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

to the holy and believing brothers in Christ who are in Colosse. Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father.

Whenever I pray for you I am continually thanking God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ

(since I heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love to all the saints)

as you learned it from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow slave. He is a faithful minister of Jesus Christ in your behalf,

I am now rejoicing in my sufferings on your behalf; and I am filling up in my own body what is yet lacking of the sufferings of Christ in behalf of the church, his Body.

To them God willed to make known among the Gentiles how glorious are the riches of that secret truth, which is "Christ in you, the hope of glory."

Him I am ever proclaiming, warning every one and teaching every one, in all wisdom; that I may bring every man into his presence, full grown in Christ.

May their hearts be comforted! May they be knit together in love! May they gain in all its riches the full assurance of their understanding! May they come to a perfect knowledge of the secret truth of God, which is Christ himself.

For though I am absent from you in body, I am with you in spirit, happy to note your discipline and the solid front of your faith in Christ.

As then you have received Jesus Christ, your Lord, in him live your lives;

Take care lest any man drag you away captive by his philosophy which is a vain deceit, following the traditions of men and the world's crude notions, and not Christ.

For it is in Christ that all the fullness of deity dwells bodily,

In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made with hands; even in putting off your sensual nature in Christ's own circumcision,

These were a shadow of things to come, but the substance belongs to Christ.

If you died with Christ to the world's rudimentary notions, why, as if you still lived in the world, do you submit yourselves to dogmatisms found on teachings and doctrines of men??21 such as "Do not handle this," "You must not taste that," "Do not touch this"??22 all things which are intended to perish in the using?

If you then are risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ abides, seated on the right hand of God.

for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

When Christ, who is our life, appears, then will you also appear with him in glory.

In it that new creation there is no "Greek and Jew," "circumcised and uncircumcised," "barbarian," "Scythian," "slave," "free man," but Christ is all, and in us all.

bearing with one another and forgiving each other, if any one has a grievance against another. Just as Christ the Lord forgave you, so must you forgive.

Let the peace of Christ, to which also you were called in one body, rule in your hearts, and show yourselves thankful.

Let the word of Christ have its home in you richly, in all wisdom. Teach and admonish one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, ever singing with grace in your hearts unto God.

You know that from the Lord you will receive reward of the inheritance, for you are the Lord Christ's slaves.

Keep on praying for me, too, that God may open for me a door of utterance to speak the secret truth of Christ, for which I am a prisoner.

Epaphras, one of yourselves, salutes you, a slave of Christ who is always agonizing for you in his prayers, that you may stand firm, mature, and fully assured in all the will of God.