Colossians 3
Contemporary English Version
3 (A) You have been raised to life with Christ. Now set your heart on what is in heaven, where Christ rules at God's right side.[a] 2 Think about what is up there, not about what is here on earth. 3 You died, which means that your life is hidden with Christ, who sits beside God. 4 Christ gives meaning to your[b] life, and when he appears, you will also appear with him in glory.
5 Don't be controlled by your body. Kill every desire for the wrong kind of sex. Don't be immoral or indecent or have evil thoughts. Don't be greedy, which is the same as worshiping idols. 6 God is angry with people who disobey him by doing[c] these things. 7 And this is exactly what you did, when you lived among people who behaved in this way. 8 But now you must stop doing such things. You must quit being angry, hateful, and evil. You must no longer say insulting or cruel things about others. 9 (B) And stop lying to each other. You have given up your old way of life with its habits.
10 (C) Each of you is now a new person. You are becoming more and more like your Creator, and you will understand him better. 11 It doesn't matter if you are a Greek or a Jew, or if you are circumcised or not. You may even be a barbarian or a Scythian,[d] and you may be a slave or a free person. Yet Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us.
12 (D) God loves you and has chosen you as his own special people. So be gentle, kind, humble, meek, and patient. 13 (E) Put up with each other, and forgive anyone who does you wrong, just as Christ has forgiven you. 14 Love is more important than anything else. It is what ties everything completely together.
15 Each one of you is part of the body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace. So let the peace that comes from Christ control your thoughts. And be grateful. 16 (F) Let the message about Christ completely fill your lives, while you use all your wisdom to teach and instruct each other. With thankful hearts, sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. 17 Whatever you say or do should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks to God the Father because of him.
Some Rules for Christian Living
18 (G) A wife must put her husband first. This is her duty as a follower of the Lord.
19 (H) A husband must love his wife and not abuse her.
20 (I) Children must always obey their parents. This pleases the Lord.
21 (J) Parents, don't be hard on your children. If you are, they might give up.
22 (K) Slaves, you must always obey your earthly masters. Try to please them at all times, and not just when you think they are watching. Honor the Lord and serve your masters with your whole heart. 23 Do your work willingly, as though you were serving the Lord himself, and not just your earthly master. 24 In fact, the Lord Christ is the one you are really serving, and you know he will reward you. 25 (L) But Christ has no favorites! He will punish evil people, just as they deserve.
Footnotes
- 3.1 right side: The place of power and honor.
- 3.4 your: Some manuscripts have “our.”
- 3.6 people who disobey him by doing: Some manuscripts do not have these words.
- 3.11 a barbarian or a Scythian: Barbarians were people who could not speak Greek and would be in the lower class of society. Scythians were people who were known for their cruelty.
Colossians 3
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
IV. The Ideal Christian Life in the World
Chapter 3
Mystical Death and Resurrection.[a] 1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.(A) 2 Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.(B) 4 When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.
Renunciation of Vice.[b] 5 Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly:(C) immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.[c] 6 Because of these the wrath of God[d] is coming [upon the disobedient].(D) 7 By these you too once conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way. 8 But now you must put them all away:[e] anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths.(E) 9 Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices(F) 10 [f]and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator.(G) 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian,[g] slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.(H)
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,(I) 13 bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do.(J) 14 And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.(K) 15 And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.(L) 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.(M) 17 And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.(N)
The Christian Family. 18 [h]Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the Lord.(O) 19 Husbands, love your wives, and avoid any bitterness toward them. 20 Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.(P) 21 Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they may not become discouraged.(Q)
Slaves and Masters. 22 Slaves,[i] obey your human masters in everything, not only when being watched, as currying favor, but in simplicity of heart, fearing the Lord.(R) 23 Whatever you do, do from the heart, as for the Lord and not for others, 24 knowing that you will receive from the Lord the due payment of the inheritance; be slaves of the Lord Christ. 25 For the wrongdoer will receive recompense for the wrong he committed, and there is no partiality.(S)
Footnotes
- 3:1–4 By retaining the message of the gospel that the risen, living Christ is the source of their salvation, the Colossians will be free from false religious evaluations of the things of the world (Col 3:1–2). They have died to these; but one day when Christ…appears, they will live with Christ in the presence of God (Col 3:3–4).
- 3:5–17 In lieu of false asceticism and superstitious festivals, the apostle reminds the Colossians of the moral life that is to characterize their response to God through Christ. He urges their participation in the liturgical hymns and prayers that center upon God’s plan of salvation in Christ (Col 3:16).
- 3:5, 8 The two lists of five vices each are similar to enumerations at Rom 1:29–31 and Gal 5:19–21.
- 3:6 The wrath of God: see note on Rom 1:18. Many manuscripts add, as at Eph 5:6, “upon the disobedient.”
- 3:8–10 Put…away; have taken off; have put on: the terms may reflect baptismal practice, taking off garments and putting on new ones after being united with Christ, here translated into ethical terms.
- 3:10 Image: see note on Col 1:15.
- 3:11 Scythian: a barbarous people from north of the Black Sea.
- 3:18–4:6 After general recommendations that connect family life and the social condition of slavery with the service of Christ (Col 3:18–4:1), Paul requests prayers for himself, especially in view of his imprisonment (Col 3:2–3), and recommends friendly relations and meaningful discussions of Christian teaching with outsiders, i.e., non-Christians (Col 3:5–6). See note on Eph 5:21–6:9.
- 3:22–25 Slaves: within this table of duties in family and societal relations, involving wives and husbands, children and parents (Col 3:18–21), such as also appears in Eph 5:22–6:9, slaves here receive special attention because of the case of Onesimus the slave returning to his master (Col 4:9; Phlm 10–12).
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