Written to the congregation in Colossae for the Apostle Paul (possibly by Timothy and possibly in Aramaic) sometime around 62-CE.
Chapter 1
1 Paul, an
Apostle of the Anointed Jesus by the Will of God, and Timothy our brother, 2 to the holy and faithful brothers in the Anointed One at Colossae;
May you have loving care and peace from our Father, God.
3 We always
thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Anointed
One, when we are praying for you, 4
since we’ve heard of your faith in the Anointed Jesus and of the love that you
have for all the Holy Ones 5
through the hope that has been reserved for you in the heavens.
This is the
same hope that you were taught when the truth of the good news 6 was first brought to you.
[And today] it’s
producing fruit and increasing throughout the entire world the same as it has
been doing among you since the day you first heard of it and came to an
accurate understanding about the truth of God’s loving care 7 [through the hand of] EpaPhras our
beloved fellow slave, who is a faithful servant of the Anointed One on our behalf.
8 And he’s the one who told us
of the love that you have through the Breath [of God].
9 As the
result, from the very day that we heard [this about you], we haven’t stopped
praying for you and asking for you to be filled with a complete knowledge of
[God’s] will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
10 For we want you to walk in a way that’s
worthy of the Lord and to be completely pleasing as you keep on producing the
fruitage of all sorts of good deeds, growing in a full knowledge of The God 11 and getting stronger in the power of
His Glorious Might, so that you’ll be able to endure everything joyfully and
patiently, 12 as you thank the
Father that qualified you to receive a portion of the inheritance
among the Holy Ones in the light.
13
For He is drawing us to Himself out of the power of darkness and transferring
us into the Kingdom of His beloved Son 14 (into which we have been delivered by
the forgiving of our sins), 15
who is the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of all creation.
16 It was through him that everything in
the heavens and on the earth was created, both the
things that are visible and the things that are invisible…
It was all created
through him and for him, regardless of whether it is thrones, or rulerships, or
governments, or powers, 17
since he was before everything and everything came into existence through him.
18 And now he’s the head of the body of the
congregation, the beginning, and the first to be born from the dead so that he would be
first in everything.
19 Yes,
[God] saw that it was good for him to be the completion of everything, 20 and He’s using [Jesus] to bring it all
back into a peaceful good relationship with Himself through his blood [that was
shed] on the pole, whether these things are
heavenly or earthly.
21 So
though you were once just aliens and enemies, since all you thought about then was
doing wicked things;
22 [Jesus]
has restored your relationship with [God] by means of the death of [his]
fleshly body.
[This was done so that] you could be presented to Him as holy,
without any blemishes, and free from all accusations… 23 that is, as long as you stay firmly
founded and deeply rooted in the faith and aren’t diverted from the hope of the
good news that you were taught and which is being preached in all creation
under heaven (of which I, Paul, am a servant).
24 So, even as I’m here suffering, I’m rejoicing over you.
Yes, right now my flesh is finishing whatever may have been
lacking during the difficult time that the Anointed One endured, and I’m doing
this on behalf of his body, the congregation, 25
which is what I’m serving.
For this is the obligation that God has assigned to
me for your sakes, so as to fulfill His Word 26
about the mystery that was hidden from past ages
and generations, but which has now been made clear to His Holy Ones.
27 For it was God’s Will to allow you
[people] of the nations to understand the glorious richness of this mystery, so
that the Anointed One would also be in you and
[give you the same] hope of glory 28
that we’ve been advertising about him to you!
Yes, we’ve been teaching you his wisdom and putting his mind
into each one, so that we can present every person as being complete in the
Anointed One.
29 This is why I’m
working so hard and struggling… so that [Jesus] can demonstrate his power and
his ways of doing things through me.
Chapter 2
1 I want you
to realize what a great struggle I’m undergoing on your behalf, as well as for
those in LaoDikea and for all those that haven’t met me face to face yet.
2 And I want your hearts to be comforted
over this, so that you can be brought together in love and be provided with a
rich and sure understanding as well as an accurate knowledge of that great mystery of
God… the Anointed One.
3 For hidden in him are the treasures of all wisdom and
knowledge.
4 I have been
wanting to explain this to you so that no one can mislead you with strong
arguments [to the contrary].
5
For though I’m not there in the flesh, I am still there with you in spirit.
I am also rejoicing, because I’ve noticed the ways that you’ve
come into line with and become firm in the Anointed One.
6 Therefore, since you’ve accepted the
Anointed Jesus (our Lord), [you must] keep on walking with him… 7 becoming rooted and built up in him, and
growing firmer in your belief in the things that you were taught.
[Yes, I want
you to] overflow with these things whenever you’re giving thanks!
8 But watch
out so that no one carries you off as a captive into the philosophies and empty
hopes of human traditions, because these base things of the world don’t come from the Anointed One.
9 Rather, in him lives all the fullness of the divine body…
10
And you’re also part of the fullness of this one that is the head over all
governments and powers, 11 for
you were circumcised into him with a circumcision that was done without hands
when you stripped away your fleshly bodies though the circumcision of the
Anointed One.
12 Then you were
all buried with him when [you went] under the water,
and you were all raised together by your faith in what God (who raised him from
the dead) has done in you.
13
For that’s when you died to your errors and to the uncircumcised state of your
flesh and became alive with him, and he kindly
forgave all your errors 14 by
wiping away the handwritten Laws that held you down and
oppressed you…
He lifted them out of the way and nailed them on the pole, 15
which stripped away the governments and powers, and openly displayed that this
is how he had conquered them.
16 So, don’t
allow anyone to judge you over [what you] eat or drink, or over your views of
festivals such as the New Moons or Sabbaths;
17
For these were just shadows of things to come, while the realities belong to the
Anointed One.
18 And don’t
allow anyone to steal your prize by suggesting some lowly form of angel worship and by
making strong claims of things that [someone says] he has seen. For [this man has
become] overly impressed with something he just imagined in the flesh, 19 and he’s no longer hanging onto the
head…
The one that holds the whole body together with its joints and ligaments
so that it keeps growing with the [type of] growth that comes from The God.
20 However,
since you’ve already died to the base things of this world along with the
Anointed One, why is it that you (as though you’re still living in this world)
are putting yourselves under such laws as 21
‘don’t feel it,’ ‘don’t taste it,’ or ‘don’t touch it,’ 22 when it comes to things that are just
going to be consumed…
For these are the commands and teachings of men!
23 And though choosing such a form of
worship may sound wise with all its humility and mistreatment of the body, it
has no value when it comes to meeting the needs of the flesh!
Chapter 3
1 Rather,
since you’ve been raised with the Anointed One, you should now be searching for
the things that come from above, from the right hand of God, where the Anointed One is sitting…
2 And these things that are from above are no part of this world.
3
So, since you’ve already died and your life has been hidden away in the
Anointed One and in God;
4 When
the Anointed One (who is our life) reveals himself, you’ll also be seen with
him in his glory!
5 Therefore,
deaden your earthly [body parts] to sexual immorality,
unclean passions, desires for bad things, and greediness (which is idolatry);
6 For it’s due
to such things that the wrath of God is coming.
7 And though that may have been the way you acted back when
you used to live for such things, 8
you must now remove all the wrath, anger, badness, slander, and obscenities
from your mouths… 9 and don’t
lie to each other!
Yes, you must now take off the old person and the things
that he did 10 and put on the
new person that is being remade with a complete knowledge in the image of the
One who is creating it.
11 So there
are no more Greeks or Jews, circumcised or uncircumcised, foreigners, Scythians, slaves, or
freemen…
There is just the Anointed One, who is everything and within all of you!
12 Then, as God’s chosen people that are
holy and loved, you must put on the caring traits of empathy, kindness,
humility, meekness, and patience.
13
Also, keep on putting up with each other and forgiving each other kindly,
whenever anyone has a reason to complain.
Yes, just as the Lord kindly forgave
you, you must do the same…
14
And add love to all of that, because it’s the perfect unifying force.
15 Let the
peace of the Anointed One serve as the judge in your hearts, because it’s
calling [all of] you into one body.
So be thankful and 16 allow the words of the Anointed One to
live in you richly and in all wisdom, as you kindly teach and remind each other
through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs.
Yes, sing to God from your hearts!
17 And no matter what you’re saying or
doing, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, continuously thanking God (the
Father) through him.
18 Women should always obey [their husbands], since this is proper [for those that are] in the Lord.
19 Men should love their [wives] and not be bitterly angry with them.
20 Children should obey their parents in everything, because this is pleasing to the Lord.
21 Fathers shouldn’t [demand too much of] their children, so they don’t get discouraged.
22 Slaves should obey those that are their fleshly masters in everything… not just putting on a good show to please men, but [doing everything] sincerely and from the heart, in the fear of the Lord.
23 Yes, whatever you’re doing, work at it wholeheartedly as though [you’re doing it] for the Lord and not for men.
24 And because you know that you’ll be rewarded with an inheritance from the Lord, you should slave for the Lord (the Anointed One), 25 since the unrighteous will be [judged] impartially for the unrighteous things that they’re doing.
Chapter 4
1 Also, those that are masters should act righteously and fairly with their slaves, because we know that we all have a Master in the heavens.
2 Keep on
praying, staying alert, and giving thanks.
3
Also, keep praying for us… that God may open doors for us to speak and tell
others about the mystery of the Anointed One;
For this is the reason why I’m [here in]
shackles… 4 to display whatever
it is that I’m supposed to say.
5 Keep on walking wisely when it comes to those on the outside, and keep an eye out for opportunities.
6 Be
respectful in everything that you say…
Season everything with salt and know how
to [give the best] answer to each person.
7 TychiKos
(my dear brother, faithful servant, and fellow slave in the Lord) will explain
to you everything that has been happening to me.
8 That’s why I’m sending him to you… to keep you abreast of
what’s going on and to comfort your hearts.
9
[I’m also sending] OneSimus, my faithful and loved
brother that came from you, who will tell you all the rest.
10 AristArchus
(my fellow prisoner) sends you his greetings, as does Mark (BarNabas’
cousin).
He’s the one that you were told to welcome if he ever comes to [visit]
you… 11 and so does Jesus (who’s
also called Justus).
All of them are circumcised, but they are also my fellow
workers for the Kingdom of God, and they’ve done so much to comfort me.
12 EpaPhras
(who came from you), a slave of the Anointed Jesus, sends you his greetings.
He
always puts a lot of effort into his prayers for you, asking that you might
become perfect in the stand that you’re taking and [that you’ll] completely
carry out the will of God.
13 I
can testify to the fact that he goes to a lot of effort on your behalf, as well
as for those at LaoDikea and HierApolis.
14 Luke (the
beloved physician) sends you his greetings, and so does Demas.
15 Give my greetings to the brothers at
LaoDikea, as well as to Nympha and the called ones in
her home.
16 After
this letter has been read among you, also arrange for it to be read in the
LaoDikean congregation… and you read the one from LaoDikea.
17 Also, tell ArcHippus to keep an eye on
the service assignment that he accepted in the Lord and to make sure that he
fulfills it.’
18 Here is
my greeting (Paul’s) in my own hand.
Remember me
in prison.
May [God’s] loving care be with you.