1 PAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 Since we heard of your afaith
in Christ Jesus, and of the blove
which ye have to all the saints,
5 For the ahope
which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the bgospel
;
6 Which is come unto you, aas
it is in all the world; and bringeth forth bfruit
, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the cgrace
of God in truth:
7 As ye also learned of aEpaphras
our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the aknowledge
of his bwill
in all wisdom and spiritual cunderstanding
;
10 That ye might awalk
bworthy
of the Lord unto all cpleasing
, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the dknowledge
of God;
11 aStrengthened
with all might, according to his bglorious
cpower
, unto all patience and longsuffering with djoyfulness
;
12 Giving athanks
unto the Father, which hath bmade
us meet to be partakers of the cinheritance
of the saints in light:
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of adarkness
, and hath translated us into the bkingdom
of his dear cSon
:
14 In whom we have aredemption
through his blood, even the bforgiveness
of sins:
15 Who is the aimage
of the invisible bGod
, the cfirstborn
of devery
creature:
16 For by him were all athings
bcreated
, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or cprincipalities
, or powers: all things were dcreated
by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things aconsist
.
18 And he is the ahead
of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the bfirstborn
from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all afulness
dwell;
20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to areconcile
all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
21 And you, that were asometime
balienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
22 In the body of his flesh through adeath
, to present you holy and bunblameable
and unreproveable in his sight:
23 If ye acontinue
in the faith bgrounded
and settled, and be not cmoved
away from the dhope
of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the aafflictions
of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the adispensation
of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;
26 Even the amystery
which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made bmanifest
to his saints:
27 To whom God would make aknown
what is the briches
of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
28 Whom we apreach
, bwarning
every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
1 FOR I would that ye knew what great aconflict
I have for you, and for them at bLaodicea
, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
2 That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of aunderstanding
, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, band
of the Father, and of Christ;
3 In whom are hid all the atreasures
of bwisdom
and cknowledge
.
4 And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words.
5 For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your aorder
, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
6 As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so
awalk
ye in him:
7 aRooted
and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with bthanksgiving
.
8 Beware lest any man aspoil
you through bphilosophy
and vain cdeceit
, after the dtradition
of men, after the rudiments of the eworld
, and not after Christ.
9 For in him dwelleth all the afulness
of the Godhead bodily.
10 And ye are acomplete
in him, which is the head of all bprincipality
and power:
11 In whom also ye are circumcised with the acircumcision
made without hands, in putting off the bbody
of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:
12 aBuried
with him in bbaptism
, wherein also ye are crisen
with him through the faith of the doperation
of God, who hath raised him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he aquickened
together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;
14 aBlotting
out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Let no man therefore ajudge
you in bmeat
, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the csabbath
days:
17 Which are a ashadow
of things to come; but the body is of Christ.
18 Let no man abeguile
you of your reward in a voluntary bhumility
and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
19 And not holding the aHead
, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
20 Wherefore if ye be adead
with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye subject to bordinances
,
21 (aTouch
not; taste not; handle not;
22 Which all are to perish with the using;) after the acommandments
and bdoctrines
of men?
23 Which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will worship, and humility, and neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.
1 IF ye then be arisen
with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
2 Set your aaffection
on bthings
cabove
, not on things on the dearth
.
3 For ye are adead
, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
4 When Christ, who is our alife
, shall bappear
, then shall ye also appear with him in cglory
.
5 aMortify
therefore your bmembers
which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, cinordinate
affection, evil concupiscence, and dcovetousness
, which is eidolatry
:
6 For which things’ sake the awrath
of God cometh on the children of bdisobedience
:
7 In the which ye also walked asome
time, when ye lived in them.
8 But now ye also aput
off all these; banger
, wrath, cmalice
, dblasphemy
, filthy ecommunication
out of your mouth.
9 aLie
not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the bold
man with his deeds;
10 And have put on the anew
man, which is renewed in knowledge after the bimage
of him that ccreated
him:
11 Where there is neither aGreek
nor Jew, bcircumcision
nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
12 Put on therefore, as the aelect
of God, holy and beloved, bbowels
of cmercies
, dkindness
, ehumbleness
of mind, fmeekness
, longsuffering;
13 aForbearing
one another, and bforgiving
one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
14 And above all these things put on
acharity
, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the apeace
of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye bthankful
.
16 Let the aword
of Christ dwell in you richly in all bwisdom
; cteaching
and admonishing one another in psalms and dhymns
and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, a
do
all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving bthanks
to God and the Father by him.
18 aWives
, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.
19 aHusbands
, blove
your wives, and be not bitter against them.
20 aChildren
, bobey
your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.
21 aFathers
, bprovoke
not your children to c
anger
, lest they be discouraged.
22 aServants
, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in bsingleness
of heart, cfearing
God:
23 And whatsoever ye do, do it
aheartily
, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall areceive
the breward
of the cinheritance
: for ye dserve
the Lord Christ.
25 But he that doeth awrong
shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no brespect
of persons.
1 aMASTERS
, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a bMaster
in cheaven
.
2 Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a adoor
of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
4 That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
5 aWalk
in bwisdom
toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
6 Let your aspeech
be alway with grace, seasoned with bsalt
, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.
7 All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord:
8 Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts;
9 With aOnesimus
, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.
10 aAristarchus
my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and bMarcus
, csister
’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)
11 And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the acircumcision
. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.
12 aEpaphras
, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
13 For I bear him record, that he hath a great azeal
for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.
14 Luke, the beloved physician, and aDemas
, greet you.
15 Salute the brethren which are in aLaodicea
, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.
16 And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the a
epistle
from Laodicea.
17 And say to aArchippus
, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.
18 The salutation by the ahand
of me Paul. Remember my bbonds
. Grace be with you. Amen.