Open English Translation EPH Chapter 2

2 [ref]You all were dead due to your disobedience and the path of sinning 2 that you once walked along when you followed the trends of this world which in turn come from the ruler of the invisible powers—he’s the spirit that works in the children of disobedience. 3 In the past, we also lived like them inside our fleshly lusts and then living out those desires and fantasies, and so we were children deserving strong anger just like everyone else.

4 But God was generous with his mercy because of the great love that he loved us with, 5 so although we were dead as a result of our disobedience, he make us alive along with the messiah. Yes, we have been saved by God’s grace. 6 And God lifted us up and sat us together with Yeshua the messiah in the heavenly domains 7 so that for the ages to come, he could display the overflowing riches of his grace through his kindness to us via Yeshua the messiah. 8 It’s God’s grace that allows you all to be saved through faith. This grace doesn’t come from you, but rather it’s a gift from God—9 it doesn’t originate from your actions so no one can brag about it. 10 We are God’s workmanship and he’s created us to do good things by following Yeshua the messiah. God has already planned these things for us to do.

11 Because of that, don’t forget that you all were once fleshly unbelievers (nicknamed ‘the uncircumcised ones’ by circumcised Jews who mark the bodies of their males with human hands). 12 At that time you were separated from the citizens of Israel and were strangers to the agreements involving God’s promise. You didn’t have any future hope as you lived in the world without knowing God.

13 But now thanks to Yeshua the messiah, you all who were once far from God have become close by means of the messiah’s blood. 14 He is the source of peace between Jews and non-Jews, having broken the dividing wall that fenced them apart and making the two into one. He took the hostility onto himself, 15 [ref]having declared the old commandments to be now void so that Jews and non-Jews can now be peaceably united. 16 [ref]By his death on the pole, any hostility is destroyed and both groups now become just one body in God’s sight. 17 [ref]When the messiah came, he announced the good message: peace to you all who were far from God, and peace also to the ones who were near, 18 so now both groups have access to the father by means of one spirit through the work of the messiah.

19 As a result, you all are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens of the believers and part of God’s household 20 which has been founded on the teaching of the missionaries and prophets. The cornerstone of this building is Yeshua the messiah. 21 He joins the entire building together, growing us all into a dedicated temple for the master. 22 You all are being built together by following him, becoming a place for God’s spirit to live in.