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Simplified Cowboy Version

Ephesians 3:1

It's because of this that I, Paul, who is a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of the outsiders, pray to God.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Gentiles;   Minister, Christian;   Salvation;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bonds, Paul's;   Imprisonment;   Paul's;   Suffering for Righteousness' S;   The Topic Concordance - Disciples/apostles;   Gentiles/heathen;   Holy Spirit;   Knowledge;   Mystery;   Partaking;   Resurrection;   Witness;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Mystery;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Calvinists;   Faith;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Ephesians, the Epistle to the;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Church;   Ephesians, Book of;   God;   Jesus Christ;   Mission(s);   Prison, Prisoners;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Paul the Apostle;   Philemon, Epistle to;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Colossians, Epistle to the;   Ephesians Epistle to the;   Galatia ;   Gentiles;   Intercession;   Prisoner;   Unconscious Faith;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Ephesians, Epistle to the;   Laodiceans, Epistle to the;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for May 23;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—
King James Version (1611)
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Iesus Christ for you Gentiles,
King James Version
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
English Standard Version
For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—
New American Standard Bible
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
New Century Version
So I, Paul, am a prisoner of Christ Jesus for you who are not Jews.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
Legacy Standard Bible
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—
Berean Standard Bible
For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles...
Contemporary English Version
Christ Jesus made me his prisoner, so that I could help you Gentiles.
Complete Jewish Bible
It is a consequence of this that I, Sha'ul, am a prisoner of the Messiah Yeshua on behalf of you Gentiles.
Darby Translation
For this reason *I* Paul, prisoner of the Christ Jesus for you nations,
Easy-to-Read Version
So I, Paul, am a prisoner because I serve Christ Jesus for you who are not Jews.
Geneva Bible (1587)
For this cause, I Paul am the prisoner of Iesus Christ for you Gentiles,
George Lamsa Translation
FOR this cause I, Paul, am a prisoner of Jesus Christ for the sake of you Gentiles.
Good News Translation
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles, pray to God.
Lexham English Bible
On account of this I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles
Literal Translation
Because of this, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you, the nations,
Amplified Bible
For this reason [because I preach that you and believing Jews are joint heirs] I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—
American Standard Version
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of you Gentiles,—
Bible in Basic English
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles,
Hebrew Names Version
For this cause I, Sha'ul, am the prisoner of Messiah Yeshua on behalf of you Goyim,
International Standard Version
For this reason I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles.Acts 21:33; Galatians 5:11; Ephesians 4:1; 6:20; Philippians 1:7,13-14,16; Colossians 1:24; 2 Timothy 1:8; 2:9-10;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
On account of this I, Paulos, am bound for Jeshu Meshiha for the sake of you Gentiles:
Murdock Translation
On this account, I Paul am a prisoner of Jesus the Messiah, for the sake of you Gentiles:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For this cause I Paul [am] a prisoner of Iesus Christe, for you heathen:
English Revised Version
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of you Gentiles,—
World English Bible
For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles,
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For this cause I Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, (Seeing ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God,
Weymouth's New Testament
For this reason I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles--
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For the grace of this thing I Poul, the boundun of Crist Jhesu, for you hethene men,
Update Bible Version
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles-
Webster's Bible Translation
For this cause, I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles,
New English Translation
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
New King James Version
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles--
New Living Translation
When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . .
New Life Bible
I, Paul, am in prison because I am a missionary for Jesus Christ to you who are not Jews.
New Revised Standard
This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For this cause, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of you the nations: -
Douay-Rheims Bible
For this cause, I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, for you Gentiles:
Revised Standard Version
For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles--
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
For this cause I Paul a in ye bodes of Iesus christ for youre sakes which are hethen:
Young's Literal Translation
For this cause, I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you the nations,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For this cause I Paul am a presoner of Iesus Christ for you Heythen,
Mace New Testament (1729)
This it is that makes me Paul a prisoner for Jesus Christ upon your account, O Gentiles;
THE MESSAGE
This is why I, Paul, am in jail for Christ, having taken up the cause of you outsiders, so-called. I take it that you're familiar with the part I was given in God's plan for including everybody. I got the inside story on this from God himself, as I just wrote you in brief.

Contextual Overview

1It's because of this that I, Paul, who is a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of the outsiders, pray to God. 2Surely, you've heard that God picked me to saddle up and ride out to bring his grace to y'all. 3As I've written before, God yanked me out of the saddle and showed me his crazy plan. 4If you'll go back and read what I said, you'll understand God's crazy plan and how it hinged on Christ. 5The plan was always in place, but it wasn't until now that he has unveiled it to his holy cowboys and prophets. 6This is his crazy plan, both the Jews and the outsiders who believe the good news will be God's children and share in a rich inheritance. Both are part of the same crew and will receive the same blessing because they ride for Christ Jesus. 7It's by God's grace and power that I get to go out and gather his crew by spreading this good news. 8Although I am the least qualified cowboy of all, God gave me the privilege of telling the outsiders about the great treasures they could have in Christ. 9I am the cowboy he chose to tell everyone about his crazy plan. He'd kept this crazy plan secret since he sunk the first H-brace in this dirt we call home. 10God's plan was to use his crew of cowboys to reveal all his wisdom. Everybody is watching and listening . . . even the angels in heaven.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I: 2 Corinthians 10:1, Galatians 5:2

the: Ephesians 4:1, Ephesians 6:20, Luke 21:12, Acts 21:33, Acts 26:29, Acts 28:17-20, 2 Corinthians 11:23, Philippians 1:7, Philippians 1:13-16, Colossians 1:24, Colossians 4:3, Colossians 4:18, 2 Timothy 1:8, 2 Timothy 1:16, 2 Timothy 2:9, Philemon 1:1, Philemon 1:9, Revelation 2:10

for: Galatians 5:11, Colossians 1:24, 1 Thessalonians 2:15, 1 Thessalonians 2:16, 2 Timothy 2:10

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 22:27 - Put this fellow Psalms 69:33 - his prisoners Jeremiah 36:5 - General Matthew 5:48 - even Acts 16:23 - they cast Acts 21:11 - So shall Acts 23:18 - Paul Acts 28:20 - this chain Romans 15:8 - truth Romans 15:16 - I should 2 Corinthians 6:5 - imprisonments Galatians 1:16 - that Ephesians 3:13 - at 2 Timothy 1:12 - the which Philemon 1:13 - the bonds Hebrews 10:34 - in my Hebrews 11:36 - bonds

Cross-References

Matthew 4:3
That old devil rode up and said, "If you're God's Boy, you can easily turn these rocks into bread. What're you waitin' on?"
Matthew 4:6
"If you're God's Boy," the devil said, "bail off of here. 'Cause it's written that, 'God's angels are gonna look out for you. They won't let a scratch of harm come to you.'"
Matthew 4:9
"I'll make a horse trade with you. I'll swap you everything you see below us if you'll take off your hat and call me boss."
Matthew 10:16
I'm sendin' y'all out like steaks to hungry coyotes. Y'all will need to be savvy as horse traders, but innocent as the day you were born.
2 Corinthians 11:14
Of course, this is of no surprise to us. Even the devil likes to dress up like an angel.
1 Peter 3:7
Y'all ain't off the hook either, husbands. You should honor your wives. Understand that she is a precious gift as you live together. She may not be as physically strong as you, but she is equal in your new life that God has given you. Treat her right so your prayers will be heard.
Revelation 12:9
The huge dragon was thrown out. You know the dragon as that ancient snake, the devil, or Satan, the deceiver of the world. He was thrown down to earth and all his angels fell with him.
Revelation 20:2
He grabbed the dragon, that old snake—the devil or Satan—and hog tied him for a thousand years.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ,.... Not actively, whom Christ had apprehended by his grace, and made a prisoner of hope; but passively, who was made a prisoner for Christ, on account of preaching Christ, and his Gospel: he was not a prisoner for any capital crime, as theft, murder, c. and therefore be was not ashamed of his bonds, but rather glories in them and a prison has often been the portion of the best of men in this world: from hence we learn, that this epistle was written when the apostle was a prisoner at Rome; and the consideration of this his condition serves much to confirm the truths he had before delivered, seeing they were such as he could, and did suffer for; and which must engage the attention of the Ephesians to them, and especially since his sufferings were on their account:

for you Gentiles: because he preached the Gospel to the Gentiles, which the Jews forbid, that they might not be saved; and because he taught them, that circumcision and the rest of the ceremonies of the law were not binding upon them; which gave great offence to the Jews, who were the means of bringing of him into these circumstances, and particularly the Asiatic Jews, the Jews of Ephesus; who having seen and heard him there, knew him again when in the temple at Jerusalem, and raised a mob upon him, having bore a grudge against him for his ministry at Ephesus, by which means he became a prisoner; so that he might truly say, he was a prisoner for the sake of them; see Acts 21:27. One of Stevens's copies adds, "am an ambassador", as in Ephesians 6:20 and another of them, "glory", or "rejoice"; see Philippians 2:16.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

For this cause - On account of preaching this doctrine; that is, the doctrine that the gospel was to be proclaimed to the Gentiles.

I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ - A prisoner in the service of the Lord Jesus; or made a prisoner in his cause. Not a prisoner for crime or debt, or as a captive in war, but a captive in the service of the Redeemer. This proves that at the time of writing this, Paul was in bonds, and there can he no question that he was in Rome. This would be more correctly rendered, “For this cause I, Paul, am the prisoner,” etc. So Tyndale renders it, “For this cause I, Paul, the servant of Jesus, am in bonds.” So also Locke, Rosenmuller, Doddridge, Whitby, Koppe, and others understand it. By this construction the abruptness now manifest in our common version is avoided.

For you Gentiles - Made a prisoner at Rome on your behalf, because I maintained that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles; see Acts 22:21-23. He was taken first to Cesarea, and then to Rome. The cause of his imprisonment and of all his difficulties was, that he maintained that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles; that when the Jews rejected it God rejected them; and that he was specially called to carry the message of salvation to the pagan world.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER III.

Paul, a prisoner for the testimony of Jesus, declares his

knowledge of what had been a mystery from all ages, that the

Gentiles should be fellow heirs and of the same body with the

Jews, 1-6.

Which doctrine he was made a minister, that he might declare the

unsearchable riches of Christ, and make known to principalities

and powers this eternal purpose of God, 7-12.

He desires them not to be discouraged on account of his

tribulations, 13.

His prayer that they might be filled with all the fulness of

God, 14-19.

His doxology, 20, 21.

NOTES ON CHAP. III.

Verse Ephesians 3:1. For this cause — Because he maintained that the Gentiles were admitted to all the privileges of the Jews, and all the blessings of the new covenant, without being obliged to submit to circumcision, the Jews persecuted him, and caused him to be imprisoned, first at Caesarea, where he was obliged to appeal to the Roman emperor, in consequence of which he was sent prisoner to Rome. See Acts 21:21-28, c.

The prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles — For preaching the Gospel to the Gentiles, and showing that they were not bound by the law of Moses, and yet were called to be fellow citizens with the saints for this very cause the Jews persecuted him unto bonds, and conspired his death.


 
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