
{1}1{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}1_{/}Paul, apostle of Christ  Jesus by the will of God and 
Timothy our brother,
{R}_{I}2_{/}to the saints in Colossae, our faithful brothers and sisters 
in Christ:
Receive grace and peace from God our Father, and Christ Jesus our 
Lord.
[=]_{R}_{I}3_{/}Thanks be to God, the Father of Christ Jesus, our Lord!
We constantly pray for you, {R}_{I}4_{/}for we have known of your faith 
in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints. Indeed you 
await in hope the inheritance reserved for you in Heaven, 
[=]_{I}5_{/}of which you have heard through the word of truth. This 
Gospel, {R}_{I}6_{/}already present among you, is bearing fruit and 
growing throughout the world, as it did among you from the day you 
accepted it and understood the gift of God in all its truth.
[=]_{I}7_{/}He who taught you, Epaphras, our dear companion in the 
service of Christ, faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, 
{R}_{I}8_{/}has reminded me of the love you have for me in the spirit. 
[=]_{R}_{I}9_{/}Because of this, from the day we received news of you, we 
have not ceased praying to God for you, that you may attain the 
full knowledge of his will through all the gifts of wisdom and 
spiritual understanding. 
[=]_{R}_{I}10_{/}May your lifestyle be worthy of the Lord and completely 
pleasing to him. May you bear fruit in every good work and grow in 
the knowledge of God. 
{R}_{I}11_{/}May you become strong in everything by a sharing of the 
Glory of God, so that you may have great endurance and persevere 
in joy.
[=]_{R}_{I}12_{/}Constantly give thanks to the Father who has empowered 
us to receive our share in the inheritance of the saints in his 
kingdom of light. {R}_{I}13_{/}He rescued us from the power of darkness 
and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son. [=]_{I}14_{/}In 
him we are redeemed and forgiven.

{N}CHRIST IS THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_[*]_{R}_{I}15_{/}He is the image of the unseen God,
and for all creation he is the firstborn,
[=]_{I}16_{/}for in him all things were created,
in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible:
thrones, rulers, authorities, powers...
All was made through him and for him.
[=]_{I}17_{/}He is before all
and all things hold together in him.
[=]_{I}18_{/}And he is the head of the body, that is the Church,
for he is the first, the first raised from the dead
that he may be the first in everything,
[=]_{R}_{I}19_{/}for God was pleased to let fullness dwell in him.
{R}_{I}20_{/}Through him God willed to reconcile all things to himself,
and through him, through his blood shed on the cross,
God establishes peace,
on earth as in Heaven.
[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}21_{/}You yourselves were once estranged and opposed to 
God because of your evil deeds, [=]_{R}_{I}22_{/}but now you have been 
reconciled. God reconciled you by giving up to death the body of 
Christ, so that you may be without fault, holy and blameless 
before him. [=]_{R}_{I}23_{/}Only stand firm, upon the foundation of your 
faith, and be steadfast in hope. Keep in mind the Gospel you have 
heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and 
of which I, Paul, became a minister.
[=]_{I}24_{/}At present I rejoice when I suffer for you; I complete in 
my own flesh what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the 
sake of his body, which is the Church. [=]_{R}_{I}25_{/}For I am serving 
the Church since God entrusted to me the ministry of bringing into 
effect his design for you. [=]_{R}_{I}26_{/}I mean that mysterious plan 
that for centuries and generations remained secret, and which God 
has now revealed to his holy ones.
[=]_{R}_{I}27_{/}God willed to make known to them the riches and even the 
Glory that his mysterious plan reserved for the pagan nations: 
Christ is in you and you may hope God's Glory.
{I}28_{/}This Christ we preach. We warn and teach everyone true 
wisdom, aiming to make everyone perfect in Christ. [=]_{I}29_{/}For 
this cause I labor and struggle with the energy of Christ working 
powerfully in me.

{N}LET CHRIST JESUS, THE LORD, BE YOUR DOCTRINE{/}

{1}2{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{I}1_{/}I want you to know how  I strive for you, for those of 
Laodicea and for so many who have not met me personally. 
[=]_{R}_{I}2_{/}I pray that all may be encouraged. May you be established 
in love, that you may obtain all the riches of a full 
understanding and know the mystery of God, Christ himself. {I}3_{/}For 
in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
{I}4_{/}So let no one deceive you with persuasive arguments. 
[=]_{R}_{I}5_{/}Although I am far from you, my spirit is with you and I 
rejoice in recalling how well-disciplined you are and how firm in 
the faith of Christ.
{R}_{I}6_{/}If you have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord, let him be your 
doctrine. {I}7_{/}Be rooted and built up in him; let faith be your 
principle, as you were taught, and your thanksgiving overflowing.
[=]_{I}8_{/}See that no one deceives you with philosophy or any hollow 
discourse; these are merely human doctrines not inspired by Christ 
but by the wisdom of this world. [=]_{R}_{I}9_{/}For in Him dwells the 
fullness of God in bodily form. [=]_{I}10_{/}He is the head of all 
cosmic power and authority, and in him you have everything.

{N}BAPTIZED AND RISEN{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}11_{/}In Christ Jesus you were given a circumcision but 
not by human hands, which removed completely from you the carnal 
body: [=]_{R}_{I}12_{/}I refer to baptism. On receiving it you were 
buried with Christ; and you also rose with him for having believed 
in the power of God who raised him from the dead.
{R}_{I}13_{/}You were dead. You were in sin and uncircumcised at the same 
time. But God gave you life with Christ. He forgave all our sins. 
[=]_{I}14_{/}He canceled the record of our debts, those regulations 
which accused us. He did away with all that and nailed it to the 
cross. [=]_{I}15_{/}Victorious through the cross, he stripped the 
rulers and authorities of their power, humbled them before the 
eyes of the whole world and dragged them behind him as prisoners. 

{N}USELESS DOCTRINES{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{I}16_{/}So, then, let no one criticize you in matters of food 
or drink or for not observing festivals, new moons or the sabbath. 
[=]_{I}17_{/}These things were only shadows of what was to come, 
whereas the reality is the person of Christ. [=]_{R}_{I}18_{/}Do not let 
yourselves be robbed of him by those people who offer you a 
religion of fear and the worship of the angels. In fact, they only 
appreciate their own visions and are puffed up with their idle 
notions, [=]_{R}_{I}19_{/}instead of holding firmly to the head, Christ. 
It is he who nourishes and gives unity to the whole body by a 
complex system of nerves and ligaments, making it grow according 
to the plan of God.
{I}20_{/}If you have really died with Christ, and are rid of the 
principles of the world, why do you now let yourselves be taught 
as if you belonged to the world? [=]_{I}21_{/}"Do not eat this, do not 
taste that, do not touch that..." {I}22_{/}These are human rules and 
teachings, referring to things that are perishable, that wear out 
and disappear. [=]_{I}23_{/}These doctrines may seem to be profound 
because they speak of religious observance and humility and of 
disregarding the body. In fact, they are useless as soon as the 
flesh rebels.

{N}SEEK THE THINGS THAT ARE ABOVE{/}

{1}3{/}

[\u0095]_[=]_{R}_{I}1_{/}So then, if you are risen  with Christ, seek the 
things that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of 
God. {I}2_{/}Set your mind on the things that are above, not on 
earthly things. {R}_{I}3_{/}For you have died and your life is now hidden 
with Christ in God. [=]_{I}4_{/}When Christ, who is your life, reveals 
himself, you also will be revealed with him in Glory.
[=]_{R}_{I}5_{/}Therefore, put to death what is earthly in your life, 
that is immorality, impurity, inordinate passions, wicked desires 
and greed which is a way of worshiping idols. {R}_{I}6_{/}These are the 
things that arouse the wrath of God.
[=]_{I}7_{/}For a time you followed this way and lived in such 
disorders. [=]_{I}8_{/}Well then, reject all that: anger, evil 
intentions, malice; and let no abusive words be heard from your 
lips. 

{N}PUT ON THE NEW SELF{/}

[\u0095]_{I}9_{/}Do not lie to one another. You have been stripped of the 
old self and its way of thinking [=]_{I}10_{/}to put on the new, which 
is being renewed and is to reach perfect knowledge and the 
likeness of its creator. [=]_{I}11_{/}There, there is no distinction 
between Jew and Greek, between circumcised and uncircumcised. 
There are no strangers, barbarians, slave and free, but Christ is 
all and is in all.
[=]_{R}_{I}12_{/}Clothe yourselves, then, as is fitting for God's chosen 
people, holy and beloved of him. Put on compassion, kindness, 
humility, meekness and patience [=]_{I}13_{/}to bear with one another 
and forgive whenever there is any occasion to do so. As the Lord 
has forgiven you, forgive one another. [=]_{I}14_{/}When you have put 
on all these, take love as your belt so that the dress be perfect. 
[=]_{I}15_{/}May the peace of Christ overflow in your hearts; for this 
end you were called to be one body. And be thankful.
[=]_{R}_{I}16_{/}Let the word of God dwell in you in all its richness. 
Teach and admonish one another with words of wisdom. With thankful 
hearts sing to God psalms, hymns and spontaneous praise. 
[=]_{R}_{I}17_{/}And whatever you do or say, do it in the Name of Jesus, 
the Lord, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

{N}ON OBEDIENCE{/}

[\u0095]_{I}18_{/}Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as you should 
do in the Lord. {I}19_{/}Husbands, love your wives and do not get 
angry with them. {I}20_{/}Children, obey your parents in everything, 
because that pleases the Lord. {I}21_{/}Parents, do not be too 
demanding of your children, lest they become discouraged.
[=]_{I}22_{/}Servants, obey your masters in everything; not only while 
they are present, to gain favor with them, but sincerely, because 
you fear the Lord. {I}23_{/}Whatever you do, do it wholeheartedly, 
working for the Lord, and not for humans. {I}24_{/}You well know that 
the Lord will reward you with the inheritance. You are servants, 
but your Lord is Christ. [=]_{R}_{I}25_{/}Every evildoer will be paid 
back for whatever wrong has been done, for God does not make 
exceptions in favor of anyone.

{1}4{/}

{I}1_{/}As for you, masters, give your servants what is fair and 
reasonable, knowing that you yourselves have a Master in heaven.

{N}FURTHER INSTRUCTIONS{/}

[\u0095]_{I}2_{/}Be steadfast in prayer and even spend the night praying 
and giving thanks. [=]_{I}3_{/}Pray especially for us and our 
preaching: may the Lord give us words to announce the mystery of 
Christ. Because of this I am in chains; {I}4_{/}pray then that I may 
be able to reveal this mystery as I should.
[=]_{I}5_{/}Deal wisely with those who do not belong to the Church; 
take advantage of every opportunity. [=]_{I}6_{/}Let your conversation 
be pleasing with a touch of wit. Know how to speak to everyone in 
the best way.
{I}7_{/}Tychicus will give news of me. He is our dear brother and for 
me a faithful assistant and fellow worker for the Lord. {I}8_{/}I am 
purposely sending him to give you news of me and to encourage you. 
[=]_{I}9_{/}With him I am sending Onesimus, our faithful and dear 
brother, who is one of yours. They will tell you about everything 
that is happening here.
[=]_{I}10_{/}My companion in prison, Aristarchus, greets you, as does 
Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, about whom you have already received 
instructions. If he calls on you, receive him warmly. {R}_{I}11_{/}Jesus, 
called Justus, also greets you. They are the only Jewish people 
working with me for the kingdom of God, and because of that they 
have been a comfort to me. 
[=]_{R}_{I}12_{/}Greetings from your countryman Epaphras, a good servant 
of Christ Jesus. He constantly battles for you through his prayer 
that you be perfect and firm in whatever God asks of you. {I}13_{/}I 
assure you that he is deeply concerned about you, as he is for the 
Laodiceans and those of Hierapolis.
[=]_{I}14_{/}Greetings from Luke, our dear doctor and from Demas. 
{I}15_{/}Greet the brothers and sisters of Laodicea, and don't forget 
Nympha and the church that gathers in her house.
[=]_{I}16_{/}After reading this letter, see that it is read in the 
Church of the Laodiceans, and have the letter they received read 
in yours. [=]_{I}17_{/}And say to Archipus, "Do not forget the 
ministry given to you in the Lord."
[=]_{R}_{I}18_{/}Greetings in my own hand, Paul. Remember that I am in 
chains. Grace be with you.

