Ch 1-6 minor edits/corrections/consistency

50-EPH.usfm

@@ -9,33 +9,33 @@
 \s5
 \c 1
 \p
-\v 1 I, Paul, write this letter to my dear fellow believers whom God has set apart for himself, and who are loyal to Christ Jesus—I am writing to the fellow believers who are living in the city of Ephesus. I am Paul, whom God chose and whom God sent to you as an apostle of Christ Jesus.
+\v 1 I, Paul, write this letter to my dear fellow believers whom God has set apart for himself and who are loyal to Christ Jesus—I am writing to the fellow believers who are living in the city of Ephesus. I am Paul, whom God chose and whom God sent to you as an apostle of Christ Jesus.
 \v 2 I pray that God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord will give you his kindness and peace.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 3 Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He has caused us great joy through every kind of heavenly spiritual blessing that Christ gives to us.
-\v 4 Before God created the world he chose us to be his people through Christ, who set us apart for God to live blamelessly in his sight.
+\v 4 Before God created the world, he chose us to be his people through Christ, who set us apart for God to live blamelessly in his sight.
 
 \s5
 \v 5 Because he loves us, God planned long ago to adopt us as his own children because of what Jesus Christ has done. He planned to adopt us because it pleased him to have us as his children, so he did what he wanted to do.
-\v 6 Because of this we now praise God for his amazing kindness given to us by his Son whom he loves, kindness that we did not deserve.
+\v 6 Because of this, we now praise God for his amazing kindness given to us by his Son whom he loves—kindness that we did not deserve.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 7 We have been set free because Christ died for us, and he gave his blood as payment for our sins. The blood he shed and the death he died are the way that God gives us forgiveness for all of our sins. All that Christ has done shows to everyone how great God's undeserved love for us is.
+\v 7 We have been set free because Christ died for us, and he gave his blood as payment for our sins. The blood he shed and the death he died are the way that God gives us forgiveness for all of our sins. All that Christ has done shows to everyone how great is God's undeserved love for us.
 \v 8 God shows us his wisdom and understanding by displaying his love for us in many, many ways through Christ’s life and by Christ’s death for us. 
 
 \s5
 \v 9 God has now explained the secret of his plan. He has helped us to know the great work of Christ that he had planned. He did that because he chose to do it in that way, and he showed us what Christ would do for us.
-\v 10 God planned that at the time that he appointed he would unite all things in heaven and all things on earth, and Christ would be the one who will rule them.
+\v 10 God planned that at the time he appointed he would unite all things in heaven and all things on earth, and Christ would be the one who will rule them.
 
 \s5
 \v 11 Long ago God chose to unite us to Christ. He planned to do this, and he always does exactly what he wishes to do.
 \v 12 God did that so that we who believe in Christ would live to give praise to God's glory. We were the first ones to trust in Christ. 
 
 \s5
-\v 13 It was in Christ that you also—after you had heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation—it was in him that you also have believed and were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
+\v 13 After you had heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, it was in Christ that you also have believed and were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.
 \v 14 The Holy Spirit is proof that we will receive all that God has promised. All this is great reason to praise him!
 
 \s5
@@ -45,21 +45,21 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father who lives in shining light, may help you think wisely and understand everything about what he reveals to you.
-\v 18 I pray that God may teach you about what he wants to do for us, and why we know he is speaking the truth. I pray that we may know how great are the things he promises to give to us and to everyone whom he will choose to belong to himself.
+\v 18 I pray that God may teach you about what he wants to do for us and why we know he is speaking the truth. I pray that we may know how great are the things he promises to give to us and to everyone whom he will choose to belong to himself.
 
 \s5
 \v 19 And I pray that you will know how very powerfully God acts for us who are trusting in Christ. He works powerfully for us,
-\v 20 just like he acted powerfully for Christ when he caused Christ to become alive again after he died, and raised him to the place of highest honor in heaven.
-\v 21 In that place, Christ rules as supreme over every powerful spirit on every level of authority and over every name that exists. Jesus is much higher than any other being, not only now, but forever.
+\v 20 just like he acted powerfully for Christ when he caused Christ to become alive again after he died and raised him to the place of highest honor in heaven.
+\v 21 In that place, Christ rules as supreme over every powerful spirit on every level of authority and over every name that exists. Jesus is much higher than any other being, not only now but forever.
 
 \s5
-\v 22 God has put everything under the rule of Christ and appointed Christ to be the head, that is the ruler, over everything in the church,
-\v 23 which is also called his body. And the church is filled by Christ, who fills all things in every way.
+\v 22 God has put everything under the rule of Christ and appointed Christ to be the head—the ruler—over everything in the church,
+\v 23 which is also called his body. And the church is filled by Christ who fills all things in every way.
  
 \s5
 \c 2
 \p
-\v 1 Before you trusted Christ you were powerless to obey God. You were as helpless as a person who is dead.
+\v 1 Before you trusted Christ, you were powerless to obey God. You were as helpless as a person who is dead.
 \v 2 You were like most people in the world today, and you, too, did what Satan wants. Satan is the ruler of the evil spirits who have great power over the world, and he is the evil spirit who is at work in the lives of people who disobey God.
 \v 3 We were at one time among those who disobeyed God; we did the evil things that we desired, things that would bring pleasure to our bodies and our minds. So God was very angry with us, just as with the others.
 
@@ -84,9 +84,9 @@
 \s5
 \v 13 But now because of what Christ Jesus has done, you have been able to trust in him because Christ agreed to die on the cross.
 \p
-\v 14 Christ has brought peace and unity between Jews and Gentile by destroying the barrier between us and he made us all to be one people, as if he had destroyed a wall of hate between us.
+\v 14 Christ has brought peace and unity between Jews and Gentiles by destroying the barrier between us, and he made us all to be one people as if he had destroyed a wall of hate between us.
 \v 15 He made it no longer necessary for us to obey all the Jewish laws and commandments. He made Jews and Gentiles into one people instead of two because he made peace between us.
-\v 16 Jesus caused us both to become friends with God in one new group of believers. By dying on the cross, Jesus made it possible for them to stop hating each other.
+\v 16 Jesus caused us both to become friends with God in one new group of believers. By dying on the cross, Jesus made it possible for us to stop hating each other.
 
 \s5
 \v 17 Jesus came and proclaimed the good news that brings peace with God; he proclaimed it both to you Gentiles, who did not know about God, and to us who did know about God.
@@ -95,7 +95,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 19 Therefore now you are no longer strangers and foreigners to God's people, but instead you are fellow members with those whom God has set apart for himself, and you belong to God's family for whom God is the Father.
-\v 20 You are like stones that God has made to be part of his building, and the building is built on what the apostles and prophets taught. The most important stone, the cornerstone, of the building is Christ Jesus himself.
+\v 20 You are like stones that God has made to be part of his building, and the building is built on what the apostles and prophets taught. The most important stone of the building, the cornerstone, is Christ Jesus himself.
 \v 21 Jesus is increasing his family of believers and fitting them together like a temple of stones is built and fit together, increasing as the Lord joins new believers to himself.
 \v 22 Jesus is building you into one family in which God lives by means of his Spirit.
 
@@ -111,8 +111,8 @@
 \v 5 Formerly, God did not fully reveal the good news that was to come to anyone. It was something that no one understood, but now his Spirit has revealed the good news to his apostles and prophets whom the Spirit called to serve God.
 
 \s5
-\v 6 This hidden truth is that the Gentiles now share together with Jews the spiritual riches of God, and belong to the same group of God's people, and will share all the things God has promised them because they are joined to Christ Jesus—this is the good news.
-\v 7 I am now God's servant to spread the good news, a work I did not deserve to do, but it was the work that God gave me to do, through the working of his power in me.
+\v 6 This hidden truth is that the Gentiles now share together with Jews the spiritual riches of God, belong to the same group of God's people, and will share all the things God has promised them because they are joined to Christ Jesus—this is the good news.
+\v 7 I am now God's servant to spread the good news, a work I did not deserve to do, but it was the work that God gave me to do through the working of his power in me.
 
 \s5
 \p
@@ -120,11 +120,11 @@
 \v 9 My mission is to explain to everyone what God's plan is, something that God has kept hidden from long ago, from the time when he created everything.
 
 \s5
-\v 10 What God has wisely planned he showed to powerful angels in heaven through his people who trust in Christ.
+\v 10 What God has wisely planned, he showed to powerful angels in heaven through his people who trust in Christ.
 \v 11 That is what God had always planned for eternity, and it is what he accomplished through the work of Christ Jesus our Lord.
 
 \s5
-\v 12 So now when we pray, we can come to God confidently and without being afraid, because we trust in Jesus, who has fulfilled God's plan.
+\v 12 So now when we pray, we can come to God confidently and without being afraid because we trust in Jesus, who has fulfilled God's plan.
 \v 13 So I ask that you do not be discouraged because of my suffering many things for you here in prison, which actually end up honoring you.
 
 \s5
@@ -134,14 +134,14 @@
 \v 16 I pray because of his great power that God will give you power and will strengthen you by his Spirit who lives in your spirits.
 
 \s5
-\v 17 I pray that Christ may live in your hearts because you trust in him, and that you will be like a firmly rooted tree and a building founded upon stone,
-\v 18 so that you may be fully able to understand, along with the all those set apart for God, how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.
+\v 17 I pray that Christ may live in your hearts because you trust in him, and I pray that you will be like a firmly rooted tree and a building founded upon stone,
+\v 18 so that you may be fully able to understand, along with all those set apart for God, how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.
 \v 19 For this love is so great that we cannot understand it, but because of this love, I pray that God may fill you all with himself.
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 20 God is able to do much greater things than we usually ask him to do, or even that we might think that he can do, because of his power that is working within us.
-\v 21 May all believers come together to honor God and to honor Christ Jesus himself. May all believers, through every generation, offer God praises, forever and ever! So let it be done.
+\v 21 May all believers come together to honor God and to honor Christ Jesus himself. May all believers through every generation offer God praises forever and ever! May it be so!
 
 \s5
 \c 4
@@ -152,26 +152,26 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 4 All believers form one group, and there is only one Holy Spirit, and you were chosen to confidently wait for God to fulfill His promises to you.
-\v 5 There is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, and there is one faith, that is the trust we have in God; and there is only one true Christian baptism.
+\v 5 There is only one Lord, Jesus Christ; and there is one faith, that is the trust we have in God; and there is only one true Christian baptism.
 \v 6 There is one God, the true Father of all. He rules over everyone, and he is working through all events, and he is working within everything that happens. 
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 7 God has generously given to each believer spiritual gifts that Christ has measured out to us as he wishes.
-\v 8 This is similar to what the psalmist said about God receiving tribute money from those whom he had conquered,
-\q When he ascended to his city at the top of the mountain,
+\v 8 This is similar to what the psalmist said about God receiving tribute money from those whom he had conquered:
+\q "When he ascended to his city at the top of the mountain,
 \q he led the captives into captivity
-\q and gave their gifts of tribute to his people.
+\q and gave their gifts of tribute to his people."
 
 \s5
 \p
 \v 9 The words "he ascended" certainly make us know that Christ had also previously descended to the earth from heaven, like God's anointed king coming down from Jerusalem to fight.
-\v 10 Christ, who descended to earth to conquer evil, is also the one who was crucified for our sins, came back to life, and ascended to the most exalted position in heaven, in order that he might control everything.
+\v 10 Christ, who descended to earth to conquer evil, is also the one who was crucified for our sins, came back to life, and ascended to the most exalted position in heaven, so that he might control everything.
 
 \s5
-\v 11 He appointed some believers to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some to lead and others to teach the groups of believers.
+\v 11 He appointed some believers to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to lead and others to teach the groups of believers.
 \v 12 This was to prepare God's people to do God's work and serve others, so that all the people who belong to Christ might become spiritually strong
-\v 13 He wants all of us believers to be united together as we all trust in him and grow to fully understand him. He wants us to become mature believers, together, growing to become perfect, as he himself is perfect.
+\v 13 He wants all of us believers to be united together as we all trust in him and grow to fully understand him. He wants us to become mature believers, together growing to become perfect, as he himself is perfect.
 
 \s5
 \v 14 Once we are mature, we will no longer be ignorant of what is true, like little children. We will no longer follow every new teaching, like a boat is blown around by the wind and waves. We will not allow people who teach what is false to trick us and deceive us.
@@ -182,11 +182,11 @@
 \p
 \v 17 By the authority of the Lord Jesus, I strongly affirm that you must no longer live like the unbelieving Gentiles do. The futile way they think directs them how to live.
 \v 18 They are unable to think clearly about what is right or wrong. They cannot comprehend obeying God because they refuse to listen to his message, and so they do not have the eternal life that Jesus gives us.
-\v 19 They have chosen to do shameful things their bodies desire without stopping. They commit all kinds of immoral acts and are obsessed with them more and more, and they are greedy for anything they desire.
+\v 19 They have chosen to do—without stopping—shameful things their bodies desire. They commit all kinds of immoral acts and are obsessed with them more and more, and they are greedy for anything they desire.
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 20 But when you learned about Christ you did not learn to live like that. 
+\v 20 But when you learned about Christ, you did not learn to live like that. 
 \v 21 Now that you have heard about Jesus and he has taught you, you know that his way is the true way to live.
 \v 22 Jesus taught that you must stop living the way you used to live. You were like corpses that were decaying because you were deceiving yourselves with what you desired.
 
@@ -213,14 +213,14 @@
 \c 5
 \p
 \v 1 Imitate God because he loves us, because you are his children.
-\v 2 Live by loving others just like Christ loved us when he gave himself up on the cross as the offering and sacrifice to God for our sins, which was very pleasing to God.
+\v 2 Live by loving others, just like Christ loved us when he gave himself up on the cross as the offering and sacrifice to God for our sins, which was very pleasing to God.
 
 \s5
-\v 3 Do not do any kind of immoral sexual act. Do not do anything that is offensive to God. Do not desire anything other people have. These are sins that should never be done by any of God's people because we are set apart for God, and our lives should bring him honor as we obey him. 
+\v 3 Do not do any kind of immoral sexual act. Do not do anything that is offensive to God. Do not desire anything other people have. These are sins that should never be done by any of God's people, because we are set apart for God, and our lives should bring him honor as we obey him. 
 \v 4 Do not tell obscene stories to others or say foolish things or joke about committing sins. Such things are not what people who belong to God talk about. Instead, thank God for his love when you talk to others.
 
 \s5
-\v 5 You can be sure of this: No person who is sexually immoral or indecent, or who is greedy (for this is the same as worshiping idols) will be among God's people over whom Christ rules as king.
+\v 5 You can be sure of this: No person who is sexually immoral or indecent or who is greedy (for this is the same as worshiping idols) will be among God's people over whom Christ rules as king.
 \v 6 Do not let anyone deceive you with false arguments. Because they do these sinful things, God will be angry with the people who disobey him.
 \p
 \v 7 So do not join with those who do these kinds of sins.
@@ -234,7 +234,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 13 The light that shines makes it so everything can be seen in that light. 
-\v 14 When the light shines it shows what it is you are looking at. That is why some have said,  
+\v 14 When the light shines, it shows what it is you are looking at. That is why some have said,  
 \q "Wake up from your sleep
 \q and do not act like dead people.
 \q Christ will shine his light on you."
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@
 \s5
 \p
 \v 25 Each of you husbands, love your wife as Christ loved all believers and gave up his own life for us on the cross,
-\v 26 so that he might set us apart for himself. By the power of his word Jesus purified believers by removing the punishment for our sins, as if he had washed us with water.
+\v 26 so that he might set us apart for himself. By the power of his word, Jesus purified believers by removing the punishment for our sins, as if he had washed us with water.
 \v 27 Now Christ can present all believers to himself as a completely clean, forgiven, faultless group, without sin.
 
 \s5
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \v 31 The scriptures say this about people who marry:
-\q "When a man and a woman marry, they should leave their father and mother and the two of them will be joined together as though they were one person."
+\q "When a man and a woman marry, they should leave their father and mother, and the two of them will be joined together as though they were one person."
 \p
 \v 32 It is difficult to understand the meaning of these things that God has now revealed, but I am telling you about Christ's love for his worldwide assembly of believers.
 \v 33 However, as for you, each man must love his wife just as he loves himself, and each woman must respect her husband.
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@
 
 \s5
 \p
-\v 5 You slaves, obey those who are your masters here on the earth. Obey them very respectfully and sincerely just like you obey Christ.
+\v 5 You slaves, obey those who are your masters here on the earth. Obey them very respectfully and sincerely, just like you obey Christ.
 \v 6 Obey them not only when they are watching you. Instead, obey them as though you were slaves of Christ, not slaves of your masters. Do enthusiastically what God wants you to do.
 \v 7 Happily serve your masters, as you would serve the Lord Jesus, not as you would serve ordinary people.
 \v 8 Do this because you know that one day the Lord Jesus will reward each person for whatever good deeds that person has done. It makes no difference whether that person was slave or free.