Greeting

COLOSSIANS 1 [†]Paul,  a an apostle of Christ Jesus  b by the will of God, and Timothy  c our brother,

2[†]To the  d saints and faithful brothers [1] in Christ at Colossae:

 e Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

3[†] f We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4[†]since we heard of  g your faith in Christ Jesus and of  g the love that you have for all the saints, 5because of  h the hope  i laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in  j the word of the truth, the gospel, 6[†]which has come to you, as indeed  k in the whole world it is  l bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you  m heard it and understood  n the grace of God in truth, 7[†]just as you learned it from  o Epaphras our beloved  p fellow servant. [2] He is  p a faithful minister of Christ on your [3] behalf 8and has made known to us your  q love in the Spirit.

9[†]And so,  r from the day we heard,  s we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that  t you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all  u spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10[†]so as  v to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,  w fully pleasing to him,  x bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11[†] y May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for  z all endurance and patience  a with joy, 12[†] b giving thanks [4] to the Father, who has qualified you [5] to share in  c the inheritance of the saints in light. 13[†]He  d has delivered us from  e the domain of darkness and transferred us to  f the kingdom of  g his beloved Son, 14[†] h in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Preeminence of Christ

15[†] i He is the image of  j the invisible God,  k the firstborn of all creation. 16[†]For by [6] him all things were created,  l in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether  m thrones or  n dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created  o through him and for him. 17[†]And  p he is before all things, and in him all things  q hold together. 18[†]And  r he is the head of the body, the church. He is  s the beginning,  t the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19[†]For  u in him all the  v fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20[†]and  w through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven,  x making peace  y by the blood of his cross.

21[†] z And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind,  a doing evil deeds, 22he has now reconciled  b in his body of flesh by his death,  c in order to present you holy and blameless and  d above reproach before him, 23[†] e if indeed you continue in the faith,  f stable and steadfast, not shifting from  g the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed  h in all creation [7] under heaven,  i and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Paul’s Ministry to the Church

24[†]Now  j I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh  k I am filling up  l what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions  m for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25[†] n of which I became a minister according to  o the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26[†] p the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 q To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are  r the riches of the glory of  p this mystery, which is Christ in you,  s the hope of glory. 28Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that  t we may present everyone  u mature in Christ. 29[†]For this  v I toil,  w struggling  x with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

COLOSSIANS 2 [†]For I want you to know  y how great a  w struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2[†]that  z their hearts may be encouraged, being  a knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of  b God’s mystery, which is Christ, 3[†] c in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4[†]I say this in order  d that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5[†]For  e though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your  f good order and  g the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Alive in Christ

6[†] h Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, 7 i rooted and  j built up in him and  k established in the faith, just  l as you were taught, abounding  m in thanksgiving.

8[†]See to it that no one takes you captive by  n philosophy and  o empty deceit, according to  p human tradition, according to the  q elemental spirits [1] of the world, and not according to Christ. 9[†]For  r in him the whole fullness of deity dwells  s bodily, 10[†]and  t you have been filled in him, who is  u the head of all rule and authority. 11[†]In him also  v you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by  w putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12[†] x having been buried with him in baptism, in which  y you were also raised with him through faith in  z the powerful working of God,  z who raised him from the dead. 13 a And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God  b made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14[†]by  c canceling  d the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15[†] w He disarmed the rulers and authorities [2] and  e put them to open shame, by  f triumphing over them in him. [3]

Let No One Disqualify You

16[†]Therefore let no one  g pass judgment on you  h in questions of food and drink, or with regard to  i a festival or  j a new moon or a Sabbath. 17[†] k These are a shadow of the things to come, but  l the substance belongs to Christ. 18[†]Let no one  m disqualify you,  n insisting on asceticism and worship of angels,  o going on in detail about visions, [4]  p puffed up without reason by  q his sensuous mind, 19[†]and  r not  s 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 with Christ  t you died to the  u elemental spirits of the world,  v why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21[†] w “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22( x referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to  y human precepts and teachings? 23[†]These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in  z promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are  a of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

Put On the New Self

COLOSSIANS 3 [†] b If then you have been raised with Christ, seek  c the things that are above, where Christ is,  d seated at the right hand of God. 2 e Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3[†]For  f you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4When Christ  g who is your [1] life  h appears, then you also will appear with him  i in glory.

5[†] j Put to death therefore  k what is earthly in you: [2]  l sexual immorality, impurity,  m passion, evil desire, and covetousness,  n which is idolatry. 6[†] o On account of these the wrath of God is coming. [3] 7 p In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8[†]But now  q you must put them all away:  r anger, wrath, malice,  s slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9[†] t Do not lie to one another, seeing that  u you have put off  v the old self [4] with its practices 10and  w have put on  x the new self,  y which is being renewed in knowledge  z after the image of  a its creator. 11[†] b Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, [5] free; but Christ is  c all, and in all.

12[†] d Put on then, as  e God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved,  f compassionate hearts,  g kindness,  h humility, meekness, and patience, 13[†] h bearing with one another and,  i if one has a complaint against another,  g forgiving each other;  g as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14[†]And above all these put on  j love, which  k binds everything together in  l perfect harmony. 15And let  m the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called  n in one body. And  o be thankful. 16[†]Let  p the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom,  q singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs,  r with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And  s whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus,  t giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Rules for Christian Households

18[†] u Wives, submit to your husbands, as  v is fitting in the Lord. 19[†]Husbands, love your wives, and  w do not be harsh with them. 20[†]Children, obey your parents  x in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21[†]Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22[†]Bondservants, [6] obey  x in everything those who are your earthly masters, [7] not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. 23 y Whatever you do, work heartily,  z as for the Lord and not for men, 24knowing that from the Lord  a you will receive the inheritance as your reward.  b You are serving the Lord Christ. 25For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

COLOSSIANS 4 [†]Masters, treat your bondservants justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

Further Instructions

2 c Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it  d with thanksgiving. 3[†]At the same time, pray also for us, that God may  e open to us a door for the word,  f to declare the mystery of Christ,  g on account of which I am in prison— 4that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

5[†] h Walk in wisdom toward  i outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6Let your speech always  j be gracious,  k seasoned with salt,  l so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Final Greetings

7[†]Tychicus will tell you  m all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant [1] in the Lord. 8I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, 9[†]and with him  n Onesimus, our faithful and  o beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

10[†] p Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark  q the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions— r if he comes to you, welcome him), 11and Jesus who is called  s Justus.  t These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and  u they have been a comfort to me. 12 v Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always  w struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand  x mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13[†]For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14[†] y Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does  z Demas. 15[†]Give my greetings to the brothers [2] at Laodicea, and to Nympha and  a the church in her house. 16[†]And when  b this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17[†]And say to  c Archippus, “See that you fulfill  d the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”

18[†]I, Paul,  e write this greeting with my own hand.  f Remember  g my chains.  h Grace be with you.