Book of Common Prayer

He gives thanks to God for their faith, love, and hope, and prays for their increase. He explains how we are the kingdom of God won by Christ, who is the head of the congregation.

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and brother Timothy.

² To the saints who are at Colosse and brethren who believe in Christ.

Grace be with you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

³ We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always praying for you ⁴ since we heard of the faith that you have in Christ Jesus, and of the love that you bear to all the saints, ⁵ for the sake of the hope that is laid up in store for you in heaven – of which hope you heard before by the true word of the gospel, ⁶ which has come to you in the same way as it has into all the world, and is fruitful among you in the same way since the first day you heard it and had experience of the grace of God in the truth, ⁷ when you learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant. He is for you a faithful minister of Christ. ⁸ He also described to us the love that you have in the Spirit.

⁹ For this reason we also, since the day we heard of it, have not ceased praying for you, and asking that you be fulfilled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, ¹⁰ so that you may walk worthy of the Lord in all things that please him, being fruitful in all good works and increasing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ strengthened with all might through his glorious power to have all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness, ¹² and giving thanks to the Father, who has made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of saints in light. ¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption through his blood; that is to say, the forgiveness of sins.

He defends the disciples that pluck the ears of grain. He heals the man with the withered hand, chooses his twelve apostles, gives a sweet sermon, and teaches to do good for evil.

6 It happened on an after-Sabbath that Jesus went through the grain field, and his disciples plucked the ears of grain and ate, rubbing them in their hands. ² And certain of the Pharisees said to them, Why do you do that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath days? ³ And Jesus answered them and said, Have you not read what David did when he himself was hungry, and those who were with him? ⁴ How he went into the house of God, and took and ate the loaves of hallowed bread, and gave also to those who were with him – which bread it was not lawful to eat, but for the priests only? ⁵ And he said to them, The Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath day.

⁶ And it came about in another Sabbath also that he entered into the synagogue and taught. And there was there a man whose right hand was withered. ⁷ And the scribes and Pharisees watched Jesus to see if he would heal on the Sabbath day, to find an accusation against him. ⁸ But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man that had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stepped forth. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, I will ask you a question: whether it is lawful on the Sabbath days to do good, or to do evil; to save life, or to destroy it? ¹⁰ And he looked around at them all and said to the man, Stretch forth your hand. And he did so, and his hand was restored and made as whole as the other.

¹¹ And they were filled full of madness, and conferred with each other, what they might do to Jesus.