Colossians
Greeting
1 Paul, an aapostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and bfaithful brothers1 in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3 cWe always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 since dwe heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, 5 because of the ehope flaid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the gword of the truth, the gospel, 6 which has come to you, as indeed hin the whole world it is ibearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you jheard it and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 just as you learned it from kEpaphras our beloved fellow servant.2 He is a faithful minister of Christ on your3 behalf 8 and has made known to us your llove in the Spirit.
9 And so, from the day we heard, we have mnot ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge nof his will in oall spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to pwalk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: qbearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 being rstrengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks4 to the Father, who has qualified you5 to share in the sinheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has tdelivered us from the udomain of darkness and vtransferred us to the kingdom of his wbeloved Son, 14 in whom we have xredemption, the yforgiveness of sins.
The Preeminence of Christ
15 He is the zimage of the ainvisible God, bthe firstborn of all creation. 16 For cby6 him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether dthrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is ebefore all things, and in him all things fhold together. 18 And he is the ghead of the body, the church. He is hthe beginning, ithe firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be jpreeminent. 19 For in him all the kfullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him lto reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, mmaking peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, nwho once were oalienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now preconciled qin his body of flesh by his death, rin order to present you sholy and blameless and tabove reproach before him, 23 uif indeed you continue in the faith, vstable and wsteadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation7 under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a xminister.
Paul’s Ministry to the Church
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am yfilling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his zbody, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the astewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the bmystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 To them cGod chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the driches of the glory of this emystery, which is Christ fin you, the ghope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone hmature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, struggling iwith all his energy that he powerfully jworks within me.
2 For I want you to know how great a kstruggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, 2 that their hearts may be lencouraged, being mknit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s nmystery, which is Christ, 3 oin whom are hidden pall the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. 4 I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. 5 For though I am qabsent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good rorder and the sfirmness of your faith in Christ.
Alive in Christ
6 Therefore, tas you ureceived Christ Jesus the Lord, so vwalk in him, 7 wrooted and xbuilt up in him and established in the faith, just as you were ytaught, abounding in thanksgiving.
8 See to it that no one ztakes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human atradition, according to the belemental spirits1 of the world, and not according to Christ. 9 For in him the whole cfullness of deity dwells bodily, 10 and dyou have been filled in him, who is the ehead of all rule and authority. 11 In him also you were fcircumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by gputting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been hburied with him in ibaptism, in which you were also jraised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, kwho raised him from the dead. 13 And you, who were ldead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 mby ncanceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the orulers and authorities2 and put them to open shame, by ptriumphing over them in him.3
Let No One Disqualify You
16 Therefore qlet no one pass judgment on you in questions of rfood and drink, or swith regard to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath. 17 These are a tshadow of the things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ. 18 Let no one udisqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions,4 vpuffed up wwithout reason by his sensuous mind, 19 and not holding fast to the xHead, 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 you died to the elemental spirits of the world, ywhy, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 z“Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 a(referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to bhuman precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in cstopping the indulgence of the flesh.
Put On the New Self
3 If then you have been draised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, eseated at the right hand of God. 2 fSet your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For gyou have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 hWhen Christ who is your1 life appears, then you also will appear with him iin glory.
5 jPut to death therefore what is earthly in you:2 sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, kwhich is idolatry. 6 lOn account of these the wrath of God is coming.3 7 mIn these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But nnow you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 oDo not lie to one another, seeing that you have pput off the qold self4 with its practices 10 and have rput on the snew self, which is being trenewed in knowledge uafter the image of its creator. 11 Here there is vnot Greek and Jew, wcircumcised and uncircumcised, xbarbarian, Scythian, yslave,5 free; but Christ is all, and in all.
12 zPut on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, acompassionate hearts, bkindness, chumility, dmeekness, and epatience, 13 bearing with one another and, fif one has a complaint against another, gforgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And habove all these put on love, which ibinds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the jpeace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were kcalled in lone body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and madmonishing one another in all wisdom, nsinging psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And owhatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the pname of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Rules for Christian Households
18 qWives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 rHusbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. 20 sChildren, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. 21 tFathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. 22 uBondservants, obey in everything those who are your vearthly masters,6 not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, wfearing the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work heartily, xas for the Lord and not for men, 24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the yinheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is zno partiality.
4 Masters, treat your bondservants1 justly and fairly, aknowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
Further Instructions
2 bContinue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, cpray also for us, that God may open to us a ddoor for the word, to declare the emystery of Christ, fon account of which I am in prison— 4 that I may make it clear, which is ghow I ought to speak.
5 hWalk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. 6 iLet your speech always be gracious, jseasoned with salt, kso that you may know how you ought to answer each person.
Final Greetings
7 lTychicus will tell you all about my activities. mHe is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant2 in the Lord. 8 I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may nencourage your hearts, 9 and with him oOnesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.
10 Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—if he comes to you, welcome him), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only men of pthe circumcision among my 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 Jesus, greets you, always qstruggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand rmature 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 sLuke the beloved physician greets you, as does tDemas. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers3 at Laodicea, and to Nympha and uthe church in her house. 16 And vwhen 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 wArchippus, “See that you xfulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”
18 yI, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. zGrace be with you.
1 Thessalonians
Greeting
1 Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy,
To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
Grace to you and peace.
The Thessalonians’ Faith and Example
2 aWe give thanks to God always for all of you, bconstantly1 mentioning you in our prayers, 3 remembering before our God and Father your cwork of dfaith and labor of elove and steadfastness of fhope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 For we know, gbrothers2 loved by God, that he has chosen you, 5 because our gospel came to you not only in word, but also hin power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. iYou know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. 6 And you jbecame imitators of us and of the Lord, for kyou received the word in much affliction, with the ljoy of the Holy Spirit, 7 so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 8 For not only has mthe word of the Lord sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but nyour ofaith in God has gone forth everywhere, so that we need not say anything. 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of preception we had among you, and how you qturned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to rwait for his Son sfrom heaven, whom the raised from the dead, Jesus who udelivers us from the vwrath to come.
