Ephesians 6:7

Good News Translation

Do your work as slaves cheerfully, as though you served the Lord, and not merely human beings.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Serve with a good attitude, as to the Lord and not to people,

King James Version (1611)
With good will doing seruice, as to the Lord, and not to men,

King James Version
With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

English Standard Version
rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,

New American Standard Bible
With goodwill render service, as to the Lord, and not to people,

New Century Version
Do your work with enthusiasm. Work as if you were serving the Lord, not as if you were serving only men and women.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men,

Legacy Standard Bible
serving with good will as to the Lord, and not to men,

Berean Standard Bible
Serve with good will, as to the Lord and not to men,

Contemporary English Version
Gladly serve your masters, as though they were the Lord himself, and not simply people.

Complete Jewish Bible
Work willingly as slaves, as people do who are serving not merely human beings but the Lord.

Darby Translation
serving with good will as to the Lord, and not to men;

Easy-to-Read Version
Do your work, and be happy to do it. Work as though it is the Lord you are serving, not just an earthly master.

Geneva Bible (1587)
With good will, seruing the Lord, and not men.

George Lamsa Translation
And serve well with your whole soul, with love, as to our LORD, and not to men:

Lexham English Bible
serving with goodwill as to the Lord and not to people,

Literal Translation
serving as slaves with good will to the Lord, and not as to men,

Amplified Bible
rendering service with goodwill, as to the Lord, and not [only] to men,

American Standard Version
with good will doing service, as unto the Lord, and not unto men:

Bible in Basic English
Doing your work readily, as to the Lord, and not to men:

Hebrew Names Version
with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men;

International Standard Version
Serve willingly, as if you were serving the Lord and not merely people.as to the Lord and not people">[fn]

Etheridge Translation
And serve them from all your soul, in love, as unto our Lord, and not as unto men;

Murdock Translation
And serve them with your whole heart, in love, as if serving our Lord and not men;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Doyng the wyll of God fro the heart, with good wyll seruyng the Lorde, and not men:

English Revised Version
with good will doing service, as unto the Lord, and not unto men:

World English Bible
with good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men;

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
With good will doing service as unto the Lord, and not to men:

Weymouth's New Testament
With right good will, be faithful to your duty as service rendered to the Lord and not to man.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
with good wille seruynge as to the Lord, and not as to men;

Update Bible Version
with good will serving as slaves, as to the Lord, and not to men:

Webster's Bible Translation
With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

New English Translation
Obey with enthusiasm, as though serving the Lord and not people,

New King James Version
with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men,

New Living Translation
Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.

New Life Bible
Be happy as you work. Do your work as for the Lord, not for men.

New Revised Standard
Render service with enthusiasm, as to the Lord and not to men and women,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
with good will, rendering service - as unto the Lord, and not unto men;

Douay-Rheims Bible
With a good will serving, as to the Lord, and not to men.

Revised Standard Version
rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to men,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
with good will servinge ye Lorde and not men.

Young's Literal Translation
with good-will serving, as to the Lord, and not to men,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
with good wyll. Thynke that ye serue the LORDE and not me:

Mace New Testament (1729)
serve them with affection, as if it was to the Lord,

Simplified Cowboy Version
Work hard, just as if it were Jesus standing there telling you what to do.

Contextual Overview

¹ Children, it is your Christian duty to obey your parents, for this is the right thing to do. ² "Respect your father and mother" is the first commandment that has a promise added: ³ "so that all may go well with you, and you may live a long time in the land." ⁴ Parents, do not treat your children in such a way as to make them angry. Instead, raise them with Christian discipline and instruction. ⁵ Slaves, obey your human masters with fear and trembling; and do it with a sincere heart, as though you were serving Christ. ⁶ Do this not only when they are watching you, because you want to gain their approval; but with all your heart do what God wants, as slaves of Christ. ⁷ Do your work as slaves cheerfully, as though you served the Lord, and not merely human beings. ⁸ Remember that the Lord will reward each of us, whether slave or free, for the good work we do. ⁹ Masters, behave in the same way toward your slaves and stop using threats. Remember that you and your slaves belong to the same Master in heaven, who judges everyone by the same standard.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

good: Genesis 31:6, Genesis 31:38-40, 2 Kings 5:2, 2 Kings 5:3, 2 Kings 5:13

as: Ephesians 6:5, Ephesians 6:6, 1 Corinthians 10:31

Reciprocal: Acts 20:19 - Serving Colossians 3:23 - as 1 Peter 2:15 - so

Cross-References

Genesis 6:1
When people had spread all over the world, and daughters were being born,

Genesis 6:2
some of the heavenly beings saw that these young women were beautiful, so they took the ones they liked.

Genesis 6:3
Then the Lord said, "I will not allow people to live forever; they are mortal. From now on they will live no longer than 120 years."

Genesis 6:4
In those days, and even later, there were giants on the earth who were descendants of human women and the heavenly beings. They were the great heroes and famous men of long ago.

Genesis 6:22
Noah did everything that God commanded.

Psalms 37:20
But the wicked will die; the enemies of the Lord will vanish like wild flowers; they will disappear like smoke.

Proverbs 10:27
Obey the Lord , and you will live longer. The wicked die before their time.

Proverbs 16:4
Everything the Lord has made has its destiny; and the destiny of the wicked is destruction.

Hosea 4:3
And so the land will dry up, and everything that lives on it will die. All the animals and birds, and even the fish, will die."

Zephaniah 1:3
all human beings and animals, birds and fish. I will bring about the downfall of the wicked. I will destroy everyone, and no survivors will be left. I, the Lord , have spoken.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

With good will doing service,.... To their masters; not grudgingly, with an ill will; no otherwise, nor longer than when they are forced to it; but of a ready mind, and with a cheerful spirit, taking delight in their work, and reckoning it a pleasure to serve their masters; as an Israelite that is not sold, who does his work ברצונו, "with his good will", and according to his own mind b; doing what they do

as to the Lord, and not to men; not merely because it is the will of men, and they are commanded by them, and in order to please them, but because it is the will of the Lord, and is wellpleasing in his sight.

b Maimon. Hilchot Abadim, c. 1. sect. 7.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

As to the Lord, and not to men - That is, he should regard his lot in life as having been ordered by Divine Providence for some wise and good purpose; and until he may be permitted to enjoy his liberty in a quiet and peaceable manner (notes, 1 Corinthians 7:21), he should perform his duties with fidelity, and feel that he was rendering acceptable service to God. This would reconcile him to much of the hardships of his lot. The feeling that “God” has ordered the circumstances of our lives, and that he has some wise and good ends to answer by it, makes us contented there; though we may feel that our fellowman may be doing us injustice. It was this principle that made the martyrs so patient under the wrongs done them by people; and this may make even a slave patient and submissive under the wrongs of a master. But let not a master think, because a pious slave shows this spirit, that, therefore, the slave feels that the master is right in withholding his freedom; nor let him suppose, because religion requires the slave to be submissive and obedient, that, therefore, it approves of what the master does. It does this no more than it sanctioned the conduct of Nero and Mary, because religion required the martyrs to be unresisting, and to allow themselves to be led to the stake. A conscientious slave may find happiness in submitting to God, and doing his will, just as a conscientious martyr may. But this does not sanction the wrong, either of the slave-owner or of the persecutor.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 7. With good will — μετ ευνοιας. With cheerfulness; do not take up your service as a cross, or bear it as a burden; but take it as coming in the order of God's providence, and a thing that is pleasing to him.