EPH 6:6 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=minor/spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul,

UST Obey them not only when they are watching you, as people do who only care about appearing to work hard. Instead, work as though you were slaves of the Messiah, doing enthusiastically what God wants you to do.

BLB not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

AICNT not with eye-service as people-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul,

OEB not only when their eyes are on you, as if you had merely to please people, but as slaves of Christ, who are trying to carry out the will of God.

WEBBE not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,

WMBB not in the way of service only when eyes are on you, as men pleasers, but as servants of Messiah, doing the will of God from the heart,

NET not like those who do their work only when someone is watching – as people-pleasers – but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart.

LSV not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but as servants of the Christ, doing the will of God out of [your] soul,

FBV Don't just work well when you're being watched to gain approval, but work like servants of Christ, honestly doing God's will,

TCNT Do not try to please them only when they are watching you, but act like slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

T4T Obey them, not only when they are watching [MTY] you, and not only to cause them to think highly/well of you. Instead, obey them as though you were [MET] slaves of Christ, not slaves of your masters. Do enthusiastically what God wants you to do.

LEB not _⌊while being watched_⌋[fn], as people pleasers, but as slaves of Christ doing the will of God from the heart,

6:6 Literally “with eye service”

BBE Not only under your master's eye, as pleasers of men; but as servants of Christ, doing the pleasure of God from the heart;

Moff instead of merely working when their eye is on you, like those who court human favour, do God's will from the heart like servants of Christ,

Wymth Let it not be in acts of eye-service as if you had but to please men, but as Christ's bondservants who are doing God's will from the heart.

ASV not in the way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

DRA Not serving to the eye, as it were pleasing men, but, as the servants of Christ doing the will of God from the heart,

YLT not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but as servants of the Christ, doing the will of God out of soul,

Drby not with eye-service as men-pleasers; but as bondmen of Christ, doing the will of [fn]God from [the] soul,

6.6 Elohim

RV not in the way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

SLT Not with eye-service, as menpleasers; but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the soul:

Wbstr Not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

KJB-1769 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

KJB-1611 Not with eye seruice as men pleasers, but as the seruants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart:
(Not with eye service as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart:)

Bshps Not with seruice vnto the eye, as men pleasers: but as the seruautes of Christ.
(Not with service unto the eye, as men pleasers: but as the servants of Christ.)

Gnva Not with seruice to the eye, as men pleasers, but as the seruants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart,
(Not with service to the eye, as men pleasers, but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, )

Cvdl not with seruyce onely in the eye sighte, as men pleasers: but as the seruauntes off Christ, doynge the wyll off God from the hert
(not with service only in the eyesighte, as men pleasers: but as the servants off Christ, doing the will off God from the heart)

TNT not with service in the eye sight as men pleasars: but as the servautes of Christ doynge the will of God from the herte
(not with service in the eyesight as men pleasars: but as the servantes of Christ doing the will of God from the heart )

Wycl not seruynge at the iye, as plesinge to men, but as seruauntis of Crist; doynge the wille of God bi discrecioun,
(not serving at the eye, as plesinge to men, but as servants of Christ; doing the will of God by discrecioun,)

Luth nicht mit Dienst allein vor Augen, als den Menschen zu gefallen, sondern als die Knechte Christi, daß ihr solchen Willen Gottes tut von Herzen, mit gutem Willen.
(not with service(n) alone before/in_front_of eyes, as the people to/for fallen, rather as the servant(s) Christi, that you(pl)/their/her such Will God’s does from heart(s), with good Will.)

ClVg non ad oculum servientes, quasi hominibus placentes, sed ut servi Christi, facientes voluntatem Dei ex animo,
(not/no to eye servants, as_if to_humans pleasees, but as slaves Christi, they_will_does will of_God from in_mind, )

UGNT μὴ κατ’ ὀφθαλμοδουλείαν ὡς ἀνθρωπάρεσκοι, ἀλλ’ ὡς δοῦλοι Χριστοῦ, ποιοῦντες τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκ ψυχῆς,
(maʸ kat’ ofthalmodouleian hōs anthrōpareskoi, all’ hōs douloi Ⱪristou, poiountes to thelaʸma tou Theou ek psuⱪaʸs,)

SBL-GNT μὴ κατʼ ὀφθαλμοδουλίαν ὡς ἀνθρωπάρεσκοι ἀλλʼ ὡς ⸀δοῦλοι Χριστοῦ ποιοῦντες τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐκ ψυχῆς
(maʸ katʼ ofthalmodoulian hōs anthrōpareskoi allʼ hōs ⸀douloi Ⱪristou poiountes to thelaʸma tou theou, ek psuⱪaʸs)

RP-GNT μὴ κατ' ὀφθαλμοδουλείαν ὡς ἀνθρωπάρεσκοι, ἀλλ' ὡς δοῦλοι τοῦ χριστοῦ, ποιοῦντες τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκ ψυχῆς,
(maʸ kat' ofthalmodouleian hōs anthrōpareskoi, all' hōs douloi tou ⱪristou, poiountes to thelaʸma tou theou ek psuⱪaʸs,)

TC-GNT μὴ κατ᾽ [fn]ὀφθαλμοδουλείαν ὡς ἀνθρωπάρεσκοι, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς δοῦλοι [fn]τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ποιοῦντες τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκ ψυχῆς,
(maʸ kat ofthalmodouleian hōs anthrōpareskoi, all hōs douloi tou Ⱪristou, poiountes to thelaʸma tou Theou ek psuⱪaʸs, )

6:6 οφθαλμοδουλειαν ¦ οφθαλμοδουλιαν ANT NA PCK SBL WH

6:6 του ¦ — CT

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 6:5–9: Paul gave advice to slaves and their masters

The third relationship that Paul talked about is that of slaves and masters. The slave must remember that when he serves his master, he is serving Christ, and he will receive his reward from Christ. The master must remember that the slave’s master in heaven is his own master too.

Here are some other examples for a heading for this section:

Paul’s advice to slaves and masters (GW)

Slaves/Servants should obey their masters

6:6a

And do this not only to please them while they are watching,

Obey them not only when they are watching you^(plur) so that they will praise you,
You^(plur) should obey your masters not only when they are watching you or just to gain their approval.

And do this not only to please them: Here are some other ways to translate the phrase to please them:

to please your masters

to gain the approval of your masters

so that your owners will praise you

while they are watching: The clause while they are watching means “when your master is watching you.”

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Try to please them all the time (NLT)

Don't obey them only while you're being watched (GW)

Do what your masters say even when they are not around.

6:6b

but as servants of Christ,

but obey them like slaves of Christ,
Instead be/act like slaves/servants of Christ

but as servants of Christ: This is a comparison. Paul is comparing slaves of men to slaves of Christ. The point of comparison between a slave of another person and a slave of Christ is that both should obey their masters. So the meaning is: “Obey your earthly masters as servants of Christ obey their heavenly master.”

Here is one way to translate this phrase:

But obey like slaves who belong to Christ… (GW)

6:6c

doing the will of God from your heart.

doing^(plur) what God wants you to do with all your heart.
who do what God wants them to do with enthusiasm.

doing the will of God: Another way to say doing the will of God is “doing what God wants.”

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

following the will of God

do God’s wishes (Yakan Back Translation)

do what God says to do

from your heart: The phrase from your heart means “wholeheartedly” or “with enthusiasm.” An English idiom is:

with all your heart (GNT)

If there is an idiom in your language with this meaning you can use it.

It has a similar meaning as the phrase “sincerity of heart,” found in 6:5b.

your: Depending on how you translate this verse, you may have to use different pronouns. For example:

They do what God wants them to do with all their heart.

See the second meaning line in the Display for another example.

Parallel EPH 6:6

Section 6:5–9: Paul gave advice to slaves and their masters

6:6a

6:6b

6:6c