ACV - Colossians

Chapter 1

1:1  Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Timothy the brother,

1:2  to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:3  We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always praying about you,

1:4  having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love toward all the sanctified,

1:5  because of the hope being reserved for you in the heavens, which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the good news

1:6  being present for you, just as also in all the world. And it is bearing fruit and increasing, just as also among you from the day that ye heard and recognized the grace of God in truth.

1:7  Just as also ye learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow bondman, who is a faithful helper of the Christ for you,

1:8  the man who also made clear to us your love in spirit.

1:9  Because of this we also, from the day that we heard, cease not praying for you and making request that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

1:10  For you to walk worthily of the Lord for every desire to please, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God,

1:11  being strengthened in every ability, according to the dominion of his glory, for all perseverance and longsuffering with joy.

1:12  Giving thanks to the Father who made us qualified for the share of the portion of the sanctified in light.

1:13  Who rescued us out of the power of darkness, and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love,

1:14  in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,

1:15  who is an image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

1:16  Because in him all things were created, things in the heavens and things upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or lordships or principal offices or positions of authority, all things have been created through him, and for him.

1:17  And he is before all, and in him all things hold together.

1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might become preeminent in all things.

1:19  Because in him it was considered good for all the fullness to dwell,

1:20  and through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross, through him whether things upon the earth or things in the heavens.

1:21  And you, being formerly alienated and hostile in mind, in works, in things evil. But now he has reconciled

1:22  in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblemished and unblameable before him.

1:23  If ye truly continue in the faith, founded, and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the good news that ye heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I Paul became a helper.

1:24  I now rejoice in sufferings for you, and make complete in my flesh things lacking of the afflictions of the Christ for his body, which is the church.

1:25  Of which I became a helper according to the administration of God, which was given to me for you to fulfill the word of God,

1:26  the mystery that was hidden from the ages and from the generations, but has now been made known to his sanctified.

1:27  To whom God wanted to make known what is the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

1:28  Whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, so that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

1:29  For which also I labor, striving according to his working, which works in me with power.

Chapter 2

2:1  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.

2:2  So that their hearts may be encouraged, having been united together in love, and for all wealth of the full assurance of understanding, to knowledge of the mystery of the God and Father of the Christ.

2:3  In whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

2:4  And I say this so that not any man may delude you with persuasive speech.

2:5  For even though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in the spirit, rejoicing and seeing your orderliness, and the steadfastness of your faith for Christ.

2:6  As therefore ye received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him,

2:7  rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as ye were taught, abounding in it with thankfulness.

2:8  Take heed lest there will be any man taking you captive through the love of wisdom and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the rudiments of the world, and not according to Christ.

2:9  Because in him all the fullness of the divinity dwells bodily.

2:10  And ye are men who have been made full in him, who is the head of every principal office and position of authority.

2:11  In whom also ye were circumcised a circumcision not made with hands, in the removal of the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of the Christ.

2:12  Having been buried with him in immersion, in which also ye were raised together through faith of the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

2:13  And you, being dead in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you he made alive together with him, having forgiven us all the transgressions,

2:14  having erased the handwriting against us in the regulations that were hostile to us, and he has taken it up from the midst, having nailed it to the cross.

2:15  Having stripped the principal offices and the positions of authority, he exposed them openly, having triumphed over them by it.

2:16  Let not any man therefore judge you in eating, or in drinking, or in the matter of a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,

2:17  which are a shadow of the things coming, but the body is Christ's.

2:18  Let no man umpire against you insisting on self-mortification, and worship of the agents, intruding in things that he has not seen, vainly puffed up by the mind of his flesh,

2:19  and not holding to the head, from whom all the body, being supplied and held together through the connections and bonds, develops its growth from God.

2:20  If ye died with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why do ye submit to rules, as though living in the world?

2:21  Do not handle, nor taste, nor touch

2:22  (which are all things for consumption by use), according to the commandments and teachings of men?

2:23  Which having, are indeed a matter of wisdom in will-worship, and self-mortification, and austerity of the body-not in any value against indulgence of the flesh.

Chapter 3

3:1  If therefore ye were raised with the Christ, seek the things above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

3:2  Think on the things above, not the things on the earth.

3:3  For ye died, and your life has been hidden with the Christ in God.

3:4  When the Christ, our life, is made known, then ye also will be made known with him in glory.

3:5  Put to death therefore your body-parts on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and greed, which is idolatry.

3:6  Because of which the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience,

3:7  in which ye also once walked when ye lived in them.

3:8  But now ye also, put off all these things: anger, wrath, wickedness, reviling, filthy speaking out of your mouth.

3:9  Do not lie to each other, having stripped off the old man with his practices,

3:10  and having put on the new man, being renewed in knowledge according to an image of him who created him,

3:11  where there is no Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman, but the all and in all, Christ.

3:12  Put on therefore, as chosen men of God, holy and beloved, bowels of compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering,

3:13  forbearing each other, and forgiving yourselves, if any man has a complaint against any, just as also the Christ forgave you, so also ye,

3:14  and above all these things, love, which is the bond of perfection.

3:15  And let the peace of God umpire in your hearts, for which also ye were called in one body, and become thankful.

3:16  Let the word of Christ dwell in you abundantly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing by grace in your hearts to God.

3:17  And all things, anything whatever ye may do in word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, expressing thanks to the God and Father through him.

3:18  Wives, be ye submissive to your own husbands as is proper in the Lord.

3:19  Husbands, love the wives and do not be made bitter against them.

3:20  Children, obey the parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing in the Lord.

3:21  Fathers, do not provoke your children, so that they may not be discouraged.

3:22  Bondmen, obey in all things those masters according to flesh, not in eye-service as men-pleasers, but in simplicity of heart, fearing God.

3:23  And all things, anything whatever ye may do, work from soul as to the Lord and not to men,

3:24  knowing that from the Lord ye will receive the reward of the inheritance, for ye serve the Lord Christ.

3:25  And he who does wrong will be recompensed what he did wrong, and there is no partiality.

Chapter 4

4:1  Masters, present to the bondmen what is right and equitable, knowing that ye also have a Master in heavens.

4:2  Continue in prayer, being vigilant in it with thankfulness.

4:3  Praying simultaneously about us also, so that God may open to us a door of the word, to speak the mystery of the Christ, because of which I have also been bound,

4:4  so that I may make it known as I ought to speak.

4:5  Walk in wisdom toward those outside, redeeming the time,

4:6  your speech always with grace, seasoned with salt, to know how it is fitting for you to answer each one.

4:7  Tychicus will make known to you all things about me, the beloved brother and faithful helper and fellow bondman in the Lord.

4:8  Whom I sent to you for this same thing, so that he may know the things about you, and may encourage your hearts,

4:9  with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother who is of you. They will make known to you all things here.

4:10  Aristarchus my fellow prisoner salutes you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom ye received orders, if he comes to you, welcome him),

4:11  and Jesus who is called Justus, these being the only fellow workmen from the circumcision for the kingdom of God, men who became a comfort to me.

4:12  Epaphras, the bondman of Christ from you, salutes you, always striving for you in prayers, so that ye may stand perfect and made full in all the will of God.

4:13  For I testify about him, that he has much zeal for you, and those in Laodicea, and those in Hierapolis.

4:14  Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas salute you.

4:15  Salute the brothers in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the assembly associated with his house.

4:16  And when the letter has been read among you, cause that it be read also in the congregation of Laodiceans, and that ye also read the one from Laodicea.

4:17  And say to Archippus, Watch the ministry that thou received in the Lord so that thou may fulfill it.

4:18  The salutation of Paul by my hand. Remember my bonds. Grace is with you. Truly.