القراءة بلغتين

وأَنتُم، وقَد كَنتُم أَمواتًا بِزَلَّاتِكم وخَطاياكُمُ

الَّتي كُنتُم تَسيرونَ فيها بِالأَمْس، مُتَّبِعينَ سيرَةَ هٰذا العالَم، سيرَةَ سَيِّدِ مَملَكَةِ الجَوّ، ذاك الرُّوحِ الَّذي يَعمَلُ الآنَ في أَبناءِ المَعصِيَة…

وكُنَّا نَحنُ أَيضًا جَميعًا في جُملَةِ هٰؤُلاءِ نَحْيا بالأَمْسِ في شَهَواتِ جَسَدِنا مُلَبِّينَ رَغَباتِ الجَسَدِ ونَزَعاتِه. وكُنَّا بِطَبيعَتِنا أَبناءَ الغَضَبِ كَسائِرِ النَّاس

ولٰكِنَّ اللهَ الواسِعَ الرَّحمَة، لِحُبِّه الشَّديدِ الَّذي أَحَبَّنا بِه

مع أَنَّنا كُنَّا أَمواتًا بِزَلَّاتِنا، أَحْيانا مع المسيح (بِالنِّعمةِ نِلتُمُ الخَلاص)

وأَقامَنا معه وأَجلَسَنا معه في السَّمَواتِ في المسيحِ يسوع

فقد أَرادَ أَن يُظهِرَ لِلأَجْيالِ الآتِيَة نِعمَتَه الفائِقةَ السَّعة بِلُطفِه لَنا في المسيحِ يسوع

فبِالنِّعمَةِ نِلتُمُ الخَلاصَ بِفَضلِ الإِيمان. فلَيسَ ذٰلِك مِنكُم، بل هو هِبَةٌ مِنَ الله

ولَيسَ مِنَ الأَعمالِ لِئَلَّا يَفتَخِرَ أَحَد

لِأَنَّنا مِن صَنْعِ الله خُلِقْنا في المسيحِ يسوعَ لِلأَعمالِ الصَّالِحَةِ الَّتي أَعَدَّها اللهُ بِسابِقِ إِعدادِه لِنُمارِسَها

فاذكُروا أَنَّكم بِالأَمس، أَنتُمُ الوَثَنِيِّينَ بِالجَسَد، أَنتُمُ الَّذينَ كانَ أَهْلُ الخِتانِ يُسَمُّونَهم أَهلَ القَلَف، لِأَنَّ جَسَدهم خُتِنَ بِفِعلِ الأَيدي

ٱذكُروا أَنَّكم كُنتُم حِينَئِذٍ مِن دُونِ المسيح مَفْصولينَ مِن رَعِيَّةِ إِسرائيل، غُرَباءَ عن عُهودِ المَوعِد، لَيسَ لَكم رَجاءٌ ولا إِلهٌ في هٰذا العالَم

أَمَّا الآن ففي المسيحِ يسوع، أَنتُمُ الَّذينَ كانوا بالأَمْسِ أَباعِدَ، قد جُعِلتُم أَقارِبَ بِدَمِ المسيح

فإِنَّه سَلامُنا، فقَد جَعَلَ مِنَ الجَماعتَينِ جَماعةً واحِدة وهَدَمَ في جَسَدِه الحاجِزَ الَّذي يَفصِلُ بَينَهما، أَيِ العَداوة

وأَلغى شَريعَةَ الوَصايا وما فيها مِن أَحكام لِيَخلُقَ في شَخْصِه مِن هاتَينِ الجَماعَتَين، بَعدَما أَحَلَّ السَّلامَ بَينَهما، إِنسانًا جَديدًا واحِدًا

ويُصلِحَ بَينَها وبَينَ الله فجَعَلَهما جَسَدًا واحِدًا بِالصَّليبِ وبِه قَضى على العَداوة

جاءَ وبَشَّرَكم بِالسَّلام أَنتُمُ الَّذينَ كُنتُم أَباعِد، وبَشَّرَ بِالسَّلامِ الَّذينَ كانوا أَقارِب

لِأَنَّ لَنا بِه جَميعًا سَبيلًا إِلى الآبِ في رُوحٍ واحِد

فلَستُم إِذًا بَعدَ اليَومِ غُرَباءَ أَو نُزَلاء، بل أَنتُم مِن أَبناءِ وَطَنِ القِدِّيسين ومِن أَهْلِ بَيتِ الله

بُنيتُم على أَساسِ الرُّسُلِ والأَنبِياء، وحَجَرُ الزَّاوِيَةِ هو المسيحُ يسوعُ نَفْسُه

فيه يُحكَمُ البِناءُ كُلُّه ويَرتَفِعُ لِيَكونَ هَيكلًا مُقَدَّسًا في الرَّبّ

وبِه أَنتُم أَيضًا تُبنَونَ معًا لِتَصيروا مَسكِنًا للهِ في الرُّوح

You were made alive when you were dead in transgressions and sins,

in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the children of disobedience.

We also all once lived among them in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.

But God, being rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us,

even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—

and raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus;

for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,

not of works, that no one would boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.

Therefore remember that once you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “uncircumcision” by that which is called “circumcision” (in the flesh, made by hands),

that you were at that time separate from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of the promise, having no hope and without God in the world.

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off are made near in the blood of Christ.

For he is our peace, who made both one, and broke down the middle wall of separation,

having abolished in his flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man of the two, making peace,

and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, having killed the hostility through it.

He came and preached peace to you who were far off and to those who were near.

For through him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father.

So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God,

being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the chief cornerstone;

in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord;

in whom you also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit.