\NormalFont\ShortTitle{Colossians}
{\MT Paul’s Letter to the Colossians

\par }\ChapOne{1}{\PP \VerseOne{1}Paul,
an
Apostle
of
Jesus
Christ,
by
the purpose
of
God,
and
Timothy
our
brother,
\VS{2}To
the
saints
and true
brothers
in
Christ
at
Colossae:
Grace
to
you
and
peace
from
God
our
Father.
\VS{3}We
give praise
to
God
the
Father
of
our
Lord
Jesus
Christ, making
prayer
for
you
at
all
times,
\VS{4}After
hearing
of
your
faith
in
Christ
Jesus,
and
of
the
love
which
you
have
for
all
the
saints,
\VS{5}Through
the
hope
which
is
in store
for
you
in
heaven; knowledge
of
which
was given
to
you
before
in
the
true
word
of
the
good
news,
\VS{6}Which
has
come
to
you;
and
which
in
all
the
world
is giving
fruit
and
increase,
as
it
has done
in
you
from
the
day
when
it
came
to
your
ears
and
you
had
true knowledge
of
the
grace
of
God;
\VS{7}As
it
was given
to
you
by
Epaphras,
our well-loved helper,
who
is
a true
servant
of
Christ
for us,
\VS{8}And
who, himself,
made
clear
to
us
your
love
in
the
Spirit.
\VS{9}For
this
reason,
we,
from
the
day
when
we
had word
of
it,
keep
on
in
prayer
for
you,
that
you
may
be
full
of
the
knowledge
of
his
purpose,
with
all
wisdom
and experience
of
the Spirit,
\VS{10}Living uprightly
in
the approval
of
the
Lord, giving
fruit
in
every
good
work,
and
increasing
in
the
knowledge
of
God;
\VS{11}Full
of
strength
in
the measure
of
the
great
power
of
his
glory,
so
that
you
may undergo
all troubles
with
joy;
\VS{12}Giving praise
to
the
Father
who
has
given
us
a
part
in
the heritage
of
the
saints
in
light;
\VS{13}Who
has made
us
free
from
the
power
of evil
and given
us
a
place
in
the
kingdom
of
the
Son
of
his
love;
\VS{14}In
whom
we
have
our salvation,
the
forgiveness
of
sins:
\VS{15}Who
is
the
image
of
the
unseen
God coming
into existence
before
all living
things;
\VS{16}For
by
him
all
things
were made,
in
heaven
and
on
earth,
things seen
and
things
unseen,
authorities, lords,
rulers,
and
powers;
all
things
were made
by
him
and
for
him;
\VS{17}He
is
before
all
things,
and
in
him
all
things
have
being.
\VS{18}And
he
is
the
head
of
the
body,
the
church:
the
starting point
of
all
things,
the
first
to
come
again
from
the
dead;
so
that
in
all
things
he
might
have
the
chief
place.
\VS{19}For
God
in
full measure
was
pleased
to
be
in
him;
\VS{20}Through
him uniting
all
things
with
himself, having
made
peace
through
the
blood
of
his
cross;
through
him,
I
say, uniting
all
things
which
are
on
earth
or
in
heaven.
\VS{21}And
you,
who
in
the past
were cut off
and
at war
with God
in
your
minds
through
evil
works,
he
has
now made
one
\VS{22}In
the
body
of
his
flesh
through
death,
so
that
you
might
be
holy
and
without sin
and free
from
all evil
before
him:
\VS{23}If
you
keep
yourselves safely based
in
the
faith,
not
moved
from
the
hope
of
the
good
news
which
came
to
you,
and
which
was given
to
every living
being
under
heaven;
of
which
I,
Paul,
was
made
a
servant.
\VS{24}Now
I
have
joy
in
my pain
because
of
you,
and
in
my
flesh
I undergo
whatever
is still needed
to make
the sorrows
of
Christ complete,
for
the salvation
of
his
body,
the
church;
\VS{25}Of
which
I
became
a
servant
by
the
purpose
of
God
which
was
given
to
me
for
you,
to
give
effect
to
the
word
of
God,
\VS{26}The secret
which
has
been kept
from
all
times
and
generations,
but
has
now
been
made
clear
to
his
saints,
\VS{27}To
whom
God
was pleased
to give knowledge
of
the
wealth
of
the
glory
of
this secret
among
the
Gentiles,
which
is
Christ
in
you,
the
hope
of
glory:
\VS{28}Whom
we
are preaching; guiding
and
teaching
every
man
in
all
wisdom,
so
that
every
man
may
be
complete
in
Christ;
\VS{29}And
for
this
purpose
I
am
working, using
all
my
strength
by
the help
of
his
power
which
is
working
in
me strongly.

\par }\Chap{2}{\PP \VerseOne{1}For
it
is
my
desire
to give
you news
of
the
great
fight
I
am making
for
you
and
for
those
at
Laodicea,
and
for
all
who
have
not
seen
my
face
in
the
flesh;
\VS{2}So
that
their
hearts
may
be
comforted,
and
that being joined
together
in
love,
they
may come
to
the
full
wealth
of
the certain
knowledge
of
the secret
of
God,
even
Christ,
\VS{3}In
whom
are
all
the
secret stores
of
wisdom
and
knowledge.
\VS{4}I
say
this
so
that
you
may
not
be turned away
by
any deceit
of words.
\VS{5}For
though
I
am
not present
in
the
flesh, still
I
am
with
you
in
the
spirit,
seeing
with
joy
your
order,
and
your unchanging
faith
in
Christ.
\VS{6}As,
then,
you
took
Christ
Jesus
the
Lord,
so go
on
in
him,
\VS{7}Rooted
and based
together
in
him, strong
in
the
faith
which
the
teaching gave
you,
giving praise
to
God
at
all times.
\VS{8}Take
care
that
no
one
takes
you away
by force,
through man's wisdom
and
deceit, going
after
the beliefs
of
men
and
the theories
of
the
world,
and
not
after
Christ:
\VS{9}For
in
him
all
the wealth
of God's being
has
a
living
form,
\VS{10}And
you
are
complete
in
him,
who
is
the
head
of
all
rule
and
authority:
\VS{11}In
whom
you
had
a
circumcision
not
made
with
hands,
in
the putting off
of
the
body
of
the
flesh,
in
the
circumcision
of
Christ;
\VS{12}Having
been put
to
death
with
him
in
baptism,
by
which
you
came
to life
again
with
him,
through
faith
in
the
working
of
God,
who made
him
come back
from
the
dead.
\VS{13}And
you,
being
dead
through
your
sins
and
the evil
condition
of
your
flesh,
to
you,
I
say,
he
gave
life
together
with
him,
and forgiveness
of
all
our
sins;
\VS{14}Having
put
an end
to
the handwriting
of
the law
which
was
against
us,
taking
it
out
of
the
way
by nailing
it
to
his
cross;
\VS{15}Having
made
himself free
from
the
rule
of
authorities
and
powers,
he put
them
openly
to shame, glorying
over
them
in
it.
\VS{16}For this reason
let
no
man
be
your
judge
in
any question
of
food
or
drink
or
feast days
or new moons
or
Sabbaths:
\VS{17}For
these
are
an image
of
the
things
which
are
to
come;
but
the
body
is Christ's.
\VS{18}Let
no
man take
your reward
from
you
by consciously making little
of
himself
and giving
worship
to
angels; having
his thoughts fixed
on
the
things
which
he
has
seen,
being foolishly lifted up
in
his natural
mind,
\VS{19}And
not joined
to
the
Head,
from
whom
all
the
body, being given strength
and
kept
together
through
its joins
and bands,
has
its
growth
with
the
increase
of
God.
\VS{20}If
you
were made free,
by
your
death
with
Christ,
from
the rules
of
the
world,
why
do
you
put
yourselves
under
the authority
of orders
\VS{21}Which say there
may
be
no
touching,
tasting,
or taking in
your hands,
\VS{22}(Rules
which
are
all
to
come
to
an
end
with
their
use)
after
the orders
and
teaching
of
men?
\VS{23}These
things seem
to
have
a sort
of
wisdom
in self-ordered worship
and making little
of oneself,
and
being cruel
to
the
body,
not honouring
it
by giving
it its natural
use.

\par }\Chap{3}{\PP \VerseOne{1}If
then
you
have
a new life
with
Christ, give
your attention
to
the
things
of heaven,
where
Christ
is
seated
at
the
right
hand
of
God.
\VS{2}Keep
your
mind
on
the higher
things,
not
on
the
things
of
earth.
\VS{3}For
your
life
on earth
is done,
and
you
have
a
secret
life
with
Christ
in
God.
\VS{4}At
the coming
of
Christ
who
is
our
life,
you
will
be seen
with
him
in
glory.
\VS{5}Then put
to death
your
bodies
which
are
of
the
earth;
wrong use
of
the flesh,
unclean
things,
passion,
evil
desires
and envy,
which
is
the worship
of strange gods;
\VS{6}Because
of
which
the
wrath
of
God
comes
on
those
who
go
against
his orders;
\VS{7}Among
whom
you
were
living
in
the past,
when
you
did
such
things.
\VS{8}But
now
it
is right
for
you
to
put away
all
these
things;
wrath,
passion, bad feeling, curses, unclean talk;
\VS{9}Do
not
make false statements
to
one
another;
because
you
have put away
the
old
man
with
all
his doings,
\VS{10}And
have
put
on
the
new man,
which
has become
new
in
knowledge
after
the
image
of
his maker;
\VS{11}Where
there
is
no
Greek
or
Jew,
no
one
with
circumcision
or
without
circumcision,
no division
between nations,
no
servant
or
free
man:
but
Christ
is
all
and
in
all.
\VS{12}As
saints
of
God,
then,
holy
and dearly
loved,
let
your behaviour
be marked
by pity
and
mercy, kind feeling,
a low opinion
of yourselves, gentle ways,
and
a power
of undergoing
all
things;
\VS{13}Being gentle
to
one
another
and
having forgiveness
for
one
another,
if
anyone
has done wrong
to
his brother,
even
as
the
Lord
had forgiveness
for
you:
\VS{14}And
more than
all,
have
love;
the only
way
in
which
you
may
be completely joined
together.
\VS{15}And
let
the
peace
of
Christ
be ruling
in
your
hearts,
as
it
was
the
purpose
of God
for
you
to
be
one
body;
and
give praise
to God
at
all times.
\VS{16}Let
the
word
of
Christ
be
in
you
in
all wealth
of
wisdom;
teaching
and helping
one
another
with
songs
of praise
and holy
words, making melody
to
God
with
grace
in
your
hearts.
\VS{17}And
whatever
you
do,
in
word
or
in
act,
do
all
in
the
name
of
the
Lord
Jesus,
giving praise
to
God
the
Father
through
him.
\VS{18}Wives,
be
under
the authority
of
your
husbands,
as
is right
in
the
Lord.
\VS{19}Husbands,
have
love
for
your
wives,
and
be
not
bitter
against
them.
\VS{20}Children,
do
the orders
of
your fathers
and mothers
in
all
things,
for
this
is
pleasing
to
the
Lord.
\VS{21}Fathers,
do
not
be hard on
your
children,
so
that their spirit
may
not
be broken.
\VS{22}Servants,
in
all
things
do
the orders
of
your natural
masters;
not
only
when
their eyes
are
on
you,
as pleasers
of
men,
but
with
all
your
heart,
fearing
the
Lord:
\VS{23}Whatever
you
do,
do
it readily,
as
to
the
Lord
and
not
to
men;
\VS{24}Being certain
that
the
Lord
will give
you
the
reward
of
the heritage:
for
you
are
the servants
of
the
Lord
Christ.
\VS{25}For
the
wrongdoer
will
have punishment
for
the
wrong
he
has
done,
without respect
for
any man's position.

\par }\Chap{4}{\PP \VerseOne{1}Masters,
give
your
servants
what
is
right
and equal, conscious
that
you
have
a
Master
in
heaven.
\VS{2}Give
yourselves
to
prayer
at
all times,
keeping
watch
with praise;
\VS{3}And making
prayer
for
us,
that
God
may give
us
an
open
door
for
the
preaching
of
the
word,
the secret
of
Christ,
for
which
I
am
now
in
chains;
\VS{4}So
that
I
may
make
it
clear,
as
it
is right
for
me
to do.
\VS{5}Be wise
in
your behaviour
to
those
who
are
outside,
making good use
of
the
time.
\VS{6}Let
your
talk
be
with
grace, mixed
with
salt,
so
that
you
may
be able
to give
an
answer
to
everyone.
\VS{7}Tychicus
will give
you news
of
all
my business:
he
is
a
dear
brother
and true
servant
and helper
in
the word;
\VS{8}And
I
have
sent
him
to
you
for
this
very
purpose,
so
that
you
may
have news
of
how
we
are,
and
so
that
he
may give
your
hearts
comfort;
\VS{9}And
with
him
I
have sent
Onesimus,
the true
and well-loved
brother,
who
is
one
of
you.
They
will give
you word
of
everything
which
is taking
place
here.
\VS{10}Aristarchus,
my brother-prisoner,
sends
his love
to
you,
and
Mark,
a relation
of
Barnabas (about
whom
you
have
been given
orders:
if
he
comes
to
you,
be kind
to
him),
\VS{11}And
Jesus, whose other name
is
Justus;
these
are
of
the
circumcision:
they
are
my
only brother-workers
for
the
kingdom
of
God,
who
have
been
a comfort
to
me.
\VS{12}Epaphras,
who
is
one
of
you,
a
servant
of
Christ
Jesus,
sends
you
his love, ever
taking thought
for
you
in
his
prayers,
that
you
may
be
complete
and
fully certain
of
all
the
purpose
of
God.
\VS{13}For
I give
witness
of
him
that
he
has undergone
much trouble
for
you
and
for
those
in
Laodicea
and
in
Hierapolis.
\VS{14}Luke,
our well-loved medical friend,
and
Demas,
send
you
their
love.
\VS{15}Give
my love
to
the
brothers
in
Laodicea
and
to Nymphas
and
the
church
in
their
house.
\VS{16}And
when
this
letter
has
been
made public
among
you,
let
the
same
be
done
in
the
church
of
Laodicea;
and see
that
you
have
the
letter
from
Laodicea.
\VS{17}Say
to
Archippus,
See
that
you
do
the work
which
the
Lord
has given
you
to
do.
\VS{18}I,
Paul, give
you
this word
of love
in
my handwriting. Keep
in memory
that
I
am
a prisoner.
Grace
be
with
you.
\par }