I have found that most children’t Bibles only contain stories. They typically gloss over the richness found in the Epistles. So I wanted to create a version that I could read to my two children. The NLT is a great version, but still may not be easy enough for children or early readers to understand.
Please note: this is NOT a new translation. It is not the inspired Word of God. It is a paraphrase and an attempt at simplifying Biblical concepts for those who are new to them.

EPHESIANS CHAPTER 1
From Paul, an apostle of Jesus by God’s design. (plan, determination, desire, resolve)
I write to the saints and the faithful ones in Ephesus. May you be given even more grace and peace from God the Father and Jesus our Lord.
Praise God! He is rich with blessing. And He has given us every spiritual blessing we need.
Before He even created the earth, He chose us to be holy* for Him. (*pure, set apart)
He determined to adopt us as His children.
He paid our ransom with His own blood.
He has forgiven our sins.
He has revealed His mysteries to us.
He is rich in grace and He is generous. He spent these riches on us.
In all these things, He had a goal and a plan, and then He worked (v11).
He was moved by kindness. And He was happy to do these things for us. So we praise Him for His *glorious* grace which was shown to us in Jesus. Now we live to proclaim God’s greatness!
And one day, Jesus will be the ruler over everything in heaven and earth. When that happens, we will also receive an inheritance.
–
When you believed the truth (the gospel), God gave you His Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the first payment of all the blessings that God will give us in heaven. He is like a seal on a letter – it keeps the letter secure, and it shows who the letter belongs to.
All these things that God has done – they should move us to praise Him for His greatness.
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Ephesians, I have heard about your faith in Jesus. I have heard about your love for your Christian brothers and sisters. I constantly give thanks to God for you. And I also pray these things:
*You are growing in what you know of God. I pray that He would would give you more understanding. I pray He would show you how to use that knowledge in your life (wisdom).
*Just like you can see everything on a bright day, I pray that God would shine a bright light so that your heart can see:
*The good that that comes from following Jesus** (examine meaning)
*The great inheritance you will receive in heaven.
*The power that is available to believers. It is from God and greater than any other power. It is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and brought Him into heaven.
Jesus is above every king and authority, and every spiritual power for all time. God also made Him the Head over the Church (it is a gift to us). We are His body, joined to Him. And as the Head, He gives us all that we need.

EPHESIANS CHAPTER 2
You were dead in your spirit because of sin. You walked in the same path as the world. And the world is moved and ruled by Satan. He works to stir up rebellion against God.
All of us were rebellious. We all lived to please ourselves in our minds and our bodies. And the result would have been God’s wrath.
But God is rich in mercy. He was moved by His love for us. He sent Jesus to die for us because we were dead in our spirit. Christ was raised to life again and He made us alive with Him. Our life continues with Jesus Who now sits in heaven. And when we are in heaven, God will show us how great His kindness was to us. We will continue to wonder at His grace.
By His grace we are saved. It is the work of God. It is the gift of God. It is not by what we do. We simply believe in faith. No one can ever brag about being saved because of how good they were. But after we are saved, we are finely (skillfully) crafted by God – created to do good works.
– – –
Ephesians, remember that you were considered Gentiles. You were left out of the promises to Israel (they were God’s chosen people). You did not know God’s commandments. You did not follow the customs of the Law. You were far away and you had no hope for salvation. But Jesus bled and died on the cross for you. Now you have been brought near.
The Law made Jews and Gentiles different. It created a wall that separated us. But Jesus broke down that wall. And He has made peace. He IS our peace! He made both groups into one body. We are both made right with God because of the cross.
We all received the same gospel message from Jesus.
We all received the same Holy Spirit.
We all have the same access to God. We can all go boldly to Him! (3:12)
You Gentiles are no longer considered outsiders or non-citizens (people who do not belong to a country).
Instead, you are now citizens of God’s country. You are members of God’s family!
–
And you are stones of the building He is making. Jesus is the most important piece – the cornerstone. He is the stone that every other brick is based on. The apostles and the prophets are the rest of the foundation. And all who believe in Jesus are bricks joined together. Together we are a holy temple. We are the house where God dwells.

EPHESIANS CHAPTER 3
You know that I was called to share the message of Christ with the Gentiles. Now I am a prisoner of Rome. But I am in chains for Jesus.
God hid His plan from the generations before us. It was a mystery. But His Holy Spirit revealed it to prophets and apostles. And He also shared this mystery with me.
*The Gentiles receive the same inheritance from God,
*They are part of the same body
*They receive the same promises
Jesus gives so many spiritual riches. We cannot possibly measure them! This is the good news that I share. And I am committed to this mission to the Gentiles. God gave me grace and power to do it. I am the lowest of all the saints. Yet God chose me to shine a light on His mystery.
This plan has always existed. Now it is accomplished by Jesus. Jews and Gentiles are made into one body – the Church! And when heavenly beings see this, they will marvel at God’s wisdom.
I am in prison now because of this message to the Gentiles. But don’t be sad or discouraged.
I bow in prayer to God, the Father of our family. He gives generously like a king.
So I ask Him to give you strength in your spirit (that you will not give up because of trials).
I ask Him to make your hearts a strong house for Jesus to settle into.
Love has grown deep roots in your life. I ask God that you would know even more how wide, how long, how deep and how tall the love of Jesus is for you all. It is so great that it can never be fully understood.
Everything about God, everything you learn about Him – i pray that it permeates (fills up every corner of) your life. And I pray it affects everything you do.
God did all these things for us. He can do far more than we think. And He can give far more than we ask.
Praise Him for who He is.
Talk about the excellent things He does.
Raise Him up on your shoulders.
Shine a light on Him so others can see.
God deserves all the glory forever and ever!

EPHESIANS CHAPTER 4
See all these things the Lord has done for us? He has called you into this amazing new life. So I urge* you to make your life match this great calling. Be humble and think of others as more important. Be meek. You do not need to defend yourself, but instead defend others. Be patient over and over again. Put up with people even when they are difficult. Do this in love.
Together you are one. You have the same Holy Spirit in you. Work hard to take care of this unity. Do this with peace and not force.
There is one Church (the Body), one Holy Spirit, one future hope,
one Leader (Jesus), one commitment to Him,
one baptism (a public display of that commitment),
and one God. He is Father. He has control of everything. He is everywhere. And He is always working.
We all share these same things! There are not different ones for different believers.
But then, each one of us is also given a unique gift from Jesus. He is like a conquering King that returns to the city as a hero. And as He celebrates, He gives gifts to His people.
Jesus did the same. He went down to earth, down into death. He rose up from the grave and ascended to Heaven. And when He left, He filled us with His Holy Spirit and gave us special abilities.
He made some as apostles – the first leaders of the Church.
He gave some as prophets – they deliver a special message from God.
Some are gifted as evangelists – telling the gospel to those who are not yet Christians.
Some are gifted as pastors. They are shepherds of people, and have the ability to take care of the people in the church.
And He gave some as teachers of God’s Word.
God uses all these people to help Christians become workers – servants for the Lord. These servants can then build up others in the Church. The goal is:
*for each person to be mature and to be like Jesus, and
*for all to be united in knowing Him and in following Him.
This is the way that the Church grows and becomes strong.
So now, be grown up (mature) in your faith. Don’t let other teachings move you around like ocean waves do. Live out the truth in your life. And do this with love.
We are the Body of Christ. He is the Head and we are the parts all working together. When your body gets exercise, it grows in strength. The same is true in our spiritual lives. When we do what Jesus meant for us to do, He grows us in love.
You have this new life in the Body of Christ. So do not live or think like a Gentile anymore. They do not know the truth. Their spiritual eyes are in the dark. They are separated from God. With hard hearts, they
let their body have any immoral thing it wants. And they do not try to hide their sin.
But you learned a different way. You learned that the truth is in Jesus. You learned that there is an old way and a new way of life. The old life will only lead to worse and worse things. So throw it off like dirty clothes. Instead, put on the new life that God created. It is righteous and holy. Let Him give you new thinking and new actions. Do not sadden the Holy Spirit by neglecting God’s way.
Put off lying. Instead, speak the truth to one another. Remember you are all parts in the same body!
Put off stealing. Instead, use your hands to do honest work. Then share with others who are in need.
Put rotten and useless words away from you. Instead, use your words to help others, to build them up and give them strength.
When you feel angry, do not let it move you to sin. This is what the devil uses to ruin relationships. So put off anger. Don’t hold on to it even for a day!
Put away anger that thinks over and over about other people’s wrongs. Put away the anger that attacks. Put away arguing, insults, and words that will damage someone’s reputation.
Instead be kind and compassionate. Forgive others just like God forgave you.

EPHESIANS CHAPTER 5
Just like children copy what their parents do, imitate God’s character. Jesus loved us and gave up His life for us. So love others in the same way.
Be controlled with your life. Have nothing to do with immorality (in your body and heart), or with wasteful living, or with greed. This is important: if you hold on to these sins, you will not see God’s kingdom.
Be controlled also with your mouth. Do not be obscene, or make crude jokes, or even say empty and useless things. Instead, be thankful in what you say.
Don’t be tricked – sin is serious! God’s anger is against those who choose disobedience. So be separate. Don’t have relationships where you can be influenced by those who love (choose) sin. And don’t participate or even talk about their sinful deeds.
Remember that you once did these things. You were part of the darkness. But now you are light because of Jesus. So live like children of the light. As you do, you will grow:
*to know truth more
*in righteousness. You will be more like God in your character.
*in goodness. You will be kind, generous, doing what is best for others.
Examine everything to see if it pleases the Lord. When you look at things in God’s light, you will see them as they truly are. If it is an act of the darkness, expose it so others are not caught by it.
Be wise in your spiritual walk. Keep an eye on every step you take. Don’t waste your time. Instead take every opportunity to live for Jesus and to do good. In every situation, find out what God wants.
Don’t fill your life with things like getting drunk. It is a waste and will lead to ruin. Instead, fill your life with the things of God. Keep going to the Holy Spirit for His leading. He will fill you with God’s character. People will see that He is working in your life. He will give you power to do these things:
*Make your words and your music to praise God and encourage one another. Do this when you’re together and also in your own hearts.
*Be thankful to God for all things (even in the hard times!).
*Submit to each other. Put yourself in a lower rank (instead of thinking you are better than others). Then you can work as a team towards the same goals.
*Marriage is to be like Jesus and the Church. So wives, submit to your husbands to honor the Lord. And husbands, be a leader like Jesus. Love your wife like Jesus loves the Church. He provides for her and protects her. He loves her so deeply that He died for Her! You and your wife are one body together. So care for your wife like you care for your own body.

EPHESIANS CHAPTER 6
Children, obey your parents. Honor them (treat them like you would treat something valuable). This is God’s way; do this for Him. He promises that things will go well for you. And you will live longer when you follow their instruction.
Fathers, do not be harsh or unloving in the way you raise your children. This only produces anger in them. Instead, feed them with God’s teaching. Gently discipline them in the Lord’s way.
If you are a worker or slave – obey the people you work for. Work with respect for them. Don’t only work when they are watching, or to make yourself look good. Instead, do your work from your heart and for the Lord. Work as if you were working for God. He will reward you for doing this.
Employers and masters, you have the same Master in heaven as your workers. He does not prefer one person over the other. So treat your workers right and do not threaten them.
Finally, be strong with God’s power. We are in a spiritual battle. Our fight is not against people, but against the Devil’s spiritual rulers and armies. But God has armor for you. Put it on right away so that you can stand strong when Satan tries to defeat you.
*Know God’s truth. It is your belt that holds everything together. It will help you go into battle.
*Put on God’s righteousness. It is like the breastplate that protects your heart.
*Remember the Gospel, that you now have peace with God. This is your set of shoes that help you to stand strong in battle.
*Be convinced that God’s Word and His promises are always true. This faith is your shield. It will protect you when the Devil shoots his arrows of fear, doubt, and temptation.
*God’s Word has specific things to say about everyday situations in your life. Use it as your sword in battle.
And while you are in this battle, pray at every moment you can. Pray with the Holy Spirit’s help. Pray for the things God wants. Always be watching to see what you can pray for others.
Pray for me also. I am in chains, but I am still God’s ambassador. Pray for God to give me the words to say so I can preach the Gospel with courage.
Tychicus is a dear brother to me, and he serves the Lord faithfully. I sent him to encourage you. He will tell you all that is happening with me.
May God bring you closer together (this is peace). May He grow your love that comes from faith. May his favor and support be with those who never stop loving Him.