That is why, from the day I first heard of it, I have never given up praying for you and asking God to fill you, through full spiritual wisdom and insight, with a clear knowledge of what his will is,

so that the lives you live may be worthy of your Master and wholly pleasing to him, and you may be fruitful in all kinds of good deeds, and may grow into fuller knowledge of God.

for it was through him that everything was created in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen, angelic thrones, dominions, principalities, authorities??ll things were created through him and for him.

In it, by divine appointment, I became a worker, that I might preach among you the message of God in its fulness??26 that secret, hidden from the ages and generations, but now disclosed to those who are consecrated to him,

That is what I am working for, fighting with all the energy with which he so mightily endows me.

that your hearts may be cheered. I want you to be united by love, and to have all the benefit of assured knowledge in coming to know Christ??3 that divine mystery in which all treasures of wisdom and knowledge are to be found.

Take care that nobody exploits you through the pretensions of philosophy, guided by human tradition, following material ways of looking at things, instead of following Christ.

For it is in him that all the fulness of God's nature lives embodied,

That was all only the shadow of something that was to follow; the reality is found in Christ.

"You must not handle," "You must not taste," "You must not touch"??22 referring to things that are all meant to be used up and destroyed? This is to follow mere human rules and regulations.

If, then, you have been raised to life with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are where Christ is, above, seated at God's right hand.

Fix your thoughts on the things that are above, not on those that are on earth.

It is on account of these things that God's anger is coming.

And you once practiced them as others do, when you lived that old earthly life.

and have put on that new self newly made in the likeness of its Creator, to know him fully.

You married women must subordinate yourselves to your husbands, for that is your duty as Christians.

Children, always obey your parents, for that is commendable in Christians.

for you know that it is from him that you are to receive that inheritance which is to be your reward. Think of Christ as the master you are working for.

You who are masters must treat your slaves justly and fairly, and remember that you have a Master too, in heaven.

Pray for me too, that God may give me an opening for the message, and let me tell the secret of Christ on account of which I am kept in prison

Epaphras, one of your own number, a slave of Christ Jesus, wishes to be remembered to you. He is always standing up for you in his prayers that you may stand fast, like men of mature convictions, whatever God's will for you may be.

Remember me to the brothers in Laodicea and to Nympha and the church that meets at her house.

When this letter has been read to you, have it read to the church at Laodicea also, and see that you read the letter that is coming from there.

And tell Archippus, "See that you perform the Christian service you have been assigned."

This farewell is in my own hand, from Paul. Remember that I am in prison. God bless you.