Colossians 2–4

CHAPTER 2

Alive with Christ

¹For I want you to understand how great a ^astruggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at ^bLaodicea, and for all those who have not seen my face in the flesh,

²so that their ^ahearts may be encouraged, having been ^bheld together in love, even unto all ^cthe wealth of the full assurance of understanding, unto the ^dfull knowledge of ^eGod’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself,

³in whom are hidden all ^athe treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

^4aI say this so that no one will delude you with ^bpersuasive argument.

⁵For even though I am ^aabsent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing ¹to see your ^bgood order and the ^cstability of your faith in Christ.

⁶Therefore as you received ^aChrist Jesus the Lord, so ^1bwalk in Him,

⁷having been firmly ^arooted and being ^bbuilt up in Him, and having been ^cestablished ¹in your faith—just as you ^dwere instructed—and abounding ²with thanksgiving.

^8aSee to it that no one takes you captive through ^bphilosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the ^celementary principles of the world, and not according to Christ.

⁹For in Him all the ^afullness of Deity dwells bodily,

¹⁰and in Him you have been ^afilled, ^bwho is the head ¹over all ^crule and authority;

¹¹in whom ^ayou were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of ^bthe body of the flesh, in the circumcision of Christ,

¹²having been ^aburied with Him in baptism, in which you were also ^braised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who ^craised Him from the dead.

¹³And you being ^adead ¹in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He ^bmade you alive with Him, having graciously forgiven us all our transgressions.

¹⁴Having canceled out ^athe certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us which was hostile to us, ^bHe also has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

¹⁵Having ^1adisarmed the ^brulers and authorities, He ^cmade a public display of them, having ^dtriumphed over them in ²Him.

¹⁶Therefore, no one is to ^ajudge you in ^bfood and ^cdrink, or in respect to a ^dfestival or a ^enew moon or a ^fSabbath ¹day—

¹⁷things which are only a ^ashadow of what is to come; but the ¹substance ²belongs to Christ.

¹⁸Let no one keep ^1adefrauding you of your prize by ^bdelighting in ²self-abasement and the worship of the angels, going into detail about visions he has seen, ^cbeing puffed up for nothing by his ^dfleshly mind,

¹⁹and not holding fast to ^athe head, from whom ^bthe entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ¹ligaments, grows with a growth ²that is from God.

^20aIf you have died with Christ ¹to the ^belementary principles of the world, ^cwhy, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to ^ddecrees:

²¹“Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch”?

²²Which ¹deal with everything ^adestined to perish ²with use, which are in accordance with the ^bcommands and teachings of men;

²³which are matters having, to be sure, a ¹word of wisdom in ^2aself-made religion and self-abasement and ^bsevere treatment of the body, but are of no value against ^cfleshly indulgence.

CHAPTER 3

Put On the New Man

¹Therefore, if you have been ^araised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, ^bseated at the right hand of God.

^21aSet your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

³For you ^adied and your life has been hidden with Christ in God.

⁴When Christ, ^awho is our life, is manifested, ^bthen you also will be manifested with Him in glory.

^5aTherefore, ¹consider ^bthe members of your earthly body as dead to ^csexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.

⁶On account of these things, ^athe wrath of God is coming ¹upon the sons of disobedience,

⁷and ^ain them you also once walked, when you were living ¹in them.

⁸But now you also, ^alay them all aside: ^bwrath, anger, malice, slander, and ^cabusive speech from your mouth.

^91aDo not lie to one another, since you ^bput off the old man with its evil practices,

¹⁰and have ^aput on the new man who is being ^1brenewed to a full knowledge ^caccording to the image of the One who ^dcreated him—

¹¹a renewal in which ^athere is no distinction between Greek and Jew, ^bcircumcised and uncircumcised, ^1cbarbarian, Scythian, ^dslave, and freeman, but ^eChrist is all and in all.

¹²So, as the ^aelect of God, holy and beloved, ^bput on a ^cheart of compassion, kindness, ^dhumility, gentleness, and ^1epatience;

^13abearing with one another, and ^bgraciously forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone, ^cjust as the Lord graciously forgave you, so also should you.

¹⁴Above all these things put on love, which is ^1athe perfect bond of ^bunity.

¹⁵And let ^athe peace of Christ ¹rule in your hearts, to which ²indeed you were called in ^bone body, and ³be thankful.

¹⁶Let ^athe word of ¹Christ dwell in you richly, ²with all wisdom ^bteaching and admonishing ³one another ^cwith psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, ^dsinging ⁴with gratefulness in your hearts to God.

^17aAnd whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, ^bgiving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Family and Work

^18aWives, ^bbe subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.

^19aHusbands, love your wives and do not be embittered against them.

^20aChildren, obey your parents in all things, for this is pleasing ¹to the Lord.

^21aFathers, do not exasperate your children, so that they will not lose heart.

^22aSlaves, in all things obey those who are your masters ¹according to the flesh, ^bnot with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but with ²integrity of heart, fearing the Lord.

²³Whatever you do, do your work ¹heartily, ^aas for the Lord ²rather than for men,

^24aknowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward ¹of ^bthe inheritance. ^2cServe the Lord Christ.

²⁵For ^ahe who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and ^1bthat without partiality.

CHAPTER 4

Final Instructions and Greetings

¹Masters, show to your slaves what is right and fair, ^aknowing that you too have a Master in heaven.

^2aDevote yourselves to prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving;

³praying at the same time ^afor us as well, that God will open up to us a ^bdoor for ^cthe word, so that we may speak ^dthe mystery of Christ, for which I have also ^ebeen bound,

⁴that I may make it ^amanifest ^bin the way I ought to speak.

^5aWalk in wisdom toward ^boutsiders, ^credeeming the time.

^6aLet your ¹words always be ²with grace, seasoned with ^bsalt, so that you will know how you should ^canswer each person.

^7aTychicus, our ^bbeloved brother and faithful servant and fellow slave in the Lord, will make known to you ^call my affairs,

^8awhom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may ^bencourage your hearts;

⁹¹and with him ^aOnesimus, our faithful and ^bbeloved brother, ^cwho is one of you. They will inform you about the whole situation here.

^10aAristarchus, my ^bfellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Mark, the cousin of ^cBarnabas (about whom you received ¹instructions; ^dif he comes to you, welcome him);

¹¹and also Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only ^afellow workers for the kingdom of God ^bwho are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be a comfort to me.

^12aEpaphras, ^bwho is one of your number, a slave of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, always ^cstriving for you in his prayers, that you may stand ^1dcomplete and ^efully assured in all the will of God.

¹³For I testify for him that he has ¹a deep concern for you and for those who are in ^aLaodicea and Hierapolis.

^14aLuke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also ^bDemas.

¹⁵Greet the brothers who are in ^aLaodicea and also ¹Nympha and ^bthe church that is in ²her house.

^16aAnd when ¹this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part ^bread ²my letter that is coming from ^cLaodicea.

¹⁷And say to ^aArchippus, “Take heed to the ^bministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may ¹fulfill it.”

^18aThe greeting is in my own hand—¹Paul. ^bRemember my ^cchains. ^dGrace be with you.