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

to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ in Colossae. Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

We give thanks always to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ [when we] pray for you,

[since we] heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints,

just as you learned [it] from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave who is a faithful minister of Christ [on] our behalf,

Now I rejoice in my sufferings on behalf of you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ, on behalf of his body which is the church,

to whom God wanted to make known what [is] the glorious wealth of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,

whom we proclaim, [by] admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, in order that we may present every person mature in Christ,

so that their hearts may be encouraged, united in love and into all the wealth of the full assurance of insight into the knowledge of the mystery of God, Christ,

for even if I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing and seeing your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, live in him,

Beware lest {anyone take you captive} through philosophy and empty deceit, according to {human tradition}, according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ,

in whom also you were circumcised with a circumcision not made by hands, by the removal of the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

which are a shadow of what is to come, but the reality [is] Christ.

If you have died with Christ to the elemental spirits of the world, why do you submit [to them] as [if] living in the world?

Therefore, if you have been raised together with Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.

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

When Christ, [who is] your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, [or] free, but Christ [is] all, and in all.

And the peace of Christ must rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body, and be thankful.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom, with psalms, hymns, [and] spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God,

[because you] know that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. Serve the Lord Christ.

praying at the same time for us also, that God may open for us a door of the message, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which also {I am a prisoner},

Epaphras, who is [one] of you, greets you, a slave of Christ always struggling on behalf of you in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.