Colossians 2–3

¹For I wish you to know how great a conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, ²that their hearts may be comforted, being united in love, and to all riches of the full assurance of the understanding, to the full knowledge of the secret of the God and Father, and of the Christ, ³in whom are all the treasures of the wisdom and the knowledge hid.

⁴And this I say, that no one may beguile you in enticing words, ⁵for if even in the flesh I am absent—yet in the spirit I am with you, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in regard to Christ; ⁶as, then, ye did receive Christ Jesus the Lord, in him walk ye, ⁷being rooted and built up in him, and confirmed in the faith, as ye were taught—abounding in it in thanksgiving. ⁸See that no one shall be carrying you away as spoil through the philosophy and vain deceit, according to the deliverance of men, according to the rudiments of the world, and not according to Christ, ⁹because in him doth tabernacle all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, ¹⁰and ye are in him made full, who is the head of all principality and authority, ¹¹in whom also ye were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh in the circumcision of the Christ, ¹²being buried with him in the baptism, in which also ye rose with him through the faith of the working of God, who did raise him out of the dead.

¹³And you—being dead in the trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh—He made alive together with him, having forgiven you all the trespasses, ¹⁴having blotted out the handwriting in the ordinances that is against us, that was contrary to us, and he hath taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross; ¹⁵having stripped the principalities and the authorities, he made a shew of them openly—having triumphed over them in it.

¹⁶Let no one, then, judge you in eating or in drinking, or in respect of a feast, or of a new moon, or of sabbaths, ¹⁷which are a shadow of the coming things, and the body is of the Christ; ¹⁸let no one beguile you of your prize, delighting in humble-mindedness and in worship of the messengers, intruding into the things he hath not seen, being vainly puffed up by the mind of his flesh, ¹⁹and not holding the head, from which all the body—through the joints and bands gathering supply, and being knit together—may increase with the increase of God. ²⁰If, then, ye did die with the Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as living in the world, are ye subject to ordinances? ²¹—thou mayest not touch, nor taste, nor handle— ²²which are all for destruction with the using, after the commands and teachings of men, ²³which are, indeed, having a matter of wisdom in will-worship, and humble-mindedness, and neglecting of body—not in any honour, unto a satisfying of the flesh.

Chapter 3

¹If, then, ye were raised with the Christ, the things above seek ye, where the Christ is, on the right hand of God seated, ²the things above mind ye, not the things upon the earth, ³for ye did die, and your life hath been hid with the Christ in God; ⁴when the Christ—our life—may be manifested, then also we with him shall be manifested in glory.

⁵Put to death, then, your members that are upon the earth—whoredom, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and the covetousness, which is idolatry— ⁶because of which things cometh the anger of God upon the sons of the disobedience, ⁷in which also ye—ye did walk once, when ye lived in them.

⁸But now put off, even ye, the whole—anger, wrath, malice, evil-speaking, filthy talking—out of your mouth. ⁹Lie not one to another, having put off the old man with his practices, ¹⁰and having put on the new, which is renewed in regard to knowledge, after the image of Him who did create him; ¹¹where there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, foreigner, Scythian, servant, freeman—but the all and in all—Christ.

¹²Put on, therefore, as choice ones of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humble-mindedness, meekness, long-suffering, ¹³forbearing one another, and forgiving each other, if any one with any one may have a quarrel, as also the Christ did forgive you—so also ye; ¹⁴and above all these things, have love, which is a bond of the perfection, ¹⁵and let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also ye were called in one body, and become thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing each other, in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs, in grace singing in your hearts to the Lord; ¹⁷and all, whatever ye may do in word or in work, do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus—giving thanks to the God and Father, through him.

¹⁸The wives! be subject to your own husbands, as is fit in the Lord; ¹⁹the husbands! love your wives, and be not bitter with them; ²⁰the children! obey the parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing to the Lord; ²¹the fathers! vex not your children, lest they be discouraged. ²²The servants! obey in all things those who are masters according to the flesh, not in eye-service as men-pleasers, but in simplicity of heart, fearing God; ²³and all, whatever ye may do—out of soul work—as to the Lord, and not to men, ²⁴having known that from the Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance—for the Lord Christ ye serve; ²⁵and he who is doing unrighteously shall receive what he did unrighteously, and there is no acceptance of persons.

Chapter 4