1 *aPaul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus aaour brother, 2 To the saints and faithful brethren bin Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 cWe give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, 5 For dthe hope which is elaid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in fthe word of the truth of the gospel; 6 Which is come unto you, gas it is in all the world; and hbringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew ithe grace of God in truth: 7 As ye also learned of kEpaphras our dear lfellowservant, who is for you la mfaithful minister of Christ; 8 Who also declared unto us your nlove oin the Spirit.

9 For this cause we also, csince the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire pthat ye might be filled with qthe knowledge of his will rin all wisdom and spiritual sunderstanding; 10 tThat ye might walk worthy of the Lord uunto all pleasing, hvbeing fruitful in wevery good work, and xincreasing in the knowledge of God; 11 yStrengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and zlongsuffering awith joyfulness; 12 bGiving thanks unto the Father, which hath cmade us meet to be dpartakers of dthe inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath edelivered us from fthe power of gdarkness, and hath translated us hinto the kingdom of †his idear Son: 14 jIn whom we have redemption kthrough his blood, even lthe forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is mthe image of nthe invisible God, othe pfirstborn of every creature: 16 For qby him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be qqthrones, or rdominions, or stprincipalities, or rspowers: qall things were created uvby him, and ufor him: 17 And owhe is before all things, and qby him xall things xxconsist. 18 And yhe is the head of the body, the church: owho is zthe beginning, zathe firstborn from the dead; that ||in ball things he might have the preeminence. 19 For cit pleased the Father that din him should all efulness dwell; 20 And, ||fhaving made peace gthrough the blood of his cross, hby him to reconcile ball things unto himself; by him, I say, iwhether they be things in earth, or jthings in heaven.

21 kAnd you, that were ksometime lalienated and menemies ||in your mind nby wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 oIn the body of his flesh through death, pto present you holy and unblameable and qunreproveable in his sight: 23 rIf ye continue in the faith sgrounded and tsettled, and be not moved away from uthe hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and wwhich was preached xto every creature which is under heaven; ywhereof I Paul am made a minister; 24 zWho now rejoice in my sufferings afor you, and fill up bthat which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh cfor dhis body’s sake, which is the church: 25 yWhereof I am made a minister, according to ethe dispensation of God which is given to me for you, ||to fulfil the word of God; 26 Even fthe mystery which hath been hid from ages and from ggenerations, fhbut now is made manifest to his saints: 27 iTo whom God would make known what is kthe riches of the glory of this fmystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ ||in you, lthe hope of glory: 28 Whom we preach, mwarning every man, and mteaching every man mmin all wisdom; nthat we may present every man operfect in Christ Jesus: 29 Whereunto pI also labour, qstriving raccording to his working, which sworketh in me mightily.

2 For aI would that ye knew what great ||bconflict I have for you, and for them at cLaodicea, and for das many as have not seen my face in the flesh; 2 That etheir hearts might be comforted, fbeing knit together in love, and unto gall riches of hthe full assurance of understanding, to ithe acknowledgement of iithe mystery of jGod, and of the Father, and of Christ; 3 ||In whom are hid all the treasures of kwisdom and lknowledge. 4 And this I say, mlest any man should nbeguile you owith enticing words. 5 For pthough I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your qorder, and the rstedfastness of your faith in Christ. 6 sAs ye have therefore streceived Christ Jesus the Lord, so swalk ye in him: 7 uRooted and wbuilt up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein xwith thanksgiving.

8 yBeware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after zthe tradition of men, after the ||rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9 For in him adwelleth all the bfulness of the Godhead cbodily. 10 And dye are complete in him, ewhich is the head of all fprincipality and fpower: 11 In whom also ye are circumcised with gthe circumcision made without hands, hin putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: 12 iBuried with him in baptism, wherein also jye are risen with him through kthe faith of lthe operation of God, mwho hath raised him from the dead. 13 nAnd you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14 opBlotting out the handwriting of qordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and rtook it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; 15 And shaving spoiled fprincipalities and fpowers, she made a shew of them openly, ttriumphing over them ||uin it.

16 Let no man therefore wjudge you ||xin meat, or in drink, or ||in respect of yan holyday, or of zthe new moon, or of athe sabbath days: 17 Which are ba shadow of things to come; but cthe body is of Christ. 18 dLet no man ||beguile you of your reward †in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, eintruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly fpuffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 And not gholding hthe Head, hfrom which all the body by joints and ibands iihaving nourishment ministered, and hknit together, jincreaseth with jjthe increase of God. 20 Wherefore kif ye be dead with Christ from the ||rudiments of the world, lwhy, as though living in the world, are ye msubject to ordinances, 21 n(Touch not; otaste not; handle not; 22 pWhich all are qto perish with the using;) after rthe commandments and rdoctrines of men? 23 sWhich things have indeed a shew of wisdom in twill worship, and thumility, and ||neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.