Whenever we pray, we never fail to thank God, the Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ, about you,

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

because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, which you have heard about beforehand in the word of truth, the gospel,

that has come to you, just as also in all the world it is bearing fruit and increasing, just as also among you from the day you heard about and understood the grace of God in truth,

You learned about this gospel from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of the Messiah on your behalf.

and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.

Because of this also we, from the day we heard about [it], did not cease praying for you, and asking that you may be filled [with] the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual insight,

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have about you, and those at Laodicea, and as many as have not seen my face in flesh.

[I do this] so that their hearts will be encouraged [while] being united in [mutual] love, [and] so that they will have the wealth of a fully assured understanding, in order to fully know about God's hidden secret, [which is] Christ.

Therefore as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk about in him,

Let no man therefore trouble your consciences about meat and drink: or for a piece of a holy day, as the holy day of the new moon, or of the Sabbath day:

Which are a shadow of things about to be; and the body of Christ.

Let no one condemn you, taking pleasure in humility and the worship of angels, going into detail [about] [the things] which he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,

Keep thinking about things above, not things on the earth,

In which you indeed at one time did walk about, when you lived in them:

Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God.

Be persistent in prayer and wide awake about it when you give thanks.

At the same time also pray for us that God would open before us a door for the word so that we may tell the secret about the Messiah, for which I have been imprisoned.

Walk about in wisdom toward the aliens, buying in the opportunity.

let your talk always have a saving salt of grace about it, and learn how to answer any question put to you.

As to all my affairs, Tychicus, who is a much-loved brother and faithful assistant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will give you all the information.

For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts;

He is with Onesimus, a faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.

Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions--if he should come to you, welcome him),

For I testify about him that he works hard for you, for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis.