Colossians 1; Colossians 2; Colossians 3; Colossians 4; Philemon 1

1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, and Timothy our brother.

2 To the holy and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ in Colossae.

3 Grace and peace to you from God our Father.We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.

4 We've done this since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all God's people.

5 You have this faith and love because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You previously heard about this hope through the true message, the good news,

6 which has come to you. This message has been bearing fruit and growing among you since the day you heard and truly understood God's grace, in the same way that it is bearing fruit and growing in the whole world.

7 You learned it from Epaphras, who is the fellow slave we love and Christ's faithful minister for your sake.

8 He informed us of your love in the Spirit.

9 Because of this, since the day we heard about you, we haven't stopped praying for you and asking for you to be filled with the knowledge of God's will, with all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

10 We're praying this so that you can live lives that are worthy of the Lord and pleasing to him in every way: by producing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God;

11 by being strengthened through his glorious might so that you endure everything and have patience;

12 and by giving thanks with joy to the Father. He made it so you could take part in the inheritance, in light granted to God's holy people.

13 He rescued us from the control of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.

14 He set us free through the Son and forgave our sins.

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the one who is first over all creation,

16 Because all things were created by him: both in the heavens and on the earth, the things that are visible and the things that are invisible. Whether they are thrones or powers, or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him.

17 He existed before all things, and all things are held together in him.

18 He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the one who is firstborn from among the dead so that he might occupy the first place in everything.

19 Because all the fullness of God was pleased to live in him,

20 and he reconciled all things to himself through him— whether things on earth or in the heavens. He brought peace through the blood of his cross.

21 Once you were alienated from God and you were enemies with him in your minds, which was shown by your evil actions.

22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death, to present you before God as a people who are holy, faultless, and without blame.

23 But you need to remain well established and rooted in faith and not shift away from the hope given in the good news that you heard. This message has been preached throughout all creation under heaven. And I, Paul, became a servant of this good news.

24 Now I'm happy to be suffering for you. I'm completing what is missing from Christ's sufferings with my own body. I'm doing this for the sake of his body, which is the church.

25 I became a servant of the church by God's commission, which was given to me for you, in order to complete God's word.

26 I'm completing it with a secret plan that has been hidden for ages and generations but which has now been revealed to his holy people.

27 God wanted to make the glorious riches of this secret plan known among the Gentiles, which is Christ living in you, the hope of glory.

28 This is what we preach as we warn and teach every person with all wisdom so that we might present each one mature in Christ.

29 I work hard and struggle for this goal with his energy, which works in me powerfully.

1 I want you to know how much I struggle for you, for those in Laodicea, and for all who haven't known me personally.

2 My goal is that their hearts would be encouraged and united together in love so that they might have all the riches of assurance that come with understanding, so that they might have the knowledge of the secret plan of God, namely Christ.

3 All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden in him.

4 I'm telling you this so that no one deceives you with convincing arguments,

5 because even though I am absent physically, I'm with you in spirit. I'm happy to see the discipline and stability of your faith in Christ.

6 So live in Christ Jesus the Lord in the same way as you received him.

7 Be rooted and built up in him, be established in faith, and overflow with thanksgiving just as you were taught.

8 See to it that nobody enslaves you with philosophy and foolish deception, which conform to human traditions and the way the world thinks and acts rather than Christ.

9 All the fullness of deity lives in Christ's body.

10 And you have been filled by him, who is the head of every ruler and authority.

11 You were also circumcised by him. This wasn't performed by human hands—the whole body was removed through this circumcision by Christ.

12 You were buried with him through baptism and raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

13 When you were dead because of the things you had done wrong and because your body wasn't circumcised, God made you alive with Christ and forgave all the things you had done wrong.

14 He destroyed the record of the debt we owed, with its requirements that worked against us. He canceled it by nailing it to the cross.

15 When he disarmed the rulers and authorities, he exposed them to public disgrace by leading them in a triumphal parade.

16 So don't let anyone judge you about eating or drinking or about a festival, a new moon observance, or sabbaths.

17 These religious practices are only a shadow of what was coming—the body that cast the shadow is Christ.

18 Don't let anyone who wants to practice harsh self-denial and worship angels rob you of the prize. They go into detail about what they have seen in visions and have become unjustifiably arrogant by their selfish way of thinking.

19 They don't stay connected to the head. The head nourishes and supports the whole body through the joints and ligaments, so the body grows with a growth that is from God.

20 If you died with Christ to the way the world thinks and acts, why do you submit to rules and regulations as though you were living in the world?

21 "Don't handle!""Don't taste!""Don't touch!"

22 All these things cease to exist when they are used. Such rules are human commandments and teachings.

23 They look like they are wise with this self-made religion and their self-denial by the harsh treatment of the body, but they are no help against indulging in selfish immoral behavior.

1 Therefore, if you were raised with Christ, look for the things that are above where Christ is sitting at God's right side.

2 Think about the things above and not things on earth.

3 You died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

4 When Christ, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

5 So put to death the parts of your life that belong to the earth, such as sexual immorality, moral corruption, lust, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry).

6 The wrath of God is coming upon disobedient people because of these things.

7 You used to live this way, when you were alive to these things.

8 But now set aside these things, such as anger, rage, malice, slander, and obscene language.

9 Don't lie to each other. Take off the old human nature with its practices

10 and put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge by conforming to the image of the one who created it.

11 In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all things and in all people.

12 Therefore, as God's choice, holy and loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

13 Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other.

14 And over all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

15 The peace of Christ must control your hearts—a peace into which you were called in one body. And be thankful people.

16 The word of Christ must live in you richly. Teach and warn each other with all wisdom by singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

17 Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through him.

18 Wives, submit to your husbands in a way that is appropriate in the Lord.

19 Husbands, love your wives and don't be harsh with them.

20 Children, obey your parents in everything, because this pleases the Lord.

21 Parents, don't provoke your children in a way that ends up discouraging them.

22 Slaves, obey your masters on earth in everything. Don't just obey like people pleasers when they are watching. Instead, obey with the single motivation of fearing the Lord.

23 Whatever you do, do it from the heart for the Lord and not for people.

24 You know that you will receive an inheritance as a reward. You serve the Lord Christ.

25 But evildoers will receive their reward for their evil actions. There is no discrimination.

1 Masters, be just and fair to your slaves, knowing that you yourselves have a master in heaven.

2 Keep on praying and guard your prayers with thanksgiving.

3 At the same time, pray for us also. Pray that God would open a door for the word so we can preach the secret plan of Christ—which is why I'm in chains.

4 Pray that I might be able to make it as clear as I ought to when I preach.

5 Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.

6 Your speech should always be gracious and sprinkled with insight so that you may know how to respond to every person.

7 Tychicus, our dearly loved brother, faithful minister, and fellow slave in the Lord, will inform you about everything that has happened to me.

8 This is why I sent him to you, so that you'll know all about us and so he can encourage your hearts.

9 I sent him with Onesimus, our faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. They will let you know about everything here.

10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, says hello to you. So does Mark, Barnabas' cousin (you received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him).

11 Jesus, called Justus, also says hello. These are my only fellow workers for God's kingdom who are Jewish converts. They have been an encouragement to me.

12 Epaphras, who is one of you, says hello. He's a slave of Christ Jesus who always wrestles for you in prayers so that you will stand firm and be fully mature and complete in the entire will of God.

13 I can vouch for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

14 Luke, the dearly loved physician, and Demas say hello.

15 Say hello to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, along with Nympha and the church that meets in her house.

16 After this letter has been read to you publicly, make sure that the church in Laodicea reads it and that you read the one from Laodicea.

17 And tell Archippus, "See to it that you complete the ministry that you received in the Lord."

18 I, Paul, am writing this greeting personally. Remember that I'm in prison. Grace be with you.

1 From Paul, who is a prisoner for the cause of Christ Jesus, and our brother Timothy. To Philemon our dearly loved coworker,

2 Apphia our sister, Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church that meets in your house.

3 May the grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

4 Philemon, I thank my God every time I mention you in my prayers

5 because I've heard of your love and faithfulness, which you have both for the Lord Jesus and for all God's people.

6 I pray that your partnership in the faith might become effective by an understanding of all that is good among us in Christ.

7 I have great joy and encouragement because of your love, since the hearts of God's people are refreshed by your actions, my brother.

8 Therefore, though I have enough confidence in Christ to command you to do the right thing,

9 I would rather appeal to you through love. I, Paul—an old man, and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus—

10 appeal to you for my child Onesimus. I became his father in the faith during my time in prison.

11 He was useless to you before, but now he is useful to both of us.

12 I'm sending him back to you, which is like sending you my own heart.

13 I considered keeping him with me so that he might serve me in your place during my time in prison because of the gospel.

14 However, I didn't want to do anything without your consent so that your act of kindness would occur willingly and not under pressure.

15 Maybe this is the reason that Onesimus was separated from you for a while so that you might have him back forever—

16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave—that is, as a dearly loved brother. He is especially a dearly loved brother to me. How much more can he become a brother to you, personally and spiritually in the Lord!

17 So, if you really consider me a partner, welcome Onesimus as if you were welcoming me.

18 If he has harmed you in any way or owes you money, charge it to my account.

19 I, Paul, will pay it back to you (I'm writing this with my own hand). Of course, I won't mention that you owe me your life.

20 Yes, brother, I want this favor from you in the Lord! Refresh my heart in Christ.

21 I'm writing to you, confident of your obedience and knowing that you will do more than what I ask.

22 Also, one more thing—prepare a guest room for me. I hope that I will be released from prison to be with you because of your prayers.

23 Epaphras, who is in prison with me for the cause of Christ Jesus, greets you,

24 as well as my coworkers Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke.

25 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit.