Chapter 1
1 I am Paul, and I became the apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. I am greeting you along with our brother Timothy.
2 I am writing to you, holy and faithful brothers in Jesus Christ, who live in Colosse.
3 Receive grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. We always pray for you and give thanks to God who is the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
4 We got to know that you believe in Jesus Christ and love all the holy people of God.
5 When you heard the Good News about Christ, you believed in the true Word of God. So you have already known that God prepared an inheritance for you in heaven. Now you have the assurance that you will receive this inheritance of God.
6 On the day when you heard the truth about Christ, you understood what God’s grace is. Then the Good News started living in you. Now you believe in Jesus and spread the Good News about Him throughout the world. It brings results, and many people turn to Christ. Their faith grows just like yours does.
7 Our dear brother Epaphras preached to you about Jesus. He ministers among you and faithfully serves Christ.
8 He told us that the Holy Spirit filled you with love.
9 Since we heard about it, we have started praying for you regularly. We ask God to give you full knowledge of what He wants to do in your lives. May God give you all the wisdom and spiritual understanding.
10 You must live according to the requirements the Lord has given us. Always act in such a way that you please Him. Do good deeds, and you will see that they will bring results. Grow in the knowledge of God more and more.
11 The Lord has all might and glory. That is why you should turn to Him to strengthen yourselves with all His power. Then you will live in joy because you will be able to develop endurance and patience.
12 Thank God the Father who gave us the right to receive His inheritance. We will share the inheritance with all the holy people of God who live in the light.
13 God saved us from the darkness, and the darkness lost its power over us. God brought us into the Kingdom where His beloved Son rules.
14 When the Son of God shed His blood, He paid for our freedom, and we received the forgiveness of sins.
15 The Son of God is the image of the invisible God. He existed before God the Father created this world.
16 God created everything that exists in heaven and on earth. He created everything what we can see and what we cannot see. He established authority for kings to rule over countries. And He entrusted this authority to people. He appointed rulers to lead others. God created everything, and He did it for Himself.
17 God existed before anything else, and He holds all creation together.
18 The Son of God became the head of the Church, and the Church is His Body. He is the beginning of everything, and He is the first who was raised from the dead. That is why He holds the first place in everything.
19 And the Father is pleased that all perfection is in His Son.
20 The Son of God shed His blood on the cross. And through His Son God made peace with all that exists in heaven and on earth. Through His Son the Father reconciled all people with Himself.
21 You used to be far from God. You were doing evil deeds, and you were hostile to God in your mind.
22 When the physical body of Christ died on the cross, through His death He created the Church and called it His Body. He reconciled you with God in His Body. That is why now you are in the presence of God. And He sees you as holy, blameless, and without any fault.
23 But you should continue to have strong faith and should not doubt. When you heard the Good News about Christ, it filled your hearts with hope that you should not lose. Everyone who lives on the earth should hear the Good News about Christ. That is why I, Paul, became a minister to preach this Good News to all people.
24 When Christ suffered on the cross, He created the Church. And I also suffer because of you. But I rejoice that I endure physical sufferings because of the Church which is the Body of Christ. However I cannot compare my sufferings with the sufferings of Christ.
25 I serve the Church and build the house of God. God gave me this responsibility for your benefit so that I could fulfill the Word of God.
26 For centuries the secret was hidden in the Word of God. And previous generations of people did not know this secret. But now God has revealed it to His holy people.
27 And this is the secret that God wanted to show to His people. God made the Gentiles rich with His glory. Gentiles, now Christ lives in you. And you can be sure that you will enter the glory of God.
28 We preach about Christ and lead people to understanding of the truth. We teach every person with all the wisdom so that everyone can become spiritually mature in Jesus Christ.
29 That is why I work so hard and patiently endure all the difficulties which I face in my ministry. And I fully rely on the power of Christ which works in me in a mighty way.
Chapter 2
1 I want you to know that I am facing great challenges. But despite this, I keep serving the Lord. I pray that my ministry will bring a blessing to both you and those who live in Laodicea. Even though some of you have never met me personally.
2 I want you to love one another, because love unites and brings peace to the hearts. I pray that God the Father will reveal to you His mystery about Christ. I also ask God that you may fully and deeply understand this mystery.
3 In Christ you will discover all the hidden treasures that will fill you with wisdom and knowledge.
4 I do not want anyone to convince you with false words and lead you away from God’s truth. That is why I am sharing this with you.
5 Physically I am far away from you, but spiritually I am with you. I can see that you firmly believe in Christ. And I rejoice that everything is going well with you.
6 When you turned to Jesus Christ, you made Him your Lord. Keep following Him and do as He does.
7 Develop deep roots and grow in Christ. You know that thanksgiving strengthens your faith. So the more you thank God, the stronger your faith becomes.
8 Brothers, do not get caught up in philosophy and do not believe in nonsense. There are traditions and rules behind these things that were established by the people of this world. Instead, you should follow the teaching of Christ.
9 God came in the body of Christ and lives in Him in full perfection.
10 You also have the full perfection of God because you are in Christ who is supreme over all spiritual powers and authorities.
11 Gentiles, you belong to God, and you were also circumcised. But it was God who circumcised you, not a man. It was Christ who circumcised you, but it was not a physical circumcision of the body. Christ circumcised your inner person and removed your sinful nature.
12 God raised Christ from the dead by His power. When you believed in the power of God, you were baptized. During baptism you went under the water and buried yourselves along with Christ. Then you rose from the water and became alive along with Him.
13 You used to be spiritually dead because of your sins. You were uncircumcised and did not belong to God. But God forgave us all our sins and made us alive along with Christ.
14 The list of our sins that was written in the Law of Moses condemned us and made us guilty before God. But when Christ paid for our sins, He canceled that Law that was against us. He nailed the list of our sins to the cross and removed the guilt and condemnation from our lives.
15 Christ made the rulers and authorities powerless in the spiritual world. He publicly shamed them and triumphantly defeated them on the cross.
16 It is not important what you eat or drink and which Jewish festivals you celebrate. It does not matter if you celebrate the beginning of new month, and if you keep the Sabbath. Let no one judge you for these things.
17 Jewish rituals were a shadow of what was to happen in the future. And this future already came when Christ was born into this world in a physical body. Now you should follow Christ and should not keep the Jewish rituals.
18 Some people show off their false humility, and their sinful thoughts make them proud. They claim that they saw angels, so they started worshiping them. But you must not believe such people because they are deceiving you.
19 The Church is the Body of Christ. Christ is the Head of His Church, but such people are not united with Him as the Head of the Church. Christ holds the whole Body together. He connects it with joints and binds it together with various connections. God nourishes the Body of Christ so that the Church can grow.
20 So you died with Christ to the rules that were established by the people of this world. But you keep acting like these people. You still obey these rules which say,
21 “Do not take it. Do not eat it. Do not touch it”.
22 People prohibit things and create rules, but eventually these teachings fade away.
23 Such teachings may look wise because people show off their religious zeal. They live in false humility and make their bodies exhausted. But prohibitions and rules cannot overcome the evil desires of a person.
Chapter 3
1 You have been raised with Christ who sits in heavens at the right hand of God in a place of honor. So focus your attention on the reality of heaven.
2 Think of spiritual things, not earthly things.
3 You died to sinful life. In God you found a safe refuge from this world. And now you live a new life with Christ.
4 When He comes to the earth, you will also come with Him in His glory.
5 So put your sinful nature to death. Sexual immorality, evil desires, harmful addictions, and nasty lust must die. Put to death your greed which leads a person to worship things like an idol.
6 God will pour out His wrath on those who keep sinning and keep being hostile to Him.
7 You used to live like everyone else. You did the same sins as all people do.
8 But now you must leave behind your old way of life. Refrain from anger and do not give in to furious outbursts. Do not do evil, do not insult one another, and do not speak impure words.
9 Do not deceive one another. Take off your sinfulness from your inner person like old clothes, and do not go back to your sinful deeds.
10 Put on the new nature of God. Get to know God and renew your inner person to be like the Creator.
11 Now it is not important if you are the Gentiles or Jews. There is no difference between a circumcised and an uncircumcised person. It does not matter what language you speak or what nationality you are. It is not important if you are slaves or free. Now Christ united all of us in Himself.
12 God loves you. He chose you and made you holy. So put the new nature of God on your inner person. Show compassion and do good things. Do not rise above one another, be kind and very patient.
13 Accept one another despite the weaknesses. If you have some reasons to complain, forgive one another as Christ forgave you.
14 But the most important thing is to dress your inner person with love which unites us and brings perfection.
15 May God’s peace fill your hearts and help you make right decisions. You have become the members of one Body of Christ. That is why you should live in peace and be friendly with one another.
16 Study carefully what Christ said. Then His Word will live in you, and it will make you wise. Learn the songs of praise from the Psalms written by King David. Encourage one another with solemn hymns of worship. Inspire each other with new songs which the Holy Spirit gives you. Do your best to learn what God’s grace is, then your hearts will sing to the Lord.
17 You represent the Lord Jesus Christ. So speak in His name and act as His representatives. Come to God the Father through Christ and give thanks to God.
18 Wives, submit to your husbands. This is how those who belong to the Lord should behave.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not offend them.
20 Children, obey your parents in everything because it brings joy to the Lord.
21 Fathers, do not cause conflicts with your children, as it may lead them to distance themselves from you.
22 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything. Please them always, and not only when they are watching you. Treat God with deep reverence and serve your masters with a sincere heart.
23 Love what you do. Work diligently, as you would work for the Lord, and not for people.
24 You should know that you serve Christ who He is your Lord. He will reward you, and you will receive an inheritance.
25 But if you do evil then evil will return to you. God treats all people with justice.
Chapter 4
1 Masters, be fair and just to your slaves. Remember that there is the Lord above you who watches over all of us from heaven.
2 Regularly dedicate your time for prayer. Pray with a thankful heart and avoid distractions during prayer.
3 I was put in prison because I preached about the Lord. So pray also for us so that God would open the doors for us to preach His Word. Then we will be able to tell others about the mystery of Christ.
4 Pray about me because I must explain this secret clearly.
5 Behave wisely towards the unbelievers. Spend time with them in a meaningful way.
6 An unbeliever will be able to get answers to his questions if he understands what the grace of Christ is. Add grace to your words as you add salt to your food.
7 I sent to you our dear brother Tychicus who faithfully serves and works for the Lord. He will tell you everything about me.
8 You can also tell him what is happening with you, and he bring peace to your hearts.
9 Tychicus will come to you with brother Onesimus who is one of your own people. Our dear brother Onesimus faithfully serves the Lord. Tychicus and Onesimus will share with you about everything what is happening with us.
10 Aristarchus was put in prison along with me, and he is sending you greetings. Mark who is a nephew of Barnabas is greeting you. And if Mark visits you, you must welcome him.
11 Jesus who is also known as Justus is sending greetings to you. They are the only Jews who work with me for the Kingdom of God. And they bring me great joy.
12 Epaphras is one of your own people. He is the servant of Jesus Christ, and he is also greeting you. He always prays hard for you. He asks God to make you mature. He prays that you can fully understand what God wants to do in your lives.
13 I assure you that Epaphras shows a great zeal. He works both for you and for those who live in Laodicea and Hierapolis.
14 Our dear doctor Luke and Dimas are greeting you.
15 Send greetings to the brothers who live in Laodicea. Greet Nympha and the church that meets at her house.
16 Read this letter in your church then send it to the church in Laodicea. And you should read the letter that I wrote to the church in Laodicea.
17 Pass my words to Archippus, “Be careful, fulfill the ministry that you received from the Lord.”
18 I, Paul, greet you and sign this letter with my own hand. Remember that I am in prison. Live in the grace of the Lord. Amen.