Colossians 3
Holman Christian Standard Bible
The Life of the New Man
3 So if you have been raised with the Messiah, seek what is above, where the Messiah is, seated at the right hand of God.(A) 2 Set your minds on what is above, not on what is on the earth.(B) 3 For you have died,(C) and your life is hidden with the Messiah in God. 4 When the Messiah, who is your[a] life, is revealed,(D) then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.(E)
5 Therefore, put to death what belongs to your worldly nature:[b] sexual immorality, impurity,(F) lust,(G) evil desire, and greed,(H) which is idolatry.(I) 6 Because of these, God’s wrath(J) comes on the disobedient,[c] 7 and you once walked in these things when you were living(K) in them. 8 But now you must also put away(L) all the following: anger,(M) wrath,(N) malice,(O) slander,(P) and filthy language from your mouth.(Q) 9 Do not lie(R) to one another, since you have put off(S) the old self[d](T) with its practices 10 and have put on(U) the new self. You are being renewed in knowledge according to the image of your[e] Creator.(V) 11 In Christ[f] there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian,[g] slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.(W)
The Christian Life
12 Therefore, God’s chosen ones, holy and loved,(X) put on heartfelt compassion, kindness,(Y) humility,(Z) gentleness,(AA) and patience,(AB) 13 accepting one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a complaint against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you must also forgive.(AC) 14 Above all, put on love—the perfect bond of unity. 15 And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called(AD) in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. 16 Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name(AE) of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Christ in Your Home
18 Wives, be submissive to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.(AF)
19 Husbands,(AG) love your wives(AH) and don’t be bitter(AI) toward them.
20 Children,(AJ) obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers,(AK) do not exasperate(AL) your children, so they won’t become discouraged.
22 Slaves, obey your human(AM) masters in everything. Don’t work only while being watched, in order to please men, but work wholeheartedly, fearing the Lord.(AN)
23 Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically,[h] as something done for the Lord and not for men,(AO) 24 knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer(AP) will be paid back for whatever wrong he has done, and there is no favoritism.
Footnotes
- Colossians 3:4 Other mss read our
- Colossians 3:5 Lit death the members on the earth
- Colossians 3:6 Other mss omit on the disobedient
- Colossians 3:9 Lit man; = a person before conversion
- Colossians 3:10 Lit his
- Colossians 3:11 Lit Where
- Colossians 3:11 A term for a savage
- Colossians 3:23 Lit do it from the soul
Colossians 3
New International Reader's Version
Teachings About Holy Living
3 You have been raised up with Christ. So think about things that are in heaven. That is where Christ is. He is sitting at God’s right hand. 2 Think about things that are in heaven. Don’t think about things that are only on earth. 3 You died. Now your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 Christ is your life. When he appears again, you also will appear with him in heaven’s glory.
5 So put to death anything that comes from sinful desires. Get rid of sexual sins and impure acts. Don’t let your feelings get out of control. Remove from your life all evil desires. Stop always wanting more and more. You might as well be worshiping statues of gods. 6 God’s anger is going to come because of these things. 7 That’s the way you lived at one time in your life. 8 But now here are the kinds of things you must also get rid of. You must get rid of anger, rage, hate and lies. Let no dirty words come out of your mouths. 9 Don’t lie to one another. You have gotten rid of your old way of life and its habits. 10 You have started living a new life. Your knowledge of how that life should have the Creator’s likeness is being made new. 11 Here there is no Gentile or Jew. There is no difference between those who are circumcised and those who are not. There is no rude outsider, or even a Scythian. There is no slave or free person. But Christ is everything. And he is in everything.
12 You are God’s chosen people. You are holy and dearly loved. So put on tender mercy and kindness as if they were your clothes. Don’t be proud. Be gentle and patient. 13 Put up with one another. Forgive one another if you are holding something against someone. Forgive, just as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these good things put on love. Love holds them all together perfectly as if they were one.
15 Let the peace that Christ gives rule in your hearts. As parts of one body, you were appointed to live in peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message about Christ live among you like a rich treasure. Teach and correct one another wisely. Teach one another by singing psalms and hymns and songs from the Spirit. Sing to God with thanks in your hearts. 17 Do everything you say or do in the name of the Lord Jesus. Always give thanks to God the Father through Christ.
Teachings About Christian Families
18 Wives, follow the lead of your husbands. That’s what the Lord wants you to do.
19 Husbands, love your wives. Don’t be mean to them.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything. That pleases the Lord.
21 Fathers, don’t make your children bitter. If you do, they will lose hope.
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything. Don’t do it just to please them when they are watching you. Obey them with an honest heart. Do it out of respect for the Lord. 23 Work at everything you do with all your heart. Work as if you were working for the Lord, not for human masters. 24 Work because you know that you will finally receive as a reward what the Lord wants you to have. You are slaves of the Lord Christ. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be paid back for what they do. God treats everyone the same.
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