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12 Therefore oun, as hōs the elect eklektos of ho God theos, holy hagios and kai dearly loved agapaō, clothe yourselves with endyō heartfelt splanchnon compassion oiktirmos, kindness chrēstotēs, humility tapeinophrosynē, gentleness prautēs, and patience makrothumia. 13 Bear anechōmai with one allēlōn another and kai forgive charizomai each heautou another , should ean anyone tis have echō a complaint momphē against pros another tis. As kathōs · kai the ho Lord kyrios has graciously forgiven charizomai you hymeis, so houtōs also kai you hymeis must forgive. 14 And de cover epi all pas these houtos virtues with ho love agapē, which hos is eimi the bond syndesmos that ho leads to perfection teleiotēs. 15 And kai let the ho peace eirēnē of ho Christ Christos be the ruling principle brabeuō in en · ho your hymeis heart kardia, to eis which hos indeed kai you were called kaleō in en one heis body sōma. And kai be ginomai thankful eucharistos. 16 Let the ho word logos of ho Christ Christos dwell enoikeō in en you hymeis richly plousiōs as you teach didaskō and kai admonish noutheteō one heautou another with en all pas wisdom sophia by means of psalms psalmos, hymns hymnos, and spiritual pneumatikos songs ōdē, singing adō with en · ho gratitude charis in en · ho your hymeis heart kardia to ho God theos. 17 And kai whatever pas hos you do poieō in en word logos or ē deed ergon, do everything pas in en the name onoma of the Lord kyrios Jesus Iēsous, giving eucharisteō thanks to ho God theos the Father patēr through dia him autos.

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Exhortation to Unity and Love

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with a heart of mercy,[a] kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and forgiving[b] one another, if someone happens to have[c] a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others.[d] 14 And to all these[e] virtues[f] add[g] love, which is the perfect bond.[h] 15 Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one body[i] to this peace), and be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ[j] dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace[k] in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

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Footnotes

  1. Colossians 3:12 tn If the genitive construct σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμοῦ (splanchna oiktirmou) is a hendiadys then it would be “compassion” or “tenderheartedness.” See M. J. Harris, Colossians and Philemon (EGGNT), 161.
  2. Colossians 3:13 tn For the translation of χαριζόμενοι (charizomenoi) as “forgiving,” see BDAG 1078 s.v. χαρίζομαι 3. The two participles “bearing” (ἀνεχόμενοι, anechomenoi) and “forgiving” (χαριζόμενοι) express the means by which the action of the finite verb “clothe yourselves” is to be carried out.
  3. Colossians 3:13 tn Grk “if someone has”; the term “happens,” though not in the Greek text, is inserted to bring out the force of the third class condition.
  4. Colossians 3:13 tn The expression “forgive others” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. It is included in the translation to make the sentence complete and more comprehensible to the English reader.
  5. Colossians 3:14 tn BDAG 365 s.v. ἐπί 7 suggests “to all these” as a translation for ἐπὶ πᾶσιν δὲ τούτοις (epi pasin de toutois).
  6. Colossians 3:14 tn The term “virtues” is not in the Greek text, but is included in the translation to specify the antecedent and to make clear the sense of the pronoun “these.”
  7. Colossians 3:14 tn The verb “add,” though not in the Greek text, is implied, picking up the initial imperative “clothe yourselves.”
  8. Colossians 3:14 tn The genitive τῆς τελειότητος (tēs teleiotētos) has been translated as an attributive genitive, “the perfect bond.”
  9. Colossians 3:15 tn Grk “in one body.” This phrase emphasizes the manner in which the believers were called, not the goal of their calling, and focuses upon their unity.
  10. Colossians 3:16 tc Since “the word of Christ” occurs nowhere else in the NT, two predictable variants arose: “word of God” and “word of the Lord.” Even though some of the witnesses for these variants are impressive (κυρίου [kuriou, “of the Lord”] in א* I 1175 bo Cl; θεοῦ [theou, “of God”] in A C* 33 104 323 945 al), the reading Χριστοῦ (Christou, “of Christ”) is read by an excellent cross-section of witnesses (P46 א2 B C2 D F G Ψ 075 1505 1739 1881 2464 M lat sa). On both internal and external grounds, Χριστοῦ is strongly preferred.
  11. Colossians 3:16 tn Grk “with grace”; “all” is supplied as it is implicitly related to all the previous instructions in the verse.