A  (3-5)  (i)  But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints; Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient:

(ii)  but rather giving of thanks.

(i’)  For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

B  (6)  Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

C1  (7)  Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

C2  (8a)  For ye were sometimes darkness,

C3  (8b)  but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:

X  (9-10)  (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

C1’  (11a)  And have no fellowship

C2’  (11b-12)  with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

C3’  (13-14)  But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

B’  (15-17)  See then that ye walk circumspectly,
not as fools, but as wise,
Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
Wherefore be ye not unwise,
but understanding what the will of the Lord is.

A’  (18-21)  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.

(Note: Compare the centre of this structure to the centre of the Romans 14:12-21 chiasm. The coloured words in B and B’ highlight a contrast – walking perfectly is the opposite of disobeying)

(Note: B’ lists in detail the teachings of Christ that have been learned/heard/taught as in B. This list forms its own chiastic pattern which centres on two parallel sections (iv and iv’), that of doing the things that are good and speaking/teaching the things that are good.)

A  (17-19)  This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

B  (20-21)  But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

C  (22)  That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

X  (23)  And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

C’  (24)  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

B’  (25-32)

(i)  (25)  Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.

(ii)  (26)  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

(iii)  (27)  Neither give place to the devil.

(iv)  (28)  Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

(iv’)  (29)  Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

(iii’)  (30)  And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

(ii’)  (31)  Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

(i’)  (32)  And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

A’  (1-2)  Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.

John Adey has been working on Ephesians 1 and developed his own English translation to accompany the Greek text, and colour-coded both to aid identifying correspondence. He has added some footnotes to clarify or expand on features.

Eph 1vv4-10 John Adey 10 May 2015 : Revised: 2 September 2016

A.  1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right.

B. 2 Honour thy father and mother;

C. (which is the first commandment with promise;)

B’.  3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.

A. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

A. (5) Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh,

B. with fear and trembling,

C. in singleness of your heart,

D. as unto Christ;

E. (6) Not with eyeservice,

E’. as menpleasers;

D’. but as the servants of Christ,

C’. doing the will of God from the heart (soul);

B’. (7) With good will

A’. doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

A. (8) Knowing that

B. whatsoever good thing any man doeth,

C. the same shall he receive

D. of the Lord,

E. whether he be bond

E’. or free.

D’. (9) And, ye masters,

C’. do the same things unto them,

B’. forbearing threatening:

A’. knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

A  (14)  For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

B  (15)  Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,

C  (16a)  That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory,

D  (16b)  to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

E  (17)  That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,

F  (18)  May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;

E’  (19)  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

D’  (20)  Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

C’  (21a)  Unto him be glory in

B’  (21b)  the church

A’  (21c)  by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

(From John Owen)

A.(3)  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

B. (4) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself,

C,  according to the good pleasure of his will,

D.(6) To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

E’.(7) In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;

D’.(8) Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

C’, (9) Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: (10). That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

B.'(11) In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

A’.(12) That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

Note: this pattern identified by John is similar to a proposed chiasm published by I H Thomson for Ephesians 1:3-10 in “Chiasmus in the Pauline Letters”. Journal For The Study of The New Testament Supplement Series 111, Sheffield Academic press, Sheffield, 1995.

The pattern is based on a study of the Greek syntax and gives attention to “the symmetrical disposition of its verbs and verbal parts”.

Introduction: (3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:

A
a1. (4) According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world,
a1. that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:

B
b1,(5) Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself,
b2.  according to the good pleasure of his will,

C
c1. (6) To the praise of the glory of his grace,
c2. wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

D.(7) In whom we have redemption through his blood,
the forgiveness of sins,

C’
c’1. according to the riches of his grace;
c’2.(8) Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

B’
b’1.(9) Having made known unto us the mystery of his will,
b’2. according to his good pleasure 

A’
a’1. which he hath purposed in himself:(10). That in the dispensation of the fulness of times
a’2. he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

A’ Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

B. And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets,

C. Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

B’. In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

A’. In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Note: the pattern of similarities and contrasts which was identified independently is very close to the chiasm published by Thomson in “Chiasmus in the Pauline Letters”. Journal For The Study of The New Testament Supplement Series 111, Sheffield Academic press, Sheffield, 1995. The original post has been edited in the light of  comment from PH. Since then a group of Bible students in Brant County came up independently with the same pattern but which also identifies the parallelisms within units. Brant Co Eph 2vv11-22

A (11a) Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh,

B (11b) who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;

C (12a) That at that time ye were without Christ,

D (12b) being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,

E (12c) and strangers from the covenants of promise,

F (12d) having no hope, and without God in the world:

G (13) But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

H (14) For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

I. (15a) Having abolished in his flesh the enmity , even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; 

J (15b)  for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

J’ (16)  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body

I’ by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

H’ (17a) And came and preached peace

G’.(17b) to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.

F’ (18) For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

E’ (19a) Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners,

D’ (19b) but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

C’ (20) And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

B’ (21) In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

A’ (22) In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.