1 P or esta razão eu, Paulo, o prisioneiro de Cristo Jesus por amor de vós gentios...

I, Paul, am in prison because I am a missionary for Jesus Christ to you who are not Jews.

2 S e é que tendes ouvido a dispensação da graça de Deus, que para convosco me foi dada;

I am sure you have heard that God trusted me with His loving-favor.

3 c omo pela revelação me foi manifestado o mistério, conforme acima em poucas palavras vos escrevi,

I wrote a little about this to you before. In a special way, God showed me His secret plan.

4 p elo que, quando ledes, podeis perceber a minha compreensão do mistério de Cristo,

When you read this, you will understand how I know about the things that are not easy to understand about Christ.

5 o qual em outras gerações não foi manifestado aos filhos dos homens, como se revelou agora no Espírito aos seus santos apóstolos e profetas,

Long ago men did not know these things. But now they have been shown to His missionaries and to the early preachers by the Holy Spirit.

6 a saber, que os gentios são co-herdeiros e membros do mesmo corpo e co-participantes da promessa em Cristo Jesus por meio do evangelho;

Let me tell you that the Good News is for the people who are not Jews also. They are able to have life that lasts forever. They are to be a part of His church and family, together with the Jews. And together they are to receive all that God has promised through Christ.

7 d o qual fui feito ministro, segundo o dom da graça de Deus, que me foi dada conforme a operação do seu poder.

God asked me to preach this Good News. He gave me the gift of His loving-favor. He gave me His power to preach it.

8 A mim, o mínimo de todos os santos, me foi dada esta graça de anunciar aos gentios as riquezas inescrutáveis de Cristo,

Of all those who belong to Christ, I am the least important. But this loving-favor was given to me to preach to the people who are not Jews. I was to tell them of the great riches in Christ which do not come to an end.

9 e demonstrar a todos qual seja a dispensação do mistério que desde os séculos esteve oculto em Deus, que tudo criou,

I was to make all men understand the meaning of this secret. God kept this secret to Himself from the beginning of the world. And He is the One Who made all things.

10 p ara que agora seja manifestada, por meio da igreja, aos principados e potestades nas regiões celestes,

This was done so the great wisdom of God might be shown now to the leaders and powers in the heavenly places. It is being done through the church.

11 s egundo o eterno propósito que fez em Cristo Jesus nosso Senhor,

This was the plan God had for all time. He did this through Christ Jesus our Lord.

12 n o qual temos ousadia e acesso em confiança, pela nossa fé nele.

We can come to God without fear because we have put our trust in Christ.

13 P ortanto vos peço que não desfaleçais diante das minhas tribulações por vós, as quais são a vossa glória.

So I ask you not to lose heart because of my suffering for you. It is to help you. Paul’s Prayer for the Church

14 P or esta razão dobro os meus joelhos perante o Pai,

For this reason, I bow my knees and pray to the Father.

15 d o qual toda família nos céus e na terra toma o nome,

It is from Him that every family in heaven and on earth has its name.

16 p ara que, segundo as riquezas da sua glória, vos conceda que sejais robustecidos com poder pelo seu Espírito no homem interior;

I pray that because of the riches of His shining-greatness, He will make you strong with power in your hearts through the Holy Spirit.

17 q ue Cristo habite pela fé nos vossos corações, a fim de que, estando arraigados e fundados em amor,

I pray that Christ may live in your hearts by faith. I pray that you will be filled with love.

18 p ossais compreender, com todos os santos, qual seja a largura, e o comprimento, e a altura, e a profundidade,

I pray that you will be able to understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep His love is.

19 e conhecer o amor de Cristo, que excede todo o entendimento, para que sejais cheios até a inteira plenitude de Deus.

I pray that you will know the love of Christ. His love goes beyond anything we can understand. I pray that you will be filled with God Himself.

20 O ra,

God is able to do much more than we ask or think through His power working in us.

21 a esse seja glória na igreja e em Cristo Jesus, por todas as gerações, para todo o sempre. Amém.

May we see His shining-greatness in the church. May all people in all time honor Christ Jesus. Let it be so.