The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the
COLOSSIANS
-- Literal Translation of the Holy Bible - Copyright © 1976 - 2000 --

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Colossians 1
1 ¶ Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Timothy the brother,
2 to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ in Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 ¶ We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying continually about you,
4 hearing of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love toward all the saints,
5 because of the hope being laid up for you in Heaven, which you heard before in the Word of the truth of the gospel,
6 coming to you, as also in all the world, and it is bearing fruit even also among you, from the day in which you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;
7 even as you also learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow-slave, who is a faithful minister of Christ for you,
8 he also showing to us your love in the Spirit.
9 ¶ For this cause also, from the day in which we heard, we do not cease praying on your behalf, and asking that you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,
10 for you to walk worthily of the Lord to all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work and growing into the full knowledge of God;
11 being empowered with all power according to the might of His glory, to all patience and long-suffering with joy;
12 ¶ giving thanks to the Father, who has made us fit for a share of the inheritance of the saints in light,
13 who delivered us out of the authority of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the remission of sins;
15 who is the image of the invisible God, the First-born of all creation.
16 For all things were created in Him, the things in the heavens, and the things on the earth, the visible and the invisible; whether thrones, or lordships, or rulers, or authorities, all things have been created through Him and for Him.
17 And He is before all things, and all things have subsisted in Him.
18 And He is the Head of the body, the church, who is the Beginning, the First-born out of the dead, that He be preeminent in all things;
19 because all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Him,
20 and through Him making peace by the blood of His cross, to reconcile all things to Himself; through Him, whether the things on the earth, or the things in the heavens.
21 And you then being alienated and hostile in your mind by evil works, but now He reconciled
22 in the body of His flesh, through death, to present you holy and without blemish and irreproachable before Him,
23 if indeed you continue in the faith grounded and settled and not being moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard proclaimed in all the creation under Heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister,
24 who now rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf and fill up in my flesh the things lacking of the afflictions of Christ on behalf of His body, which is the church,
25 of which I became a minister, according to the administration of God given to me for you, to fulfill the Word of God,
26 the mystery having been hidden from the ages and from the generations, but now was revealed to His saints;
27 to whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, who is Christ in you, the hope of glory;
28 whom we announce, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man full-grown in Christ Jesus,
29 for which also I labor, struggling according to the working of Him who works in me in power.

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Colossians 2
1 ¶ For I want you to know how great a struggle I have concerning you, and those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in the flesh,
2 that their hearts may be comforted, being joined together in love, and to all riches of the full assurance of the understanding, to the full knowledge of the mystery of God, even of the Father and of Christ,
3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge.
4 ¶ And I say this that no one may beguile you with persuasive words.
5 For though I am indeed absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing and seeing your order and the firmness of your faith in Christ.
6 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in Him,
7 being rooted and being built up in Him, and being confirmed in the faith, even as you were taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
8 Watch that there not be one robbing you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ.
9 For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
10 and having been filled, you are in Him, who is the Head of all rule and authority,
11 in whom also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made by hands, in the putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,
12 being buried with Him in baptism, in whom also you were raised through the faith of the working of God, raising Him from among the dead.
13 ¶ And you, being dead in the deviations and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all the deviations,
14 blotting out the handwriting in the ordinances against us, which was contrary to us, even He has taken it out of the midst, nailing it to the cross;
15 having stripped the rulers and the authorities, He made a show of them in public, triumphing over them in it.
16 ¶ Then do not let anyone judge you in eating, or in drinking, or in part, of a feast, or of a new moon, or of sabbaths,
17 which are a shadow of coming things, but the body is of Christ.
18 Let no one condemn you, delighting in humility and worship of the angels, pushing into things which he has not seen, being puffed up by the mind of his flesh without cause,
19 and not holding fast the Head, from whom all the body having been supplied through the joints and bands, and being joined together, will grow with the growth of God.
20 If, then, you died with Christ from the elements of the world, why are you under its decrees, as living in the world?
21 Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch,
22 which things are all for corruption in the using, according to the "injunctions and teachings of men." Isa. 29:13
23 Which things indeed appear to be a matter of having wisdom in self-imposed worship and humility, and severity in abuse of the body, but are not of any value with regards to gratification of the flesh.

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Colossians 3
1 ¶ If, then, you were raised with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is sitting at the right of God; Psa. 110:1
2 mind the things above, not the things on the earth.
3 For you died, and your life has been hidden with Christ in God.
4 Whenever Christ our life is revealed, then also you will be revealed with Him in glory.
5 ¶ Then put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication; uncleanness; passion; evil lust; and covetousness, which is idolatry;
6 on account of which things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience,
7 among whom you also walked at one time, when you were living in these.
8 ¶ But now, you also, put off all these things: wrath, anger, malice, evil-speaking, shameful speech out of your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, having put off the old man with his practices,
10 and having put on the new, having been renewed in full knowledge according to the image of the One creating him,
11 where there is no Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, foreigner, Scythian, slave or freeman, but Christ is all things and in all.
12 ¶ Therefore, as elect ones of God, holy and beloved, put on bowels of compassions, kindness, humility, meekness, long-suffering,
13 bearing with one another and forgiving yourselves, if anyone has a complaint against any; even as Christ forgave you, so also you should forgive.
14 And above all these, love, which is the bond of perfectness.
15 And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which you also were called in one body, and be thankful.
16 Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, in all wisdom teaching and exhorting yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And everything, whatever you do in word or in work, do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father through Him.
18 ¶ Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as is becoming in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love the wives and do not be bitter against them.
20 Children, obey the parents in all things, for this is pleasing to the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, that they may not be disheartened.
22 Slaves, obey the lords according to flesh in all respects, not with eye-service as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart, fearing God.
23 And whatever you may do, work from the soul as to the Lord and not to men,
24 knowing that from the Lord you shall receive the reward of the inheritance. For you serve the Lord Christ.
25 But the one doing wrong will receive what he did wrong, and there is no respect of faces.

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Colossians 4
1 ¶ Lords, give what is just and equal to the slaves, knowing that you have a Lord in Heaven also.
2 ¶ Steadfastly continue in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving,
3 praying together about us also, that God may open to us a door of the Word, to speak the mystery of Christ, on account of which I also have been bound,
4 that I may make it clear, as I ought to speak.
5 ¶ Walk in wisdom toward the ones outside, redeeming the time.
6 Let your word be always with grace, having been seasoned with salt, to know how you ought to answer each one.
7 ¶ All the things about me, Tychicus the beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow-slave in the Lord, will make known to you,
8 whom I sent to you for this very thing, that he might know the things about you, and that he might comfort your hearts,
9 with Onesimus the faithful and beloved brother, who is of you. They will make known to you all the things here.
10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, also Mark the cousin of Barnabas, about whom you received orders. If he comes to you, receive him.
11 And Jesus, the one being called Justus, those being of the circumcision, greet you, these only fellow workers for the kingdom of God, who became a comfort to me.
12 Epaphras greets you, he of you, a slave of Christ, always striving for you in prayers, that you may stand full-grown and being complete in every will of God.
13 For I bear witness to him, that he has much zeal on your behalf, and those in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis.
14 Luke the beloved physician greets you, also Demas.
15 Greet the brothers in Laodicea, and Nymphas and the church in his house.
16 And when this letter is read before you, cause that it be read also in the Laodicean church, and that you also read the one of Laodicea.
17 And say to Archippus, Look to the ministry which you received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.
18 The greeting by my hand, Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen.

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Scripture taken from the Literal Translation of the Holy Bible
Copyright © 1976 - 2000
By Jay P. Green, Sr.
Used by permission of the copyright holder

[Policy for Reprint & Quoting from the Literal Translation]