Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will
of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints
and faithful brethren in Christ that are at Colossae: Grace to you
and peace from God our Father. We give thanks to
God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and
of the love which ye have toward all the saints,
because of the hope which is laid up for you in
the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the
gospel, which is come unto you; even as it is
also in all the world bearing fruit and increasing, as it doth in
you also, since the day ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth;
even as ye learned of Epaphras our beloved
fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,
who also declared unto us your love in the
Spirit. For this cause we also, since the day we
heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye
may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and
understanding, to walk worthily of the Lord unto
all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the
knowledge of God; strengthened with all power,
according to the might of his glory, unto all patience and longsuffering
with joy; giving thanks unto the Father, who
made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;
who delivered us out of the power of darkness,
and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love;
in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness
of our sins: who is the image of the invisible
God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him
were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible
and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or
powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him;
and he is before all things, and in him all
things consist. And he is the head of the body,
the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all
things he might have the preeminence. For it was
the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the fulness
dwell; and through him to reconcile all things
unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through
him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things in the
heavens. And you, being in time past alienated
and enemies in your mind in your evil works, yet
now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present
you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him:
if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded
and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye
heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven; whereof I Paul was
made a minister. Now I rejoice in my sufferings
for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the
afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the
church; whereof I was made a minister, according
to the dispensation of God which was given me to you-ward, to fulfil the
word of God, even the mystery which hath
been hid for ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to his
saints, to whom God was pleased to make known
what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which
is Christ in you, the hope of glory: whom we
proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that
we may present every man perfect in Christ;
whereunto I labor also, striving according to
his working, which worketh in me mightily.
For I would have you know how greatly I strive
for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my
face in the flesh; that their hearts may be
comforted, they being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the
full assurance of understanding, that they may know the mystery of God,
even Christ, in whom are all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge hidden. This I say, that
no one may delude you with persuasiveness of speech.
For though I am absent in the flesh, yet am I
with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the
stedfastness of your faith in Christ. As
therefore ye received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
rooted and builded up in him, and established in
your faith, even as ye were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh
spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition
of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ:
for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the
Godhead bodily, and in him ye are made full, who
is the head of all principality and power: in
whom ye were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in
the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ;
having been buried with him in baptism, wherein
ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who
raised him from the dead. And you, being dead
through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, I
say, did he make alive together with him, having forgiven us all our
trespasses; having blotted out the bond written
in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us: and he hath
taken it out that way, nailing it to the cross;
having despoiled the principalities and the
powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in
drink, or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or a sabbath day:
which are a shadow of the things to come; but
the body is Christ's. Let no man rob you of your
prize by a voluntary humility and worshipping of the angels, dwelling in
the things which he hath seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
and not holding fast the Head, from whom all the
body, being supplied and knit together through the joints and bands,
increasing with the increase of God. If ye died
with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the
world, do ye subject yourselves to ordinances,
Handle not, nor taste, nor touch
(all which things are to perish with the using),
after the precepts and doctrines of men? Which
things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and
severity to the body; but are not of any value against the
indulgence of the flesh.
If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek
the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of
God. Set your mind on the things that are above,
not on the things that are upon the earth. For ye
died, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
When Christ, who is our life, shall be
manifested, then shall ye also with him be manifested in glory.
Put to death therefore your members which are
upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and
covetousness, which is idolatry; for which
things' sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience:
wherein ye also once walked, when ye lived in
these things; but now do ye also put them all
away: anger, wrath, malice, railing, shameful speaking out of your mouth:
lie not one to another; seeing that ye have put
off the old man with his doings, and have put on
the new man, that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him
that created him: where there cannot be Greek
and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman,
freeman; but Christ is all, and in all. Put on
therefore, as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion,
kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering;
forbearing one another, and forgiving each
other, if any man have a complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave
you, so also do ye: and above all these things
put on love, which is the bond of perfectness.
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
to the which also ye were called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; in
all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto
God. And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed,
do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the
Father through him. Wives, be in subjection to
your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter
against them. Children, obey your parents in all
things, for this is well-pleasing in the Lord.
Fathers, provoke not your children, that they be
not discouraged. Servants, obey in all things
them that are your masters according to the flesh; not with eye-service,
as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing the Lord:
whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as unto the
Lord, and not unto men; knowing that from the
Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord
Christ. For he that doeth wrong shall receive
again for the wrong that he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
Masters, render unto your servants that which is
just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
Continue stedfastly in prayer, watching therein
with thanksgiving; withal praying for us also,
that God may open unto us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of
Christ, for which I am also in bonds; that I may
make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in
wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.
Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned
with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one.
All my affairs shall Tychicus make known unto
you, the beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow-servant in the
Lord: whom I have sent you for this very purpose,
that ye may know our state, and that he may comfort your hearts;
together with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved
brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things that
are done here. Aristarchus my
fellow-prisoner saluteth you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (touching
whom ye received commandments; if he come unto you, receive him),
and Jesus that is called Justus, who are of the
circumcision: these only are my fellow-workers unto the kingdom of
God, men that have been a comfort unto me.
Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ
Jesus, saluteth you, always striving for you in his prayers, that ye may
stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.
For I bear him witness, that he hath much labor
for you, and for them in Laodicea, and for them in Hierapolis.
Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas salute
you. Salute the brethren that are in Laodicea,
and Nymphas, and the church that is in their house.
And when this epistle hath been read among you,
cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye
also read the epistle from Laodicea. And say to
Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord,
that thou fulfil it. The salutation of me Paul
with mine own hand. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you.
HTML generated 21 September 2002.
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