3 We thank God the father of our master Yeshua Messiah as we continually pray for you all, 4 after having heard about your faith in Messiah Yeshua and the love that you have for all godly people 5 which arose because of your hope in a heavenly reward. You all previously heard about that in the message of the truth—the good message 6 that’s in you and that is bearing fruit in the world and growing, just like it did among all of you from the day that you heard it and knew about the grace of God in truth. 7 [ref]You all learnt that from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow slave and who is our faithful servant of the messiah, 8 and he is the one who made your love in the spirit evident to us.

9 It’s because of that that we haven’t stopped praying from the time that we heard it, and requesting that you all would be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual insight, 10 to live worthily of the master—pleasing him in every kind of good and productive work. We pray that you all will grow in the knowledge of God 11 and be strengthened with all power, according to his great power, leading to endurance and patience with contentment. 12 Then you’ll all be thanking the father, the one who qualified you all for a part of the inheritance of godly people who live in the light. 13 The father rescued us from the power of darkness and redirected us into the kingdom of his dear son— 14 [ref]the one who buys us out of slavery and forgives our sins.

15 The son is the visible image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation 16 because it was him who created everything in the heavens and on the earth, both visible and invisible, including all authorities such as kingdoms and governments. Yes, everything was created by him and for him. 17 He came before everything and everything still only exists because of him. 18 [ref]He is the head of the body which is the assembly. He is the beginning, the first of the dead to come back to life, so that he would be the first in everything, 19 because God was pleased to live in him in all totality 20 [ref]and to reconcile everything to himself through him—both things on earth and things in the heavens. God made peace through him by means of the blood at the execution stake.

21 Once all of you were alienated from God—your thinking was that of an enemy and your actions were evil, 22 but now you all have been reconciled by means of the death of Yeshua’s physical body. He’s able to present you as pure and blameless in front of God—unable to be charged for any infraction 23 if indeed you continue on in your established and firm faith. Don’t let anyone drive away the hope that comes from the good message that you all heard and which has been proclaimed throughout the whole world—it’s that good message that I’ve become a servant of.

24 So now I’m happy to be suffering for you all, and I’m catching up in my body to the tribulations of the messiah in his body, which is the assembly. 25 I became a servant of the assembly under God’s supervision when he gave me the work of fulfilling God’s message— 26 the mystery which had been hidden away from the generations over the ages, but which was recently revealed to his chosen people. 27 God wanted them to explain the riches of the this incredible mystery among the pagans: the messiah in you all bringing the hope of reaching God. 28 Yes, Messiah who we are telling everyone about as we teach and recommend to everyone, so they we might present every person made perfect in Messiah. 29 That’s what I’m working hard towards according to his work as well—working in me with power.

2 I want you all to know how much I struggle for you and for those in Laodicea and for those who’ve never actually set eyes on me. 2 By knowing that, their hearts may be comforted, having been held together in love and to all the riches of the full assurance of the insight, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, Messiah. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN? 3 He holds all the treasures of wisdom and secret knowledge.

4 I’m telling you all this so that none of you will be deceived by persuasive talk, 5 because even though I’m physically far way, I’m with you all in the spirit. I’m pleased to see the sensibleness and firmness of your faith in Messiah.

6 So in the same way that you all received the messiah, Yeshua the master, keeping living in him. 7 You’ve already been rooted in him and then built-up and confirmed in the faith just as all of you were taught, and being very thankful.

8 Be careful in case anyone captures your minds with fancy ideas or theories without proof that come from human traditions or from worldly thinking, and not from Messiah. 9 Every component of the greatness of God lives in his human body, 10 and you also have been completed and are in him. He is the head of all rule and authority.

11 It wasn’t just human hands that circumcised you by cutting off part of the body, but Messiah circumcised you all by cutting you away from your sinful acts. 12 [ref]You all were buried with him when you were immersed in water, and you came back to life with him when you came up from the water, through faith in God’s working which gave him life after death. 13 [ref]You all were dead in your disobedience and because your bodies were ‘uncircumcised’. Then he made us alive together with him after he forgave us for all our disobedience. 14 [ref]He erased the writing that listed the charges against us and so it was removed—nailed to the stake. 15 He had disarmed the rulers and authorities and publicly exposed them, because he had won the victory over them on the stake.[fn]

16 [ref]Don’t let anyone judge you all about what you eat or drink, or about observing feasts or holidays or days of rest. 17 They’re just shadows of what’s coming, but the body causing the shadow is that of the messiah. 18 Don’t let anyone be disqualifying you all with their apparent humility and worshipping the messengers, telling you what they’ve seen and being arrogant and vain about their earthly minds. 19 [ref]They’re not listening to the head which controls all the joints and ligaments of the body and holds it all together as God causes it to grow.

20 If you’ve died to worldly principles, then why are you letting yourselves be indoctrinated with worldly living: 21 ‘Don’t hold this. Don’t taste that. Don’t touch this.’ 22 No, All those rules lead to corruption when they’re used as the commandments and teaching of humans. 23 They seem to be wise and make you more religious or humble as you strictly obey them, but don’t honour the realities of our worldly desires.

3 [ref]So if you all were brought back to life along with the messiah, then be concerned with discovering the things from above where the messiah is sitting on God’s right. 2 Yes, be thinking about things from above, not earthly things 3 because you’ve all ‘died’ and your lives had been hidden in God with the messiah. 4 When he is revealed on his return, then your lives will also be revealed with him in GLORY.

5 So put your earthly natures to death: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desires, and greediness which is idolatry, 6 because those things invoke God’s severe anger. 7 You all used to do those things when you lived in them.

8 But now, don’t let any of these things come out of your mouth: severe anger, rage, malice, slander, or profanity. 9 [ref]Don’t lie to each other, because you’ve gotten rid of the ‘old person’ and their habits. 10 [ref]So ‘dress’ in the ‘new person’ who’s renewed with the knowledge of being in the image of the creator, 11 where there’s no distinctions between ethnicities or religion, locals and foreigners, slaves or free, but Messiah is everything and in all of us.

12 [ref]So as holy people chosen and loved by God, ‘dress’ in: compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, 13 [ref]tolerating each other, and forgiving anyone who has a complaint about another person. The master forgave all of you, so you also should forgive others. 14 Then over all of those, ‘dress’ in love which is the perfect connection to others. 15 Let the peace of the messiah rule in your hearts. That’s what you were called to as parts of one body. Make sure that you’re thankful 16 [ref]and that the messiah’s message is a rich part of you with all its wisdom as you teach and give advice to each other. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankfulness in your hearts. 17 Then give thanks to God the father through the name of Messiah Yeshua in everything—whatever you’re all saying or doing.

18 [ref]You wives should be subject to your husbands to the degree that it’s fitting in the master.

19 [ref]You husbands should love your wives—don’t become bitter towards them.

20 [ref]You children should obey your parents in everything, because that pleases the master.

21 [ref]You fathers shouldn’t be exasperating your children otherwise they may become discouraged.

22 [ref]You slaves should submit to your human masters in everything, not just when they’re watching like others do, but sincerely, and so honouring the master.

23 Whatever you all might be doing, consider in your hearts that you’re working for the master and not for people, 24 knowing that the master will repay you with an inheritance because you’ve been serving the master messiah. 25 [ref]Anyone who’s doing wrong will be repaid for that wrongness, and there won’t be any favouritism.

4 [ref]You masters, ensure that you’re treating your slaves with goodness and equality, knowing that you all also have a master of your own in heaven.

2 Persevere in prayer, keeping watch and being thankful. 3 Pray together for us as well that God would open a door for us to share the message—to tell about the mystery of the messiah. That’s also why I’m in chains— 4 so that I can explain the mystery whenever I have an opportunity to speak.

5 [ref]Use wisdom as you all walk towards non-believers, using the time wisely. 6 Always show grace in your conversations, like a meal that’s seasoned with salt, so you’ll know how to answer each person in their situation.

7 [ref]My dear brother and faithful servant and fellow slave, Tychicus, will tell you all about me. 8 I’m sending him to all of you there so you’ll find out the news that concerns you all and so that he can comfort you there. 9 [ref]The faithful and dear brother, Onesimus, who’s from your place will also be with him.

10 [ref]My fellow prisoner, Aristarchus, sends his greetings along with Barnabas’ cousin, Mark. You’ve already received instructions about that, so accept him if he arrives there. 11 Yeshua who’s nicknamed Yustus also sends his greetings. These guys are from strict Jewish backgrounds, but they’re my only fellow-workers for God’s kingdom who became an encouragement to me.

12 [ref]Epaphras sends his greetings. He’s another one from your place and a slave of messiah Yeshua who always prays for you that you will stand mature and fully confident in all of God’s will. 13 I can assure you that he has strong concerns for you all, as well as those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 [ref]The dear doctor Luke greets you all, as does Dermas.

15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, and to Nympha and the assembly that meets in her house, 16 and whenever my letter gets read to you all, make sure that it’s also read to those from the assembly in Laodicea, and that you all also read their letter. 17 [ref]Tell Archippus to make sure to fulfil the duties that the master gave him to do.

18 I, Paul, am writing this final greeting in my own handwriting. Remember me here in chains.

May God’s grace be with all of you.