Colossians

Chapter 1

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: grace to you and peace from God our Father.

3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always praying for you,

4 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for 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, just as also in all the world it is bearing fruit and growing, as it also does among you, from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth;

7 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf,

8 who also made known to us your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

10 so as to walk worthily of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God,

11 being strengthened with all power according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and patience. With joy

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share in the inheritance of the saints in light;

13 who rescued us from the power 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 for in him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him;

17 and he is before all things, and in him all things hold together,

18 and he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in all things he might have the preeminence,

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 things on the earth or things in the heavens.

21 And you, who were once alienated and enemies in mind by wicked works,

22 he has now reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless and beyond reproach before him,

23 if indeed you continue in the faith, founded and steadfast, and not shifting 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 Now I rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of his body, which is the church,

25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship of God given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,

26 the mystery hidden from the ages and from the generations—but now it has been revealed to his saints,

27 to whom God willed to make known what is the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory;

28 whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, so that we may present every man perfect in Christ;

29 for which I also labor, striving according to his working, which works in me with power.

Chapter 2

1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those in Laodicea and for all who have not seen my face in the flesh,

2 that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attain to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely Christ,

3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

4 I say this so that no one may delude you with persuasive speech.

5 For even though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing and seeing your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him,

7 rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elemental principles of the world, and not according to Christ;

9 for in him dwells all the fullness of deity bodily,

10 and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.

11 In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ,

12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

14 having wiped out the handwritten record against us with its decrees, which was opposed to us; and he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.

15 Having stripped the rulers and authorities, he made a public display of them, triumphing over them in it.

16 Therefore let no one judge you in matters of food and drink, or with regard to a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,

17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

18 Let no one disqualify you, delighting in humility and the worship of angels, going into detail about things he has seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

19 and not holding fast to the head, from whom the whole body, nourished and knit together through its joints and ligaments, grows with a growth that is from God.

20 If you died with Christ to the elemental principles of the world, why, as though living in the world, do you submit to decrees

21 "Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch",

22 according to the commandments and teachings of men?

23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and humility and severity to the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh.

Chapter 3

1 If, then, you have been raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God;

2 set your minds on the things above, not on the things on the earth.

3 For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God;

4 when Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

5 Put to death, therefore, the members that are on the earth: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry;

6 on account of these the wrath of God is.

7 In these you also once walked, when you were living in them;

8 but now you also must put away all these: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene speech from your mouth.

9 Do not lie to one another, since you have stripped off the old man with his practices

10 and have put on the new, which is being renewed unto knowledge according to the image of the one who created him,

11 where there is no Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.

12 Put on, therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience,

13 bearing with one another and forgiving each other if anyone has a complaint against another; as the Lord forgave you, so also you must forgive.

14 And above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you were also called in one body; and be thankful.

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything 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 harsh with them.

20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing in the Lord.

21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged.

22 Slaves, obey in everything your earthly masters, not with eye-service as people-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

23 Whatever you do, work at it from the soul, as for the Lord and not for men,

24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. Serve the Lord Christ;

25 for the wrongdoer will be repaid for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

Chapter 4

1 Masters, provide your slaves with what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

2 Persevere in prayer, keeping watch in it with thanksgiving,

3 praying at the same time also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains,

4 that I may make it plain, as I ought to speak.

5 Walk in wisdom toward those outside, making the most of the time.

6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

7 Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord, will make known to you all my affairs.

8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts,

9 together with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you; they will make known to you everything here.

10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas

11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only ones of the circumcision who are fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.

12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, greets you, always striving on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.

13 For I bear him witness that he labors much for you and for those in Laodicea and those in Hierapolis.

14 Luke, the beloved physician, greets you, and Demas.

15 Greet the brothers in Laodicea, and Nympha and the church in her house.

16 And when this letter has been read among you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you also read the one from Laodicea.

17 And say to Archippus: See to the ministry that you received in the Lord, that you fulfill it.

18 The greeting is in my own hand, Paul's. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.