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Colossians 4
Legacy Standard Bible
Colossians 4
Legacy Standard Bible
Final Instructions and Greetings
4 Masters, show to your slaves what is right and fair, (A)knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.
2 (B)Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time (C)for us as well, that God will open up to us a (D)door for (E)the word, so that we may speak (F)the mystery of Christ, for which I have also (G)been bound, 4 that I may make it (H)manifest (I)in the way I ought to speak.
5 (J)Walk in wisdom toward (K)outsiders, (L)redeeming the time. 6 (M)Let your [a]words always be [b]with grace, seasoned with (N)salt, so that you will know how you should (O)answer each person.
7 (P)Tychicus, our (Q)beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow slave in the Lord, will make known to you (R)all my affairs, 8 (S)whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may (T)encourage your hearts; 9 [c]and with him (U)Onesimus, our faithful and (V)beloved brother, (W)who is one of you. They will inform you about the whole situation here.
10 (X)Aristarchus, my (Y)fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Mark, the cousin of (Z)Barnabas (about whom you received [d]instructions; (AA)if he comes to you, welcome him); 11 and also Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only (AB)fellow workers for the kingdom of God (AC)who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be a comfort to me. 12 (AD)Epaphras, (AE)who is one of your number, a slave of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, always (AF)striving for you in his prayers, that you may stand [e](AG)complete and (AH)fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I testify for him that he has [f]a deep concern for you and for those who are in (AI)Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 (AJ)Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also (AK)Demas. 15 Greet the brothers who are in (AL)Laodicea and also [g]Nympha and (AM)the church that is in [h]her house. 16 (AN)And when [i]this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part (AO)read [j]my letter that is coming from (AP)Laodicea. 17 And say to (AQ)Archippus, “Take heed to the (AR)ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may [k]fulfill it.”
18 (AS)The greeting is in my own hand—[l]Paul. (AT)Remember my (AU)chains. (AV)Grace be with you.
Footnotes
- Colossians 4:6 Lit word
- Colossians 4:6 Or gracious
- Colossians 4:9 Lit along with Onesimus
- Colossians 4:10 Or commands
- Colossians 4:12 Or firm
- Colossians 4:13 Or much toil, great pain
- Colossians 4:15 Or Nymphas (masc)
- Colossians 4:15 One early ms their
- Colossians 4:16 Lit the
- Colossians 4:16 Lit the
- Colossians 4:17 Or continually fulfill
- Colossians 4:18 Lit Paul’s
Colossians 4
New International Version
Colossians 4
New International Version
4 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair,(A) because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
Further Instructions
2 Devote yourselves to prayer,(B) being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door(C) for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery(D) of Christ, for which I am in chains.(E) 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise(F) in the way you act toward outsiders;(G) make the most of every opportunity.(H) 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace,(I) seasoned with salt,(J) so that you may know how to answer everyone.(K)
Final Greetings
7 Tychicus(L) will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant[a](M) in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our[b] circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.(N) 9 He is coming with Onesimus,(O) our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you.(P) They will tell you everything that is happening here.
10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus(Q) sends you his greetings, as does Mark,(R) the cousin of Barnabas.(S) (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews[c] among my co-workers(T) for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras,(U) who is one of you(V) and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you,(W) that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature(X) and fully assured. 13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea(Y) and Hierapolis. 14 Our dear friend Luke,(Z) the doctor, and Demas(AA) send greetings. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea,(AB) and to Nympha and the church in her house.(AC)
16 After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read(AD) in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
17 Tell Archippus:(AE) “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”(AF)
18 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.(AG) Remember(AH) my chains.(AI) Grace be with you.(AJ)
Footnotes
- Colossians 4:7 Or slave; also in verse 12
- Colossians 4:8 Some manuscripts that he may know about your
- Colossians 4:11 Greek only ones of the circumcision group
Colossians 4
The Message
Colossians 4
The Message
4 And masters, treat your servants considerately. Be fair with them. Don’t forget for a minute that you, too, serve a Master—God in heaven.
Pray for Open Doors
2-4 Pray diligently. Stay alert, with your eyes wide open in gratitude. Don’t forget to pray for us, that God will open doors for telling the mystery of Christ, even while I’m locked up in this jail. Pray that every time I open my mouth I’ll be able to make Christ plain as day to them.
5-6 Use your heads as you live and work among outsiders. Don’t miss a trick. Make the most of every opportunity. Be gracious in your speech. The goal is to bring out the best in others in a conversation, not put them down, not cut them out.
7-9 My good friend Tychicus will tell you all about me. He’s a trusted minister and companion in the service of the Master. I’ve sent him to you so that you would know how things are with us, and so he could encourage you in your faith. And I’ve sent Onesimus with him. Onesimus is one of you, and has become such a trusted and dear brother! Together they’ll bring you up-to-date on everything that has been going on here.
10-11 Aristarchus, who is in jail here with me, sends greetings; also Mark, cousin of Barnabas (you received a letter regarding him; if he shows up, welcome him); and also Jesus, the one they call Justus. These are the only ones left from the old crowd who have stuck with me in working for God’s kingdom. Don’t think they haven’t been a big help!
12-13 Epaphras, who is one of you, says hello. What a trooper he has been! He’s been tireless in his prayers for you, praying that you’ll stand firm, mature and confident in everything God wants you to do. I’ve watched him closely, and can report on how hard he has worked for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis.
14 Luke, good friend and physician, and Demas both send greetings.
15 Say hello to our friends in Laodicea; also to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.
16 After this letter has been read to you, make sure it gets read also in Laodicea. And get the letter that went to Laodicea and have it read to you.
17 And, oh, yes, tell Archippus, “Do your best in the job you received from the Master. Do your very best.”
18 I’m signing off in my own handwriting—Paul. Remember to pray for me in this jail. Grace be with you.
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