to the holy and faithful brethren in Christ which are in Colosse. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ.

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

on account of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens; of which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the glad tidings,

which are come to you, as they are in all the world, and are bearing fruit and growing, even as also among you, from the day ye heard them and knew indeed the grace of God, in truth:

if indeed ye abide in the faith founded and firm, and not moved away from the hope of the glad tidings, which ye have heard, which have been proclaimed in the whole creation which is under heaven, of which I Paul became minister.

Now, I rejoice in sufferings for you, and I fill up that which is behind of the tribulations of Christ in my flesh, for his body, which is the assembly;

of which I became minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given me towards you to complete the word of God,

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

to whom God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you the hope of glory:

Whereunto also I toil, combating according to his working, which works in me in power.

in which are hid all the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge.

buried with him in baptism, in which ye have been also raised with him through faith of the working of God who raised him from among the dead.

having effaced the handwriting in ordinances which stood out against us, which was contrary to us, he has taken it also out of the way, having nailed it to the cross;

which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Let no one fraudulently deprive you of your prize, doing his own will in humility and worship of angels, entering into things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by the mind of his flesh,

(things which are all for destruction in the using of them:) according to the injunctions and teachings of men,

(which have indeed an appearance of wisdom in voluntary worship, and humility, and harsh treatment of the body, not in a certain honour,) to the satisfaction of the flesh.

If therefore ye have been raised with the Christ, seek the things which are above, where the Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God:

Put to death therefore your members which are upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, vile passions, evil lust, and unbridled desire, which is idolatry.

On account of which things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

In which ye also once walked when ye lived in these things.

And to all these add love, which is the bond of perfectness.

And let the peace of Christ preside in your hearts, to which also ye have been called in one body, and be thankful.

praying at the same time for us also, that God may open to us a door of the word to speak the mystery of Christ, on account of which also I am bound,

Salute the brethren in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the assembly which is in his house.

And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, to the end that thou fulfil it.