Walk in Wisdom

^15 (A)See then that you walk ^[a]circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, ^16 (B)redeeming the time, ^(C)because the days are evil.

^17 (D)Therefore do not be unwise, but ^(E)understand ^(F)what the will of the Lord is. ¹⁸ And ^(G)do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, ¹⁹ speaking to one another ^(H)in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making ^(I)melody in your heart to the Lord, ^20 (J)giving thanks always for all things to God the Father ^(K)in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^21 (L)submitting to one another in the fear of ^[b]God.

Marriage—Christ and the Church^(M)

²² Wives, ^(N)submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. ²³ For ^(O)the husband is head of the wife, as also ^(P)Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. ²⁴ Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands ^(Q)in everything.

^25 (R)Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and ^(S)gave Himself for her, ²⁶ that He might ^[c]sanctify and cleanse her ^(T)with the washing of water ^(U)by the word, ^27 (V)that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, ^(W)not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. ²⁸ So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. ³⁰ For ^(X)we are members of His body, ^[d]of His flesh and of His bones. ^31 (Y)“For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the ^(Z)two shall become one flesh.” ³² This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. ³³ Nevertheless ^(AA)let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she ^(AB)respects her husband.

Children and Parents^(AC)

6 Children, ^(AD)obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ^2 (AE)“Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: ³ “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”

⁴ And ^(AF)you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but ^(AG)bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Bondservants and Masters

^5 (AH)Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, ^(AI)with fear and trembling, ^(AJ)in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; ^6 (AK)not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, ⁷ with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, ^8 (AL)knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.

⁹ And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that ^[e]your own ^(AM)Master also is in heaven, and ^(AN)there is no partiality with Him.

The Whole Armor of God

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ^11 (AO)Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the ^[f]wiles of the devil. ¹² For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against ^(AP)principalities, against powers, against ^(AQ)the rulers of ^[g]the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ^13 (AR)Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand ^(AS)in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

¹⁴ Stand therefore, ^(AT)having girded your waist with truth, ^(AU)having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ^15 (AV)and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶ above all, taking ^(AW)the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷ And ^(AX)take the helmet of salvation, and ^(AY)the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; ^18 (AZ)praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, ^(BA)being watchful to this end with all perseverance and ^(BB)supplication for all the saints— ¹⁹ and for me, that utterance may be given to me, ^(BC)that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which ^(BD)I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

A Gracious Greeting

²¹ But that you also may know my affairs and how I am doing, ^(BE)Tychicus, a beloved brother and ^(BF)faithful minister in the Lord, will make all things known to you; ^22 (BG)whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know our affairs, and that he may ^(BH)comfort your hearts.

²³ Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

Greeting

1 Paul, ^(A)an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

² To the saints ^(B)and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse:

^(C)Grace to you and peace from God our Father ^[a]and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Their Faith in Christ

^3 (D)We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ^4 (E)since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of ^(F)your love for all the saints; ⁵ because of the hope ^(G)which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you, ^(H)as it has also in all the world, and ^(I)is bringing forth ^[b]fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew ^(J)the grace of God in truth; ⁷ as you also learned from ^(K)Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is ^(L)a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, ⁸ who also declared to us your ^(M)love in the Spirit.

Preeminence of Christ

^9 (N)For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask ^(O)that you may be filled with ^(P)the knowledge of His will ^(Q)in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ^10 (R)that you may walk worthy of the Lord, ^(S)fully pleasing Him, ^(T)being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the ^(U)knowledge of God; ^11 (V)strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, ^(W)for all patience and longsuffering ^(X)with joy; ^12 (Y)giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of ^(Z)the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³ He has delivered us from ^(AA)the power of darkness ^(AB)and ^[c]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ^14 (AC)in whom we have redemption ^[d]through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵ He is ^(AD)the image of the invisible God, ^(AE)the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For ^(AF)by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or ^(AG)dominions or ^[e]principalities or ^[f]powers. All things were created ^(AH)through Him and for Him. ^17 (AI)And He is before all things, and in Him ^(AJ)all things consist. ¹⁸ And ^(AK)He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, ^(AL)the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Reconciled in Christ

¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that ^(AM)in Him all the fullness should dwell, ²⁰ and ^(AN)by Him to reconcile ^(AO)all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, ^(AP)having made peace through the blood of His cross.

²¹ And you, ^(AQ)who once were alienated and enemies in your mind ^(AR)by wicked works, yet now He has ^(AS)reconciled ^22 (AT)in the body of His flesh through death, ^(AU)to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— ²³ if indeed you continue ^(AV)in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are ^(AW)not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, ^(AX)which was preached to every creature under heaven, ^(AY)of which I, Paul, became a minister.