Colossians

1

¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy the brother,
² To the saints in Colossae and faithful brothers in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
³ We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always concerning you,
⁴ Because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have unto all the saints
⁵ Because of the hope laid up for you in the heavens, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,
⁶ Which has come to you, even as it is also in all the world, bearing fruit and growing, as also in you, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;
⁷ Even as you learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow slave, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf,
⁸ Who also has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
⁹ Therefore we also, since the day we heard of it, do not cease praying and asking on your behalf that you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
¹⁰ To walk worthily of the Lord to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and growing by the full knowledge of God,
¹¹ Being empowered with all power, according to the might of His glory, unto all endurance and long-suffering with joy,
¹² Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the allotted portion of the saints in the light;
¹³ Who delivered us out of the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
¹⁴ In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins;
¹⁵ Who is the image of the invisible God, the Firstborn of all creation,
¹⁶ Because in Him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or lordships or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and unto Him.
¹⁷ And He is before all things, and all things cohere in Him;
¹⁸ And He is the Head of the Body, the church; He is the beginning, the Firstborn from the dead, that He Himself might have the first place in all things;
¹⁹ For in Him all the fullness was pleased to dwell
²⁰ And through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross — through Him, whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens.
²¹ And you, though once alienated and enemies in your mind because of your evil works,
²² He now has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and without reproach before Him;
²³ If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast and not being moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I Paul became a minister.
²⁴ I now rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His Body, which is the church;
²⁵ Of which I became a minister according to the stewardship of God, which was given to me for you, to complete the word of God,
²⁶ The mystery which has been hidden from the ages and from the generations but now has been manifested to His saints;
²⁷ To whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,
²⁸ Whom we announce, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man full-grown in Christ;
²⁹ For which also I labor, struggling according to His operation which operates in me in power.

2

¹ For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those in Laodicea, even all who have not seen my face in the flesh,
² That their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love and unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, unto the full knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ,
³ In whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden.
⁴ This I say that no one may delude you with persuasive speech.
⁵ For even though I am absent in the flesh, yet in the spirit I am with you, rejoicing and seeing your order and the solid basis of your faith in Christ.
⁶ As therefore you have received the Christ, Jesus the Lord, walk in Him,
⁷ Having been rooted and being built up in Him, and being established in the faith even as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
⁸ Beware that no one carries you off as spoil through his philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ;
⁹ For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily,
¹⁰ And you have been made full in Him, who is the Head of all rule and authority.
¹¹ In Him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ,
¹² Buried together with Him in baptism, in which also you were raised together with Him through the faith of the operation of God, who raised Him from the dead.
¹³ And you, though dead in your offenses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our offenses;
¹⁴ Wiping out the handwriting in ordinances, which was against us, which was contrary to us; and He has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.
¹⁵ Stripping off the rulers and the authorities, He made a display of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
¹⁶ Let no one therefore judge you in eating and in drinking or in respect of a feast or of a new moon or of the Sabbath,
¹⁷ Which are a shadow of the things to come, but the body is of Christ.
¹⁸ Let no one defraud you by judging you unworthy of your prize, in self-chosen lowliness and the worship of the angels, dwelling on the things which he has seen, vainly puffed up by his mind set on the flesh,
¹⁹ And not holding the Head, out from whom all the Body, being richly supplied and knit together by means of the joints and sinews, grows with the growth of God.
²⁰ If you died with Christ from the elements of the world, why, as living in the world, do you subject yourselves to ordinances:
²¹ Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch,
²² (Regarding things which are all to perish when used) according to the commandments and teachings of men?
²³ Such things indeed have a reputation of wisdom in self-imposed worship and lowliness and severe treatment of the body, but are not of any value against the indulgence of the flesh.

3

¹ If therefore you were raised together with Christ, seek the things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.
² Set your mind on the things which are above, not on the things which are on the earth.
³ For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
⁴ When Christ our life is manifested, then you also will be manifested with Him in glory.
⁵ Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and greediness, which is idolatry;
⁶ Because of which things the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience;
⁷ In which you also once walked, when you lived in these things.
⁸ But now, you also, put away all these things: wrath, anger, malice, blasphemy, foul abusive language out of your mouth.
⁹ Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his practices
¹⁰ And have put on the new man, which is being renewed unto full knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,
¹¹ Where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.
¹² Put on therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, inward parts of compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, long-suffering;
¹³ Bearing one another and forgiving one another, if anyone should have a complaint against anyone; even as the Lord forgave you, so also should you forgive.
¹⁴ And over all these things put on love, which is the uniting bond of perfectness.
¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body; and be thankful.
¹⁶ Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to God.
¹⁷ And whatever you do in word or in deed, do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
¹⁸ Wives, be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter against them.
²⁰ Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing in the Lord.
²¹ Fathers, do not vex your children, that they may not be disheartened.
²² Slaves, obey in all things those who are your masters according to the flesh, not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart fearing the Lord.
²³ Whatever you do, work from the soul as to the Lord and not to men,
²⁴ Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as recompense. You serve the Lord Christ.
²⁵ For he who does unrighteously will receive what he unrighteously did, and there is no respect of persons.

4

¹ Masters, grant to your slaves that which is just and equal, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
² Persevere in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving,
³ Praying at the same time for us also, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ (because of which also I am bound),
⁴ That I may make it manifest as I ought to speak.
⁵ Walk in wisdom toward those who are without, redeeming the time.
⁶ Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
⁷ All the things concerning me, Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow slave in the Lord, will make known to you,
⁸ Whom I have sent to you for this very thing, that you might know the things concerning us and that he might comfort your hearts;
⁹ With Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you all the things here.
¹⁰ Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, as well as Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, (concerning whom you received commandments, If he comes to you, receive him),
¹¹ And Jesus, who is called Justus; these alone of the circumcision are my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, ones who have become a consolation to me.
¹² Epaphras, who is one of you, a slave of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.
¹³ For I testify of him that he labors much for you and for those in Laodicea and for those in Hierapolis.
¹⁴ Luke, the beloved physician, greets you, as well as Demas.
¹⁵ Greet the brothers in Laodicea, as well as Nymphas and the church, which is in his house.
¹⁶ And when this letter is read among you, cause that it be read in the church of the Laodiceans also, and that you also read the one from Laodicea.
¹⁷ And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfill it.
¹⁸ The greeting in my own hand — Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you.