#1
Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy, a brother
to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ Jesus who are at Colossae
Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying for you always
For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love that you have toward all the saints
because of the hope that has been stored up for you in heaven, which you have heard through the Word of Truth in the Gospel
This has reached you, just as it is present in the whole world, where it grows and bears fruit, as it has also done in you, since the day when you first heard and knew the grace of God in truth
just as you learned it from Epaphras, our most beloved fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ Jesus
And he has also manifested to us your love in the Spirit
Then, too, from the day when we first heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and requesting that you be filled with the knowledge of his will, with all wisdom and spiritual understanding
so that you may walk in a manner worthy of God, being pleasing in all things, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God
being strengthened in every virtue, in accord with the power of his glory, with all patience and longsuffering, with joy
giving thanks to God the Father, who has made us worthy to have a share in the portion of the saints, in the light
For he has rescued us from the power of darkness, and he has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love
in whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins
He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature
For in him was created everything in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers. All things were created through him and in him
And he is before all, and in him all things continue
And he is the head of his body, the Church. He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, so that in all things he may hold primacy
For the Father is well-pleased that all fullness reside in him
and that, through him, all things be reconciled to himself, making peace through the blood of his cross, for the things that are on earth, as well as the things that are in heaven
And you, though you had been, in times past, understood to be foreigners and enemies, with works of evil
yet now he has reconciled you, by his body of flesh, through death, so as to offer you, holy and immaculate and blameless, before him
So then, continue in the faith: well-founded and steadfast and immovable, by the hope of the Gospel that you have heard, which has been preached throughout all creation under heaven, the Gospel of which I, Paul, have become a minister
For now I rejoice in my passion on your behalf, and I complete in my flesh the things that are lacking in the Passion of Christ, for the sake of his body, which is the Church
For I have become a minister of the Church, according to the dispensation of God that has been given to me among you, so that I may fulfill the Word of God
the mystery which had remained hidden to past ages and generations, but which now is manifested to his saints
To them, God willed to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ and the hope of his glory within you
We are announcing him, correcting every man and teaching every man, with all wisdom, so that we may offer every man perfect in Christ Jesus
In him, too, I labor, striving according to his action within me, which he works in virtue
#2
For I want you to know the kind of solicitude that I have for you, and for those who are at Laodicea, as well as for those who have not seen my face in the flesh
May their hearts be consoled and instructed in charity, with all the riches of a plenitude of understanding, with knowledge of the mystery of God the Father and of Christ Jesus
For in him are hidden all treasures of wisdom and knowledge
Now I say this, so that no one may deceive you with grandiose words
For though I may be absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit. And I rejoice as I gaze upon your order and its foundation, which is in Christ, your faith
Therefore, just as you have received the Lord Jesus Christ, walk in him
Be rooted and continually built up in Christ. And be confirmed in the faith, just as you have also learned it, increasing in him with acts of thanksgiving
See to it that no one deceives you through philosophy and empty falsehoods, as found in the traditions of men, in accord with the influences of the world, and not in accord with Christ
For in him, all the fullness of the Divine Nature dwells bodily
And in him, you have been filled; for he is the head of all principality and power
In him also, you have been circumcised with a circumcision not made by hand, not by the despoiling of the body of flesh, but by the circumcision of Christ
You have been buried with him in baptism. In him also, you have risen again through faith, by the work of God, who raised him up from the dead
And when you were dead in your transgressions and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he enlivened you, together with him, forgiving you of all transgressions
and wiping away the handwriting of the decree which was against us, which was contrary to us. And he has taken this away from your midst, affixing it to the Cross
And so, despoiling principalities and powers, he has led them away confidently and openly, triumphing over them in himself
Therefore, let no one judge you as concerns food or drink, or a particular feast day, or feast days of new moons, or of Sabbaths
For these are a shadow of the future, but the body is of Christ
Let no one seduce you, preferring base things and a religion of Angels, walking according to what he has not seen, being vainly inflated by the sensations of his flesh
and not holding up the head, with which the whole body, by its underlying joints and ligaments, is joined together and grows with an increase that is of God
So then, if you have died with Christ to the influences of this world, why do you still make decisions as if you were living in the world
Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle these things
which all lead to destruction by their very use, in accord with the precepts and doctrines of men
Such ideas have at least an intention to attain to wisdom, but through superstition and debasement, not sparing the body, and they are without any honor in satiating the flesh
#3
Therefore, if you have risen together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God
Consider the things that are above, not the things that are upon the earth
For you have died, and so your life is hidden with Christ in God
When Christ, your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory
Therefore, mortify your body, while it is upon the earth. For because of fornication, impurity, lust, evil desires, and avarice, which are a kind of service to idols
the wrath of God has overwhelmed the sons of unbelief
You, too, walked in these things, in times past, when you were living among them
But now you must set aside all these things: anger, indignation, malice, blasphemy, and indecent speech from your mouth
Do not lie to one another. Strip yourselves of the old man, with his deeds
and clothe yourself with the new man, who has been renewed by knowledge, in accord with the image of the One who created him
where there is neither Gentile nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian nor Scythian, servant nor free. Instead, Christ is everything, in everyone
Therefore, clothe yourselves like the elect of God: holy and beloved, with hearts of mercy, kindness, humility, modesty, and patience
Support one another, and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive one another. For just as the Lord has forgiven you, so also must you do
And above all these things have charity, which is the bond of perfection
And let the peace of Christ lift up your hearts. For in this peace, you have been called, as one body. And be thankful
Let the word of Christ live in you in abundance, with all wisdom, teaching and correcting one another, with psalms, hymns, and spiritual canticles, singing to God with the grace in your hearts
Let everything whatsoever that you do, whether in word or in deed, be done all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through him
Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord
Husbands, love your wives, and do not be bitter toward them
Children, obey your parents in all things. For this is well-pleasing to the Lord
Fathers, do not provoke your children to indignation, lest they lose heart
Servants, obey, in all things, your lords according to the flesh, not serving only when seen, as if to please men, but serving in simplicity of heart, fearing God
Whatever you do, do it from the heart, as for the Lord, and not for men
For you know that you will receive from the Lord the repayment of an inheritance. Serve Christ the Lord
For whoever causes injury shall be repaid for what he has wrongfully done. And there no favoritism with God
#4
You masters, supply your servants with what is just and equitable, knowing that you, too, have a Master in heaven
Pursue prayer. Be watchful in prayer with acts of thanksgiving
Pray together, for us also, so that God may open a door of speech to us, so as to speak the mystery of Christ, (because of which, even now, I am in chains
so that I may manifest it in the manner that I ought to speak
Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming this age
Let your speech be ever graceful, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to respond to each person
As for the things that concern me, Tychicus, a most beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord, will make everything known to you
I have sent him to you for this very purpose, so that he may know the things that concern you, and may console your hearts
with Onesimus, a most beloved and faithful brother, who is from among you. They shall make known to you everything that is happening here
Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, as does Mark, the near cousin of Barnabas, about whom you have received instructions, (if he comes to you, receive him
and Jesus, who is called Justus, and those who are of the circumcision. These alone are my assistants, unto the kingdom of God; they have been a consolation to me
Epaphras greets you, who is from among you, a servant of Christ Jesus, ever solicitous for you in prayer, so that you may stand, perfect and complete, in the entire will of God
For I offer testimony to him, that he has labored greatly for you, and for those who are at Laodicea, and for those at Hierapolis
Luke, a most beloved physician, greets you, as does Demas
Greet the brothers who are at Laodicea, and Nymphas, and those who are at his house, a church
And when this epistle has been read among you, cause it to be read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and you should read that which is from the Laodiceans
And tell Archippus: "See to the ministry that you have received in the Lord, in order to fulfill it.
The greeting of Paul by my own hand. Remember my chains. May grace be with you. Amen