Colossians 3:5-17
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
5 Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly:(A) immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.[a] 6 Because of these the wrath of God[b] is coming [upon the disobedient].(B) 7 By these you too once conducted yourselves, when you lived in that way. 8 But now you must put them all away:[c] anger, fury, malice, slander, and obscene language out of your mouths.(C) 9 Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices(D) 10 [d]and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator.(E) 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian,[e] slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.(F)
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,(G) 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.(H) 14 And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection.(I) 15 And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body. And be thankful.(J) 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.(K) 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.(L)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 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.
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