Thankfulness for Spiritual Attainments

1 ^(A)Paul, ^(B)an apostle of Christ Jesus ^[a](C)by the will of God, and ^(D)Timothy ^[b]our brother,

² To the ^[c](E)saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae: ^(F)Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

^3 (G)We ^[d]give thanks to God, ^(H)the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ^4 (I)since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the ^(J)love which you have ^[e]for ^(K)all the ^[f]saints; ⁵ because of the ^(L)hope ^(M)reserved for you in ^[g]heaven, of which you previously ^(N)heard in the word of truth, ^[h]the gospel ⁶ which has come to you, just as ^[i](O)in all the world also it is bearing ^(P)fruit and ^[j]increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you ^(Q)heard it and ^[k]understood the grace of God in truth; ⁷ just as you learned it from ^(R)Epaphras, our ^(S)beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, ⁸ and he also informed us of your ^(T)love in the Spirit.

⁹ For this reason we also, ^(U)since the day we heard about it, ^(V)have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the ^[l](W)knowledge of His will in all spiritual ^(X)wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰ so that you will ^(Y)walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, ^[m](Z)to please Him in all respects, ^(AA)bearing fruit in every good work and ^[n]increasing in the ^[o]knowledge of God; ^11 (AB)strengthened with all power, according to ^[p]His glorious might, ^[q]for the attaining of all perseverance and ^[r]patience; ^(AC)joyously ¹² giving thanks to ^(AD)the Father, who has qualified us ^[s]to share in ^(AE)the inheritance of the ^[t]saints in ^(AF)light.

The Incomparable Christ

^13 [u]For He rescued us from the ^[v](AG)domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of ^[w](AH)His beloved Son, ^14 (AI)in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

^15 [x]He is the ^(AJ)image of the ^(AK)invisible God, the ^(AL)firstborn of all creation: ¹⁶ for ^[y](AM)by Him all things were created, ^(AN)both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether ^(AO)thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—^(AP)all things have been created through Him and for Him. ¹⁷ He ^[z](AQ)is before all things, and in Him all things ^[aa]hold together. ¹⁸ He is also the ^(AR)head of ^(AS)the body, the church; and He is ^(AT)the beginning, ^(AU)the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. ¹⁹ For ^[ab]it was ^(AV)the Father’s good pleasure for all ^(AW)the ^[ac]fullness to dwell in Him, ²⁰ and through Him to ^(AX)reconcile all things to Himself, ^(AY)whether things on earth or things in ^[ad]heaven, having made ^(AZ)peace through ^(BA)the blood of His cross.

²¹ And although you were ^(BB)previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds, ²² yet He has now ^(BC)reconciled you in His ^(BD)body of flesh through death, in order to ^(BE)present you before Him ^(BF)holy and blameless and beyond reproach— ²³ if indeed you continue in ^[ae]the faith firmly ^(BG)established and steadfast, and not shifting from the ^(BH)hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed ^(BI)in all creation under heaven, ^(BJ)and of which I, Paul, ^[af]was made a ^[ag](BK)minister.

^24 (BL)Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh ^(BM)I am supplementing what is lacking ^[ah]in Christ’s afflictions in behalf of ^(BN)His body, which is the church. ^25 (BO)I ^[ai]was made a minister of this church according to the ^(BP)commission from God granted to me for your benefit, so that I might ^[aj]fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, ²⁶ that is, ^(BQ)the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His ^[ak]saints, ²⁷ to whom ^(BR)God willed to make known what ^(BS)the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is ^(BT)Christ in you, the ^(BU)hope of glory. ²⁸ We proclaim Him, ^(BV)admonishing every person and teaching every person ^[al]with all ^(BW)wisdom, so that we may ^(BX)present every person ^[am](BY)complete in Christ. ²⁹ For this purpose I also ^(BZ)labor, ^(CA)striving ^(CB)according to His ^[an]power which ^[ao]works mightily within me.

You Are Built Up in Christ

2 For I want you to know how great a ^(A)struggle I have in your behalf and for those who are at ^(B)Laodicea, and for all those who have not ^[a]personally seen my face, ² that their ^(C)hearts may be encouraged, having been ^(D)knit together in love, and that they would attain to all ^(E)the wealth ^[b]that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a ^(F)true knowledge of ^(G)God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, ³ in whom are hidden all ^(H)the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. ^4 (I)I say this so that no one will deceive you with ^(J)persuasive arguments. ⁵ For even though I am ^(K)absent in body, I am nevertheless with you in spirit, rejoicing ^[c]to see ^[d]your ^(L)orderly manner and the ^(M)stability of your faith in Christ.

⁶ Therefore, as you have received ^(N)Christ Jesus the Lord, so ^[e](O)walk in Him, ⁷ having been firmly ^(P)rooted and now being ^(Q)built up in Him and ^(R)established ^[f]in ^[g]your faith, just as you ^(S)were instructed, and overflowing ^[h]with gratitude.

^8 (T)See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through ^(U)philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the ^(V)elementary principles of the world, ^[i]rather than in accordance with Christ. ⁹ For in Him all the ^(W)fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Him you have been ^(X)made ^[j]complete, and ^(Y)He is the head ^[k]over every ^(Z)ruler and authority; ¹¹ and in Him ^(AA)you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without hands, in the removal of ^(AB)the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² having been ^(AC)buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also ^(AD)raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who ^(AE)raised Him from the dead. ¹³ And ^[l]when you were ^(AF)dead ^[m]in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He ^(AG)made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, ¹⁴ having canceled ^(AH)the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and ^(AI)He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ When He had ^[n](AJ)disarmed the ^(AK)rulers and authorities, He ^(AL)made a public display of them, having ^(AM)triumphed over them through ^[o]Him.

¹⁶ Therefore, no one is to ^[p](AN)act as your judge in regard to ^(AO)food and ^(AP)drink, or in respect to a ^(AQ)festival or a ^(AR)new moon, or a ^(AS)Sabbath ^[q]day— ¹⁷ things which are only a ^(AT)shadow of what is to come; but the ^[r]substance ^[s]belongs to Christ. ¹⁸ Take care that no one keeps ^[t](AU)defrauding you of your prize by ^(AV)delighting in humility and the worship of the angels, ^[u]taking his stand on visions he has seen, ^[v](AW)inflated without cause by his ^(AX)fleshly mind, ¹⁹ and not holding firmly to ^(AY)the head, from whom ^(AZ)the entire body, being supplied and held together by the joints and ^[w]ligaments, grows with a growth ^[x]which is from God.

^20 (BA)If you have died with Christ ^[y]to the ^(BB)elementary principles of the world, ^(BC)why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to ^(BD)decrees, such as, ²¹ “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” ²² (which all refer ^(BE)to things destined to perish ^[z]with use)—in accordance with the ^(BF)commandments and teachings of man? ²³ These are matters which do have the ^[aa]appearance of wisdom in ^[ab](BG)self-made religion and humility and ^(BH)severe treatment of the body, but are of no value against ^(BI)fleshly indulgence.

Put On the New Self

3 Therefore, if you have been ^(A)raised with Christ, keep seeking the things that are above, where Christ is, ^(B)seated at the right hand of God. ^2 [a](C)Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth. ³ For you have ^(D)died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, ^(E)who is our life, is revealed, ^(F)then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.

^5 (G)Therefore, ^[b]treat ^(H)the parts of your earthly body as dead to ^(I)sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which ^[c]amounts to idolatry. ⁶ For it is because of these things that ^(J)the wrath of God is coming ^[d]upon the ^[e]sons of disobedience, ⁷ and ^(K)in them you also once walked, when you were living ^[f]in them. ⁸ But now you also, ^(L)rid yourselves of all of them: ^(M)anger, wrath, malice, slander, and ^(N)obscene speech from your mouth. ^9 [g](O)Do not lie to one another, since you ^(P)stripped off the old ^[h]self with its evil practices, ¹⁰ and have ^(Q)put on the new self, which is being ^[i](R)renewed to a true knowledge ^(S)according to the image of the One who ^(T)created it— ¹¹ a renewal in which ^(U)there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, ^(V)circumcised and uncircumcised, ^[j](W)barbarian, ^[k]Scythian, ^(X)slave, and free, but ^(Y)Christ is all, and in all.

¹² So, as those who have been ^(Z)chosen of God, holy and beloved, ^(AA)put on a ^(AB)heart of compassion, kindness, ^(AC)humility, gentleness, and ^[l](AD)patience; ^13 (AE)bearing with one another, and ^(AF)forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; ^(AG)just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also. ¹⁴ In addition to all these things put on love, which is ^[m](AH)the perfect bond of ^(AI)unity. ¹⁵ Let ^(AJ)the peace of Christ, to which you were ^[n]indeed called in ^(AK)one body, ^[o]rule in your hearts; and ^[p]be thankful. ¹⁶ Let ^(AL)the word of ^[q]Christ richly dwell within you, ^[r]with all wisdom ^(AM)teaching and admonishing ^[s]one another ^(AN)with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, ^(AO)singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ^17 (AP)Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, ^(AQ)giving thanks through Him to God the Father.

Family Relations

^18 (AR)Wives, ^(AS)be subject to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. ^19 (AT)Husbands, love your wives and do not become bitter against them. ^20 (AU)Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing ^[t]to the Lord. ^21 (AV)Fathers, do not ^[u]antagonize your children, so that they will not become discouraged.

^22 [v](AW)Slaves, obey those who are your ^[w]human masters in everything, ^(AX)not with ^[x]eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. ²³ Whatever you do, do your work ^[y]heartily, ^(AY)as for the Lord and not for people, ^24 (AZ)knowing that it is from the Lord that you will receive the reward ^[z]of ^(BA)the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you ^(BB)serve. ²⁵ For ^(BC)the one who does wrong will receive the consequences of the wrong which he has done, and ^[aa](BD)that without partiality.

4 Masters, grant your slaves justice and fairness, ^(A)knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

^2 (B)Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of 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 proclaim ^(F)the mystery of Christ, for which I have also ^(G)been imprisoned; ⁴ that I may make it clear ^(H)in the way that I ought to proclaim it.

^5 [a](I)Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward ^(J)outsiders, ^[b](K)making the most of the opportunity. ^6 (L)Your speech must always be ^[c]with grace, as though seasoned with ^(M)salt, so that you will know how you should ^(N)respond to each person.

^7 (O)As to all my affairs, ^(P)Tychicus, our ^(Q)beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information. ^8 (R)For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may ^(S)encourage your hearts; ^9 [d]and with him is ^(T)Onesimus, our faithful and ^(U)beloved brother, ^(V)who is one of your own. They will inform you about the whole situation here.

^10 (W)Aristarchus, my ^(X)fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also ^(Y)Barnabas’ cousin Mark (about whom you received ^[e]instructions; ^(Z)if he comes to you, welcome him); ¹¹ and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only ^(AA)fellow workers for the kingdom of God ^(AB)who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me. ^12 (AC)Epaphras, ^(AD)who is one of your own, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, always ^(AE)striving earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may ^[f]stand ^[g](AF)mature and ^[h]fully assured in all the will of God. ¹³ For I testify for him that he has ^[i]a deep concern for you and for those who are in ^(AG)Laodicea and Hierapolis. ^14 (AH)Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and ^(AI)Demas does also. ¹⁵ Greet the brothers and sisters who are in ^(AJ)Laodicea and also ^[j]Nympha and ^(AK)the church that is in ^[k]her house. ^16 (AL)When ^[l]this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part, ^(AM)read ^[m]my letter that is coming from ^(AN)Laodicea. ¹⁷ Tell ^(AO)Archippus, “See to the ^(AP)ministry which you have received in the Lord, so that you may ^[n]fulfill it.”

^18 [o]I, Paul, ^(AQ)write this greeting with my own hand. ^(AR)Remember my ^[p](AS)imprisonment. ^(AT)Grace be with you.

Salutation

^1 (A)Paul, ^(B)a prisoner of ^(C)Christ Jesus, and ^(D)Timothy ^[a]our brother,

To Philemon our beloved brother and ^(E)fellow worker, ² and to Apphia ^[b](F)our sister, and to ^(G)Archippus our ^(H)fellow soldier, and to ^(I)the church in your house: ^3 (J)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Philemon’s Love and Faith

^4 (K)I thank my God always, making mention of you in my prayers, ⁵ because I ^(L)hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the ^[c]saints; ⁶ and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective ^[d]through the ^(M)knowledge of every good thing which is in you ^[e]for the sake of Christ. ⁷ For I have had great ^(N)joy and comfort in your love, because the ^[f]hearts of the ^[g]saints have been ^(O)refreshed through you, brother.

⁸ Therefore, ^(P)though I have ^[h]enough confidence in Christ to order you to do what is ^(Q)proper, ⁹ yet for love’s sake I rather ^(R)appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, ^[i]an ^(S)old man, and now also ^(T)a prisoner of ^(U)Christ Jesus—

Plea for Onesimus, a Free Man

¹⁰ I ^(V)appeal to you for my ^(W)[j]son ^[k](X)Onesimus, whom I ^[l]fathered in my ^[m]imprisonment, ¹¹ who previously was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. ¹² I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart, ¹³ whom I wanted to keep with me, so that in your behalf he might be at my service in my ^[n](Y)imprisonment for the gospel; ¹⁴ but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness would ^(Z)not be, in effect, by compulsion, but of your own free will. ¹⁵ For perhaps it was ^(AA)for this reason that he was separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, ^16 (AB)no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, ^(AC)a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both ^(AD)in the flesh and in the Lord.

¹⁷ If then you regard me as a ^(AE)partner, accept him as you would me. ¹⁸ But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account; ^19 (AF)I, Paul, have written this with my own hand, I will repay it (^(AG)not to ^[o]mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well). ²⁰ Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; ^(AH)refresh my heart in Christ.

^21 (AI)Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.

²² At the same time also prepare me a ^(AJ)guest room, for ^(AK)I hope that through ^(AL)your prayers ^(AM)I will be given to you.

^23 (AN)Epaphras, my ^(AO)fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, ²⁴ as do ^(AP)Mark, ^(AQ)Aristarchus, ^(AR)Demas, and ^(AS)Luke, my ^(AT)fellow workers.

^25 (AU)The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be ^(AV)with your spirit.^[p]