Put On the New Self
1 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.
1 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.
Greeting
1 Paul, a aprisoner for Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother,
To Philemon our beloved fellow worker 2 and Apphia our sister and bArchippus our cfellow soldier, and dthe church in your house:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philemon’s Love and Faith
4 eI thank my God always when I fremember you in my prayers, 5 because gI hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, 6 and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full hknowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.1 7 For iI have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.
Paul’s Plea for Onesimus
8 Accordingly, though I am jbold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, 9 yet for love’s sake I prefer to appeal to you—I, Paul, an old man and now a prisoner also for Christ Jesus— 10 kI appeal to you for my child, lOnesimus,2 whose mfather I became in my imprisonment. 11 (Formerly he was useless to you, but now he is indeed useful to you and to me.) 12 I am sending him back to you, sending my very heart. 13 I would have been glad to keep him with me, nin order that he might serve me on your behalf during my imprisonment for the gospel, 14 but I preferred to do nothing without your consent in order that your goodness might onot be by compulsion but of your own accord. 15 For this perhaps is why he was parted from you for a while, that you might have him back forever, 16 pno longer as a bondservant3 but more than a bondservant, as a beloved qbrother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.
17 So if you consider me your rpartner, receive him as you would receive me. 18 If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. 19 sI, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. 20 Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ.
21 tConfident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do ueven more than I say. 22 At the same time, prepare a guest room for me, for vI am hoping that wthrough your prayers I will be graciously given to you.
Final Greetings
23 xEpaphras, my yfellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, zDemas, and aLuke, my fellow workers.
25 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.
