Colossians

¹ From: Paul, emissary of Christ Jesus because of God’s intention, and Timothy, member of the Family.

² To: those in Colossae who are sacred and faithful Family members through Christ.

Good fortune and peace to you from God our Father.

³ We always give thanks to God, Father of our lord Jesus Christ, as we are praying about you, ⁴ after hearing about your faithfulness through Christ Jesus and the love you have for all who are sacred ⁵ because of the hope set aside for you in the sky, which you already heard about in the message of the truth, the news of victory ⁶ that has come to you. Just as it is producing fruit and growing throughout the whole world, it has also been producing fruit and growing among you from the day when you heard about it and truly comprehended God’s generosity, ⁷ just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow enslaved worker, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf ⁸ and also described to us your love connected with the Life-breath.

⁹ This is why we also, from the day when we heard about you, have not stopped praying on your behalf and requesting that you might be filled with knowledge of God's desires with all wisdom and making connections through the Life-breath, ¹⁰ so you might walk in a way aimed at fully pleasing the Lord, and with every true effort you might produce fruit and grow in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being fully empowered proportionately with God's renowned strength for complete patience and perseverance. We joyfully ¹² give thanks to the Father, who prepares you for the share of the inheritance which is in the light which is for those who are sacred, ¹³ and who rescued us from the authority of darkness and transferred us to the reign of the Father's beloved son— ¹⁴ through whom we have received the purchase of liberation from enslavement, the dismissal of deviations—

¹⁵⁠who is the image of God who is unseen,

the firstborn over all creation,

¹⁶⁠because all things in the heavens and on the earth were created with him in mind,

the seen and the unseen, whether thrones or lordships or leaders or authorities,

all things were created through him and for him.

¹⁷⁠He comes before everyone,

and everything has been brought together through him.

¹⁸⁠He is the Head of the Body, the Assembly,

and is the lead, the firstborn from the dead,

so that he may become foremost in everything

¹⁹⁠since it seemed good for all fullness to dwell in him

²⁰⁠and for him to reconcile everything with him,

whatever it may be, from the ground to the sky,

making peace through the blood of his cross—through him.

²¹ You used to be estranged and hostile in your thinking and in your harmful actions, ²² but now he has reconciled you with his personal body by dying in order to present you as sacred and without blemish and not accused of anything as far as he’s concerned, ²³ at least if you continue in faithfulness, being established and firm and not moving away from the hope of the news of victory which you heard and which is being announced throughout all creation under the sky and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

²⁴ Now I rejoice while I endure hardships for your sake, and with my body, I fill up whatever is lacking from the things Christ suffered for the sake of his Body, which is the church. ²⁵ I became a servant of the church, assigned to the management of God’s household, that responsibility given to me for your benefit, for me to live out God’s message, ²⁶ the mystery that had been hidden away from ages and from generations. Now it has been revealed to his sacred ones ²⁷ to whom, among people groups in addition to Jews, God wanted to make known how rich in renowned presence this mystery is, which is Christ with you, the hope of renowned presence. ²⁸ We deliver the message about it, instructing each person with all wisdom, so that we might present each person mature like Christ. ²⁹ I also strive toward that end, contending at the level of his energy, which is powerfully energizing me.

¹ I say that because I want you to know how much I am in the arena for your sake, for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not seen my face in person, ² so their hearts may be encouraged, being held together with love for all the richness of complete confidence in making connections toward knowledge of God’s mystery—of Christ— ³ and all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden with it. ⁴ I say this so that no one may deceive you with persuasive arguments ⁵ since despite being physically away, I am with you through the Life-breath, rejoicing and seeing your conscientiousness and the firmness of your faithfulness to Christ.

⁶ Therefore, just as you initially took Christ Jesus as lord, continue walking with him ⁷ just as you were taught, having been given roots, being built up to be like him, and established in faithfulness, overflowing with gratitude. ⁸ Be vigilant that no one carries you off into slavery through a philosophy that is empty and deceptive, based on what is handed down by people according to the fundamental assumptions of the world systems and not based on Christ ⁹ since all fullness of divinity dwells bodily in him, ¹⁰ and you are the ones who have been filled along with him who is the head over every leader and authority.

¹¹ You [the Body of Christ] were circumcised through him with a circumcision not done with hands but with the removal of his personal body, with Christ’s circumcision, ¹² having been buried along with him through submersion, woken up along with him through the faithfulness of the work of God who woke him up from the dead ¹³ and, you being dead because of your shortfalls and not being bodily circumcised, God brought you to life along with him—having granted the discharge of our shortfalls, ¹⁴ erasing what was against us—the record of debt, the declarations which were made against us—and God lifted it from between us, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ God humiliated the leaders and authorities publicly, stripping away their power and displaying triumph over them with it.

¹⁶ Therefore, may no one judge you about eating and drinking or about whether you take part in a feast, such as a new moon celebration or the Feast of Weeks, ¹⁷ which are a shadow of what is about to take shape: the Body of Christ. ¹⁸ May no one decide against you, even if they intend to promote humility and adherence to religious observances presented by the messengers. Though they have seen what they investigate, it is being inflated without just cause by their own mind, ¹⁹ and they are not staying connected with the Head, through whom the whole Body—being supported and held together by connecting tendons and bonding ligaments—grows as God causes growth.

²⁰ If you died to the fundamental assumptions of the world systems with Christ, why do you live in the world systems as if bound by its values? ²¹ “Do not partake!” “Do not taste!” “Do not touch!” ²² These are all abused and lead to destruction, based on the commands and teachings of people. ²³ Whichever of these is a message based truly on arbitrarily prescribed religious observances and humility defined as self-denial of the body has no value and only satisfies bodily impulses.

¹ So, if you have been woken up along with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is sitting on God’s right. ² Think about the things above—not the things on the ground— ³ since you died and your life has been hidden along with Christ with God. ⁴ When Christ—your life—is revealed, then that’s when you will also be revealed with him with renown.

⁵ So, eliminate the body parts that are on the ground: sexual exploitation, uncleanness, obsession, toxic longing, and greed, which is idolatry. ⁶ God’s anger comes against those who refuse to be persuaded regarding these things. ⁷ These things are how you used to walk, too, when you lived among them.

⁸ But now, in addition to those, remove all these things: aggression, rage, animosity, disrespectful speech, and abusive speech from your mouth. ⁹ Don’t mislead each other since you have taken off the former person with their practices; ¹⁰ put on the new one who is being renewed toward a way of thinking based on the image of the one who created them. ¹¹ In that way of thinking, there is no labeling people as Greek or Jew, circumcised or having foreskin, uncultured or uncivilized, enslaved or free, but instead, Christ is everything and in everything.

¹² Therefore, as those whom God has chosen, sacred and beloved, put on compassion to your core, active kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, ¹³ putting up with each other and responding generously to each other if anyone has reason to complain against anyone else. Just like the lord responded generously to you, you also ought to do the same. ¹⁴ And over all these, put on love, which completes the uniform. ¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ—toward which you were called as one Body—govern decisions regarding your desires, and be thankful. ¹⁶ Christ’s message dwells among you richly, as you teach each other and call each other’s attention to it with all wisdom, singing psalms, songs of praise, and songs in harmony with the Life-breath through generosity, all with your hearts toward God. ¹⁷ Whatever you do, whether by speech or action, do it all representing Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

¹⁸ Wives, cooperate with your husbands based on the lord; ¹⁹ husbands, love your wives, and don’t be resentful toward them. ²⁰ Children, listen to your parents about everything since this is fully agreeable based on the lord; ²¹ fathers, don’t provoke your children so that they may not have their spirit broken. ²² Enslaved workers, listen about everything to those who are lords based on bodily considerations, not only while your work is being watched like people-pleasers, but with a genuine desire, respecting the Lord. ²³ Whatever you do, work from your very being like it is for the Lord and not for people ²⁴ since you understand that you will receive the compensation of your inheritance from the Lord. Be enslaved to the Lord Christ. ²⁵ You see, the unjust will be repaid based on living unjustly, regardless of their role.

¹ Lords, provide to your enslaved workers what is just and equitable, since you understand that you have a divine Lord.

² Give consistent attention to prayer, being vigilant about it with gratitude. ³ While you do that, be praying about us too, that God may open for us a door for the message—to speak the mystery of the Christ—because of which I am bound, ⁴ and that I might reveal it, for me to speak it as I must. ⁵ Walk with wisdom for those who are outside, earning that opportunity. ⁶ May your message always be given with generosity, seasoned with salt, since you understand how it is necessary for you to respond to everyone.

⁷ Tychicus, beloved member of the Family and faithful servant and fellow enslaved worker under Christ, will let you know everything about me. ⁸ That’s the reason I sent him to you, so you may know about us and that he may motivate you. ⁹ With him is Onesimus, the faithful and beloved member of the Family, who is one of you. They will let you know about everything here.

¹⁰ Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, wishes you well, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received direction: if he comes to you, welcome him). ¹¹ Also, Jesus, the one called Justus. Of those who are from the circumcision group, these are the only fellow workers in God’s Reign, and they have become a comfort to me. ¹² Epaphras, who is one of you and enslaved to Christ, wishes you well. He is always contending on your behalf with his prayers, that you may be established as mature and having been filled up with everything God wants; ¹³ I can testify for him that he strives diligently on your behalf and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis. ¹⁴ Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas wish you well. ¹⁵ Wish the members of the Family in Laodicea and Nympha and the assembly at her house well. ¹⁶ When this letter has been read to you, make sure that it is also read in the assembly of Laodiceans and that you also read the one from Laodicea. ¹⁷ And tell Archippus, “See that you complete the service which you took on regarding the lord.”

¹⁸ The well wishes are written by my own hand, by Paul. Remember my bonds. Good fortune be with you.