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20 Children, obey your parents in everything. This pleases the Lord.

21 Fathers, don’t upset your children. If you are too hard to please, they might want to stop trying.

22 Servants, obey your masters in everything. Obey all the time, even when they can’t see you. Don’t just pretend to work hard so that they will treat you well. No, you must serve your masters honestly because you respect the Lord.

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20 Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.

21 Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.

22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God;

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20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.

21 Fathers,[a] do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Colossians 3:21 Or Parents

20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing in the Lord. 21 Fathers,[a] do not provoke[b] your children, so they will not become disheartened. 22 Slaves,[c] obey your earthly[d] masters in every respect, not only when they are watching—like those who are strictly people-pleasers—but with a sincere heart, fearing the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Colossians 3:21 tn Or perhaps “Parents.” The plural οἱ πατέρες (hoi pateres, “fathers”) can be used to refer to both the male and female parent (BDAG 786 s.v. πατήρ 1.a).
  2. Colossians 3:21 tn Or “do not cause your children to become resentful” (L&N 88.168). BDAG 391 s.v. ἐρεθίζω states, “to cause someone to react in a way that suggests acceptance of a challenge, arouse, provoke mostly in bad sense irritate, embitter.”
  3. Colossians 3:22 tn On this word here and in 4:1, see the note on “fellow slave” in 1:7.
  4. Colossians 3:22 tn The prepositional phrase κατὰ σάρκα (kata sarka) does not necessarily qualify the masters as earthly or human (as opposed to the Master in heaven, the Lord), but could also refer to the sphere in which “the service-relation holds true.” See BDAG 577 s.v. κύριος 1.b.