Paul’s Epistle to the
Colossians
Chapter One
  1. PAUL, an apostle of ⟨Jesus⟩ ⟨Christ⟩ by the will of ⟨God⟩, and Ti-mo′-the-us our brother,
  2. To the saints and faithful brethren in ⟨Christ⟩ which are at Co-los′-se: Grace be unto you, and peace, from ⟨God⟩ our Father and the ⟨Lord⟩ ⟨Jesus⟩ ⟨Christ⟩.
  3. We give thanks to ⟨God⟩ and the Father of our ⟨Lord⟩ ⟨Jesus⟩ ⟨Christ⟩, praying always for you,
  4. Since we heard of your faith in ⟨Christ⟩ ⟨Jesus⟩, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
  5. For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in t he word of the truth of the gospel;
  6. Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of ⟨God⟩ in truth:
  7. As ye also learned of Ep′-a-phras our dear fellow­servant, who is for you a faith­ful minister of ⟨Christ⟩;
  8. Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
  9. For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowl­edge of hiis will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
  10. That ye might walk worthy of the ⟨Lord⟩ unto all pleasing, being fruit­ful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of ⟨God⟩;
  11. Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long­suffering with joyfulness;
  12. Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be par­takers of the inherit­ance of the saints in light:
  13. Who hath delivered us from the power of dark­ness, and hath trans­lated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
  14. In whom we have redemp­tion through his blood, even the for­giveness of sins:
  15. Who is the image of the invis­ible ⟨God⟩, the first­born of every creature:
  16. For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invis­ible, whether they be thrones, or domin­ions, or prin­ci­pal­ities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
  17. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
  18. 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.
  19. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
  20. And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to recon­cile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
  21. And you, that were some­time alien­ated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
  22. In the body of his flesh through death, to pre­sent you holy and unblame­able and unre­prove­able in his sight:
  23. If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;
  24. Who now rejoice in my suffer­ings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflic­tions of ⟨Christ⟩ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:
  25. Whereof I am made a min­is­ter, according to the dispensation of ⟨God⟩ which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of ⟨God⟩;
  26. Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from gen­er­a­tions, but now is made man­i­fest to his saints:
  27. To whom ⟨God⟩ would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mys­tery among the Gentiles; which is ⟨Christ⟩ in you, the hope of glory:
  28. Whom we preach, warning every man, and teach­ing every man in all wisdom; that we may pre­sent every man per­fect in ⟨Christ⟩ ⟨Jesus⟩:
  29. Whereunto I also labour, striving accord­ing to his work­ing, which work­eth in me mightily.
Chapter Two
  1. FOR I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at La-‍od-‍i-‍ce′-‍a, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
  2. That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assur­ance of under­stand­ing, to the acknowl­edge­ment of the mys­tery of ⟨God⟩, and of the Father, and of ⟨Christ⟩;
  3. In whom are hid all the treas­ures of wis­dom and knowledge.
  4. And this I say, lest any man should be­guile you with enticing words.
  5. For though I be 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⟩.
  6. As ye have there­fore received ⟨Christ⟩ ⟨Jesus⟩ the ⟨Lord⟩, so walk ye in him:
  7. Rooted and built up in him, and stab­lished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abound­ing therein with thanksgiving.
  8. Beware lest any man spoil you through phi­los­o­phy and vain deceit, after the tra­di­tion of men, after the rudi­ments of the world, and not after ⟨Christ⟩.
  9. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
  10. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
  11. In whom also ye are cir­cum­cised with the cir­cum­ci­sion made with­out hands, in put­ting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the cir­cum­ci­sion of ⟨Christ⟩:
  12. Buried with him in baptism, where­in also ye are risen with him through the faith of the oper­a­tion of ⟨God⟩, who hath raised him from the dead.
  13. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncir­cum­ci­sion of your flesh, hath he quick­ened to­gether with him, hav­ing for­given you all trespasses;
  14. Blotting out the hand­writ­ing of ordi­nances that was against us, which was con­trary to us, and took it out of the way, nail­ing it to his cross;
  15. And having spoiled prin­ci­pal­i­ties and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumph­ing over them in it.
  16. Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy­day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
  17. Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of ⟨Christ⟩.
 
  1. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a volun­tary humil­ity and wor­ship­ping of angels, intrud­ing into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
  2. And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands hav­ing nour­ish­ment minis­tered, and knit to­gether, increaseth with the increase of ⟨God⟩.
  3. Wherefore if ye be dead with ⟨Christ⟩ from the rudi­ments of the world, why, as though liv­ing in the world, are ye subject to ordinances,
  4. (Touch not; taste not; handle not;
  5. Which all are to perish with the using;) after the com­mand­ments and doc­trines of men?
  6. Which things have indeed a shew of wis­dom in will wor­ship, and humil­ity, and neglect­ing of the body; not in any hon­our to the satis­fying of the flesh.
Chapter Three
  1. IF ye then be risen with ⟨Christ⟩, seek those things which are above, where ⟨Christ⟩ sitteth on the right hand of ⟨God⟩.
  2. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
  3. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with ⟨Christ⟩ in ⟨God⟩.
  4. When ⟨Christ⟩, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
  5. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; forni­cation, unclean­ness, inor­di­nate affec­tion, evil con­cu­pis­cence, and covet­ous­ness, which is idolatry:
  6. For which things’ sake the wrath of ⟨God⟩ com­eth on the chil­dren of disobedience:
  7. In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
  8. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blas­phemy, filthy com­mu­ni­ca­tion out of your mouth.
  9. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
  10. And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
  11. Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, cir­cum­ci­sion nor uncir­cum­ci­sion, Bar­bar­ian, Scyth′-‍i-‍an, bond nor free: but ⟨Christ⟩ is all, and in all.
  12. Put on therefore, as the elect of ⟨God⟩, holy and beloved, bowels of mer­cies, kind­ness, hum­ble­ness of mind, meek­ness, longsuffering;
  13. Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quar­rel against any: even as ⟨Christ⟩ for­gave you, so also do ye.
  14. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
  15. And let the peace of ⟨God⟩ rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
  16. Let the word of ⟨Christ⟩ dwell in you richly in all wis­dom; teach­ing and admon­ish­ing one another in psalms and hymns and spiri­tual songs, sing­ing with grace in your hearts to the ⟨Lord⟩.
  17. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the ⟨Lord⟩ ⟨Jesus⟩, giving thanks to ⟨God⟩ and the Father by him.
  18. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own hus­bands, as it is fit in the ⟨Lord⟩.
  19. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.
  20. Children, obey your parents in all things: for this is well pleas­ing unto the ⟨Lord⟩.
  21. Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.
  22. Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eye­service, as men­pleasers; but in single­ness of heart, fearing ⟨God⟩:
  23. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the ⟨Lord⟩, and not unto men;
  24. Knowing that of the ⟨Lord⟩ ye shall receive the reward of the inher­it­ance: for ye serve the ⟨Lord⟩ ⟨Christ⟩.
  25. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.
Chapter Four
  1. MASTERS, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; know­ing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
  2. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;
  3. Withal praying also for us, that ⟨God⟩ would open unto us a door of utter­ance, to speak the mys­tery of ⟨Christ⟩, for which I am also in bonds:
  4. That I may make it mani­fest, as I ought to speak.
  5. Walk in wisdom toward them that are with­out, redeeming the time.
  6. Let your speech be alway with grace, sea­soned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to an­swer every man.
  7. All my state shall Tych′-i-cus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faith­ful minis­ter and fellow­servant in the ⟨Lord⟩:
  8. Whom I have sent unto you for the same pur­pose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts;
  9. With O-nes′-i-mus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.
  10. Ar-is-tar′-chus my fellow­prisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touch­ing whom ye received com­mand­ments: if he come unto you, receive him;)
  11. And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the cir­cum­ci­sion. These only are my fellow workers unto the king­dom of ⟨God⟩, which have been a com­fort unto me.
  12. Ep′-a-phras, who is one of you, a servant of ⟨Christ⟩, saluteth you, always labour­ing fer­vent­ly for you in pray­ers, that ye may stand per­fect and com­plete in all the will of ⟨God⟩.
  13. For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in La-‍od-‍i-‍ce′-‍a, and them in Hi-‍e-‍rap′-‍o-‍lis.
  14. Luke, the beloved physician, and De′-mas, greet you.
  15. Salute the brethren, which are in La-‍od-‍i-‍ce′-‍a, and Nym′-‍phas, and the church which is in his house.
  16. And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the La-‍od-‍i-‍ce′-‍ans; and that ye like­wise read the epistle from La-‍od-‍i-‍ce′-‍a.
  17. And say to Ar-chip′-pus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the ⟨Lord⟩, that thou fulfil it.
  18. The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. A-men′.
“Line upon line, precept upon precept”…
for knowledge shall cease and wisdom fail,
but understanding remains (if gained from the former).