having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have toward all the saints,

because of the hope laid up for you in Heaven, of which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the Gospel,

which is present among you, even as it is in all the world bearing fruit and increasing, as it does in you also, since the day ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth;

if, at least, ye continue in the faith, founded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under the heaven, of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings in your behalf, and fill up in turn the deficiencies of the tribulations of Christ in my flesh for the sake of His body, which is the assembly;

of which I was made a minister, according to the dispensation of God, which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,

the mystery which has been hidden from the ages and from the generations, but was now made manifest to His saints;

to whom God willed 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;

to which end I am toiling also, striving according to His working, which is working in me with power.

For I wish you to know how great a conflict I am having for you, and those in Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in flesh;

having been buried with Him in your immersion, in which ye were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, Who raised Him from the dead;

having blotted out the hand-writing in decrees against us, which was contrary to us, and He has taken it out of the midst, nailing it to the cross;

which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is Christ's.

Let no one rob you of your prize, wishing to do it in humility and in a worshipping of angels, speculating about the things which he has seen, being vainly puffed up by the mind of his flesh,

(which are all for destruction in the using), according to the commandments and teachings of men?

Which things, having, indeed, a show of wisdom, in will-worship, humility, and severe treatment of the body, are not of any value, against the indulgence of the flesh.

Make dead, therefore, your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which, indeed, is idolatry;

on account of which things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience;

in which things ye also formerly walked, when ye were living in these things.

and over all these put on love, which is the uniting-bond of perfectness.

And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, unto which also ye were called in one body; and become thankful.

For he that does wrong shall receive back the wrong which he did; and there is no respect of persons,

at the same time praying for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ (because of which I have also become bound),

And say to Archippus, "Take heed to the ministry which you received in the Lord, that you fulfill it."