1 The children! obey your parents in the Lord, for this is righteous;

2 honour thy father and mother,

3 which is the first command with a promise, `That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live a long time upon the land.'

4 And the fathers! provoke not your children, but nourish them in the instruction and admonition of the Lord.

5 The servants! obey the masters according to the flesh with fear and trembling, in the simplicity of your heart, as to the Christ;

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

7 with good-will serving, as to the Lord, and not to men,

8 having known that whatever good thing each one may do, this he shall receive from the Lord, whether servant or freeman.

9 And the masters! the same things do ye unto them, letting threatening alone, having known that also your Master is in the heavens, and acceptance of persons is not with him.

10 As to the rest, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might;

11 put on the whole armour of God, for your being able to stand against the wiles of the devil,

12 because we have not the wrestling with blood and flesh, but with the principalities, with the authorities, with the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, with the spiritual things of the evil in the heavenly places;

13 because of this take ye up the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to resist in the day of the evil, and all things having done -- to stand.

14 Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about in truth, and having put on the breastplate of the righteousness,

15 and having the feet shod in the preparation of the good-news of the peace;

16 above all, having taken up the shield of the faith, in which ye shall be able all the fiery darts of the evil one to quench,

17 and the helmet of the salvation receive, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the saying of God,

18 through all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit, and in regard to this same, watching in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints --

19 and in behalf of me, that to me may be given a word in the opening of my mouth, in freedom, to make known the secret of the good news,

20 for which I am an ambassador in a chain, that in it I may speak freely -- as it behoveth me to speak.

21 And that ye may know -- ye also -- the things concerning me -- what I do, all things make known to you shall Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful ministrant in the Lord,

22 whom I did send unto you for this very thing, that ye might know the things concerning us, and that he might comfort your hearts.

23 Peace to the brethren, and love, with faith, from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!

24 The grace with all those loving our Lord Jesus Christ -- undecayingly! Amen.