurro begs for his life in Miller’s Crossing (a movie I have not seen, but I am aware of this scene). Mercy from God is not the same. We do not make ourselves as pitiful as possible and God, feeling enough compassion toward us, says, “Ah, okay, let the guy go!” Even though we have a word which can mean compassion, this is an anthropopathism, when an attribute of man is given to God that we might better understand God’s reasons for doing things.

God is able to be rich in mercy toward us because of the sacrifice of His Son. God cannot be compassionate toward us out of some divine emotion, because God is not emotional. God does not feel one thing one minute (I oughtta crush that person like an ant) to feeling compassion the next (okay, okay, you’re off the hook). What has been satisfied is God’s righteousness and God’s justice. Because of this, God is able to be merciful to us. This mercy cannot be the result of great emotion, because that would violate God’s integrity.

Translation: ...through His great agapê with which He loved us.

God has a great agapê love with which He loves us. The verb is in the aorist tense, so it refers back to the moment of salvation. We heard the gospel message and we believed. As a result, God loved us. Furthermore, His love for us is great, because of what His Son did for us on the cross.

This is a non-motional love; this is a love based upon justice and principle.

Ephesians 2:4 Now, the God keeps on being rich in mercy [to us] through His great agapê with which He loved us. (Kukis mostly literal translation)