1

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

2 to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ in Colossae, grace to you, and peace from God our father and Lord Jesus Christ.

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

4 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love towards all the saints,

5 because of the hope which is reserved for you in the heavenly places, which you have heard of before, in the word of truth of the gospel,

6 which has come to you, as also in all the world, and is bearing fruit and increasing, as it has been doing among you too, from the day when you heard and acknowledged the grace of God in truth,

7 as you have also learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ for your sakes,

8 who also told us of your love in spirit.

9 On account of this, we too, from the day we heard it, do not cease praying for you and asking that you be filled with acknowledgment of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

10 that you should walk worthy of the Lord, so as to be pleasing in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in acknowledgment of God,

11 being empowered with all power according to his glorious might, with a view to all patience and longsuffering, with joy,

12 giving thanks to the father, who has made us fit for the share of the inheritance of the saints in light,

13 who has delivered us from the authority of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved son,

14 in whom we have redemption, the remission of sins,

15 who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation,

16 because everything was created by him – the things in the heavens and the things on earth, the visible things and the invisible things, whether thrones or dominions or realms or authorities – everything was created through him and for him.

17 Indeed he is before all things, and everything holds together by him,

18 and he is the head of the body – the church; and he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, in order that he himself might become pre-eminent in all matters,

19 for it was well-pleasing for all the fulness to dwell in him,

20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross, through him, whether they are things on earth or things in the heavens.

21 You too, who were once alienated and hostile in your mind in evil works, he has now reconciled

22 in his body of flesh through death, to present you holy and unblemished and unimpeachable in his presence,

23 if, that is, you remain in the faith, founded and stable, and are not moved from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, which was proclaimed in the whole of the creation under heaven, of which I Paul have been made a minister.

24 I now rejoice in sufferings for your sakes, and I contribute my share to what is lacking among the tribulations of Christ, in my flesh, for the sake of his body, which is the church,

25 of which I have been made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which was given to me for you, to fill the word of God –

26 the mystery which was hidden away from the ages and from the generations, but now has been made manifest to his saints,

27 to whom God wished to make known what the richness is of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ among you, the hope of glory,

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

29 for which I also labour, striving according to his invigoration which invigorates me with power.

2

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

2 and I want their hearts to be comforted, united in love, and to be leading to all the richness of the full assurance which comes with understanding, leading on to acknowledgment of the mystery of God and the father and of Christ,

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

4 But I say this so that no-one should mislead you with persuasive arguments,

5 for although I am absent in the flesh, yet in the spirit I am with you, rejoicing and observing your orderliness and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

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

7 being rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.

8 Watch out that no-one carries you away through philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the rudiments of the world and not according to Christ,

9 for in him all the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily,

10 and you are complete in him, who is the head of every realm and authority,

11 in whom you have also been circumcised with a circumcision made without hands by the divesting of the sinful fleshly body by the circumcision of Christ,

12 being buried with him in baptism, by whom you were also jointly raised through faith in the exertion of power from God who raised him from the dead.

13 And as for you, being dead in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has jointly made you alive with him, having forgiven us all of our transgressions,

14 having blotted out the writing attesting to ordinances, which was against us, which was in opposition to us and which he has removed from our midst having nailed it to the cross,

15 and having stripped the realms and the authorities, he made an example of them openly, and triumphed over them by means of it.

16 So let no-one judge you in food or in drink or in partaking of a festival or of a new moon celebration, or of Sabbaths,

17 which are a shadow of things to come, whereas the reality belongs to Christ.

18 Let no-one defraud you of your prize, while he exercises his will in humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

19 and not holding onto the head, from where the whole body, supplied and united by joints and bands, grows with growth from God.

20 If you have died with Christ to the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are you imposed upon with ordinances?

21 – “Do not touch, and do not taste, and do not handle,”

22 which are all destined for decay with falling into disuse, these being after the commandments and teachings of men,

23 which indeed have a reputation for wisdom in self-willed worship and humility and austerity of the body, but not of any value for satisfying the flesh.

3

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

2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things on the earth,

3 for you have died, and your life has been hidden with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, who is our life, is manifested, then you also will be manifested with him in glory.

5 So mortify your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and fraud, which is idolatry,

6 on account of which the wrath of God comes on the sons of disobedience,

7 in which you once walked, when you lived in the way of them,

8 but now, you too, put all these aside: anger, rage, evil, blasphemy, and obscenity from your mouth.

9 Do not lie to one another, having taken off the old man with his practices,

10 then having put on the new man, who is renewed, leading to knowledge in accordance with the image of him who created him,

11 where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision or uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free man, but Christ who is all and in all.

12 Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, compassionate feelings, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering,

13 bearing up with each other, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against anyone; and as Christ also has forgiven you, so also you should do.

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

15 and may the peace of God preside in your hearts, to which you have also been called in one body. And do be thankful.

16 May the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, as you teach and admonish each other in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your heart to the Lord.

17 Also, everything you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the father through him.

18 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter towards them.

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

21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, so that they do not become disheartened.

22 Servants, obey your masters according to the flesh in everything, not in eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in single-mindedness, fearing God,

23 and whatever you do, do it whole-heartedly, as to the Lord, and not to men,

24 knowing that you will receive from the Lord the reward of the inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ,

25 but he who does wrong will be requited for what he has done wrong, and there is no partiality.

4

1 Masters, render to your servants that which is just and fair, knowing that you too have a master in the heavens.

2 Persevere in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving,

3 praying together for us too, that God may open to us a door for the word, for me to speak of the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am also bound,

4 that I may make it manifest as I ought to speak.

5 Walk in wisdom with respect to those outside, taking advantage of the opportunity.

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

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

8 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose: that he may know your circumstances and encourage your hearts,

9 with Onesimus the faithful and beloved brother who is one of you. They will make all the things going on here known to you.

10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas concerning whom you have received instructions. If he comes to you, receive him,

11 and Jesus who is called Justus, these being of the circumcision; only these are my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, who have become a consolation to me.

12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, greets you, always contending for your sakes in prayers, so that you may stand perfect and fulfilled in all the will of God,

13 for I bear him witness that he has a great zeal for you, and those in Laodicea and those in Hieropolis.

14 Luke the beloved doctor greets you, as does Demas.

15 Greet the brothers in Laodicea and Nymphas and the church at his house,

16 and when this epistle is read among you, arrange for it to be read in the church of the Loadiceans too and that you also read the one from Laodicea,

17 and say to Archipas, “See to the ministry which you received in the Lord – that you fulfil it.”

18 The greeting of Paul in my own handwriting. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen.