Bible (American Standard)/Colossians

The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians
==Chapter 1==
 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of
God, and Timothy our brother, 
 To the saints and faithful
brethren in Christ [that are] at Colossae: Grace to you and
peace from God our Father. 
 We give thanks to God the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 
 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love
which ye have toward all the saints, 
 because of the hope
which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before
in the word of the truth of the gospel, 
 which is come unto
you; even as it is also in all the world bearing fruit and
increasing, as [it doth] in you also, since the day ye heard and
knew the grace of God in truth; 
 even as ye learned of
Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister
of Christ on our behalf, 
 who also declared unto us your
love in the Spirit. 
 For this cause we also, since the day
we heard [it], do not cease to pray and make request for you,
that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all
spiritual wisdom and understanding, 
 to walk worthily of
the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work,
and increasing in the knowledge of God; 
 strengthened with
all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all
patience and longsuffering with joy; 
 giving thanks unto
the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance
of the saints in light; 
 who delivered us out of the power
of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of
his love; 
 in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness
of our sins: 
 who is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of all creation; 
 for in him were all things
created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and
things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities
or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto
him; 
 and he is before all things, and in him all things
consist. 
 And he is the head of the body, the church: who
is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all
things he might have the preeminence. 
 For it was the good
pleasure [of the Father] that in him should all the fulness
dwell; 
 and through him to reconcile all things unto
himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross;
through him, [I say], whether things upon the earth, or things
in the heavens. 
 And you, being in time past alienated and
enemies in your mind in your evil works, 
 yet now hath he
reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present
you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him:
 if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and
stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which
ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven;
whereof I Paul was made a minister. 
 Now I rejoice in my
sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is
lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's
sake, which is the church; 
 whereof I was made a minister,
according to the dispensation of God which was given me to
you-ward, to fulfil the word of God, 
 [even] the mystery
which hath been hid for ages and generations: but now hath it
been manifested to his saints, 
 to whom God was pleased to
make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among
the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 
 whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man
in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ;
 whereunto I labor also, striving according to his
working, which worketh in me mightily.
==Chapter 2==
 For I would have you know how greatly I strive for you,
and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my
face in the flesh; 
 that their hearts may be comforted,
they being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the
full assurance of understanding, that they may know the mystery
of God, [even] Christ, 
 in whom are all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge hidden. 
 This I say, that no one may
delude you with persuasiveness of speech. 
 For though I am
absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and
beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in
Christ. 
 As therefore ye received Christ Jesus the Lord,
[so] walk in him, 
 rooted and builded up in him, and
established in your faith, even as ye were taught, abounding in
thanksgiving. 
 Take heed lest there shall be any one that
maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit,
after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world,
and not after Christ: 
 for in him dwelleth all the fulness
of the Godhead bodily, 
 and in him ye are made full, who
is the head of all principality and power: 
 in whom ye
were also circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands,
in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision
of Christ; 
 having been buried with him in baptism,
wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the
working of God, who raised him from the dead. 
 And you,
being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of
your flesh, you, [I say], did he make alive together with him,
having forgiven us all our trespasses; 
 having blotted out
the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was
contrary to us: and he hath taken it out that way, nailing it to
the cross; 
 having despoiled the principalities and the
powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in
it. 
 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink,
or in respect of a feast day or a new moon or a sabbath day:
 which are a shadow of the things to come; but the body is
Christ's. 
 Let no man rob you of your prize by a voluntary
humility and worshipping of the angels, dwelling in the things
which he hath seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 
 and not holding fast the Head, from whom all the body, being
supplied and knit together through the joints and bands,
increasing with the increase of God. 
 If ye died with
Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in
the world, do ye subject yourselves to ordinances, 
 Handle
not, nor taste, nor touch 
 (all which things are to perish
with the using), after the precepts and doctrines of men? 
 Which things have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship, and
humility, and severity to the body; [but are] not of any value
against the indulgence of the flesh.
==Chapter 3==
 If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the
things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand
of God. 
 Set your mind on the things that are above, not on
the things that are upon the earth. 
 For ye died, and your
life is hid with Christ in God. 
 When Christ, [who is] our
life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with him be
manifested in glory. 
 Put to death therefore your members
which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion,
evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry; 
 for
which things' sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of
disobedience: 
 wherein ye also once walked, when ye lived
in these things; 
 but now do ye also put them all away:
anger, wrath, malice, railing, shameful speaking out of your
mouth: 
 lie not one to another; seeing that ye have put off
the old man with his doings, 
 and have put on the new man,
that is being renewed unto knowledge after the image of him that
created him: 
 where there cannot be Greek and Jew,
circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman,
freeman; but Christ is all, and in all. 
 Put on therefore,
as God's elect, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion,
kindness, lowliness, meekness, longsuffering; 
 forbearing
one another, and forgiving each other, if any man have a
complaint against any; even as the Lord forgave you, so also do
ye: 
 and above all these things [put on] love, which is
the bond of perfectness. 
 And let the peace of Christ rule
in your hearts, to the which also ye were called in one body;
and be ye thankful. 
 Let the word of Christ dwell in you
richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with
psalms [and] hymns [and] spiritual songs, singing with grace in
your hearts unto God. 
 And whatsoever ye do, in word or in
deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to
God the Father through him. 
 Wives, be in subjection to
your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 
 Husbands, love
your wives, and be not bitter against them. 
 Children,
obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing in
the Lord. 
 Fathers, provoke not your children, that they
be not discouraged. 
 Servants, obey in all things them
that are your masters according to the flesh; not with
eye-service, as men-pleasers, but in singleness of heart,
fearing the Lord: 
 whatsoever ye do, work heartily, as
unto the Lord, and not unto men; 
 knowing that from the
Lord ye shall receive the recompense of the inheritance: ye
serve the Lord Christ. 
 For he that doeth wrong shall
receive again for the wrong that he hath done: and there is no
respect of persons.
==Chapter 4==
 Masters, render unto your servants that which is just
and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven. 
 Continue stedfastly in prayer, watching therein with
thanksgiving; 
 withal praying for us also, that God may
open unto us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of
Christ, for which I am also in bonds; 
 that I may make it
manifest, as I ought to speak. 
 Walk in wisdom toward them
that are without, redeeming the time. 
 Let your speech be
always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye
ought to answer each one. 
 All my affairs shall Tychicus
make known unto you, the beloved brother and faithful minister
and fellow-servant in the Lord: 
 whom I have sent you for
this very purpose, that ye may know our state, and that he may
comfort your hearts; 
 together with Onesimus, the faithful
and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known
unto you all things that [are done] here. 
 Aristarchus my
fellow-prisoner saluteth you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas
(touching whom ye received commandments; if he come unto you,
receive him), 
 and Jesus that is called Justus, who are of
the circumcision: these only [are my] fellow-workers unto the
kingdom of God, men that have been a comfort unto me. 
 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, saluteth
you, always striving for you in his prayers, that ye may stand
perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. 
 For I
bear him witness, that he hath much labor for you, and for them
in Laodicea, and for them in Hierapolis. 
 Luke, the
beloved physician, and Demas salute you. 
 Salute the
brethren that are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church that
is in their house. 
 And when this epistle hath been read
among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the
Laodiceans; and that ye also read the epistle from Laodicea.
 And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which
thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it. 
 The
salutation of me Paul with mine own hand. Remember my bonds.
Grace be with you.