¹Paul, an Apostle of the Anointed Jesus by the Will of God, and Timothy our brother, ²to the holy and faithful brothers in the Anointed One at Colossae:May you have loving care and peace from our Father, God.³We always thank the God and Father of our Lord, Jesus the Anointed One, when we’re praying for you... ⁴Since we’ve heard about your faith in the Anointed Jesus, and of the love you have for all the Holy Ones – ⁵through the hope that’s been reserved for you in the heavens.This is the same hope that you were taught when the truth of the good news ⁶was first brought to you.[And today] it’s producing fruit and increasing throughout the entire world – the same as it’s 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[You first heard through] EpaPhras our beloved fellow slave, who’s a faithful servant of the Anointed One on our behalf... ⁸And he’s the one who told us about the love that you have through the Breath [of God].⁹As a 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.¹⁰For we want you to walk in a way that’s worthy of the Lord – and to be completely pleasing [to him] while you keep on producing the fruitage of all sorts of good deeds... Growing in a full knowledge of The God ¹¹and getting stronger in the power of His Glorious Might, so that you’ll be able to endure everything joyfully and patiently, ¹²while you thank the Father who qualified you to receive a portion of the inheritance among the Holy Ones in the light.¹³For He’s drawing us to Himself from out of the power of darkness, and transferring us into the Kingdom of His beloved Son ¹⁴(into which we’ve been delivered through his blood [spurious words] by the forgiving of our sins), ¹⁵who is the image of the invisible God and the firstborn of all creation.¹⁶It 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’s thrones, rulerships, governments, or powers... ¹⁷Since he was before everything and everything came into existence through him.¹⁸And now he’s the ‘head’ and origin 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.¹⁹Yes, [God] saw that it was good for him to be the completion of everything, ²⁰and He’s using [Jesus] to bring it all back into a peaceful, good relationship with Himself (through his blood [that was shed] on the upright [stake])^[Syr]... Whether these things are heavenly or earthly.²¹So although 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… ²³That 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 the sky (of which I, Paul, am a servant).²⁴So, 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, ²⁵which is what I’m serving.This is the obligation God’s assigned to me for your sakes – to fulfill His Word ²⁶about the mystery that was hidden from past ages and peoples, but which has now been made clear to His Holy Ones.²⁷Yes, it was God’s Will to allow you other races to understand the glorious richness of this mystery. So the Anointed One can be in you too, [yes, the one] who is the hope of our glory ²⁸whom we’ve been advertising.[We did this] while admonishing you and teaching you in wisdom... So that we can present every person as complete in the Anointed One.²⁹I’m working hard and struggling to do this – but helped by the power he gives me.

¹I 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 who haven’t met me face to face yet...²And I want your hearts to be comforted over this, so that you can meet 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 Father,^[Syr] and of the Anointed One.³For the treasures of all wisdom and knowledge are hidden in him!⁴I’m saying this so that nobody will mislead you with strong arguments [to the contrary], ⁵for although I’m not there in the flesh, I’m still with you in spirit!I’m also very happy to see how well you’re doing in orderliness, and how firm your faith in the Anointed One has become.⁶Therefore, since you’ve accepted the Anointed Jesus (our Lord), [you must] keep on walking with him… ⁷Becoming 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!⁸But watch out so that nobody 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.⁹Rather, the divinity fully lives within him bodily, ¹⁰and you’re [also] fully within him, [the one] who’s the head and source of all government and power!¹¹For you were ‘circumcised’ into him with a ‘circumcision’ that was done without hands... [it happened] when you stripped away your fleshly bodies though the circumcision of the Anointed One.¹²Then 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!¹³For that’s when you ‘died’ to your errors and the uncircumcised state of your flesh and became ‘alive’ with him... And then he kindly forgave all your errors ¹⁴by wiping away the handwritten [Jewish] Laws that held you down and oppressed you…He lifted them out of the way and nailed them on to the upright [stake], ¹⁵which stripped away the governments and powers, and openly displayed that this is how he’d conquered them.¹⁶So, 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... ¹⁷For these were just shadows of things to come, while the realities belong to the Anointed One.¹⁸And 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’s seen.For [this man has become] overly impressed with something he just imagined in the flesh, ¹⁹and he’s no longer hanging onto the ‘head’… The one who 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.²⁰However, since you’ve already ‘died’ [when it comes] to the base things of this world (along with the Anointed One), why is it that you (as if 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,’ ²²when it comes to things that are just going to be consumed?For these are the commands and teachings of men!²³Look, it might sound wise (with all its humility, fear of God, and mistreatment of the body), but it’s got no real value... It’s just concerned with [desires of the] flesh.^[Syr]

¹Rather, 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…²Yes, think about the things above, not the things on the earth!³So, since you’ve already ‘died,’ and your life has been hidden away in the Anointed One and in God... ⁴When the Anointed One (who is our life) reveals himself, you’ll also be seen with him in his glory!⁵Therefore, deaden your earthly [body parts] when it comes to sexual immorality, unclean passions, desires for bad things, and greediness (which is idolatry)...⁶For the wrath of God is coming because of such things.⁷And although that may have been how you acted back when you used to live for such things, ⁸you must now remove all the wrath, anger, badness, slander, and obscenities from your mouths… ⁹And don’t lie to each other!Yes, you must now take off the old person (and the things that he did) ¹⁰and put on the new person who’s being remade with a complete knowledge in the image of the One who’s creating it.¹¹So there’s no [distinction between] Jews and Syrians, nor circumcised and uncircumcised, nor Greek and barbarian, and nor slave and freeman!There’s just the Anointed One, who is everything and within all of you!^[Syr]12Then, as God’s chosen people who are holy and loved, you must put on the caring traits of empathy, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.¹³Also, 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…¹⁴And add love to all of that, because it’s the perfect unifying force.¹⁵Let 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 ¹⁶allow 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!¹⁷And 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.¹⁸Wives:Obey your husbands – because this is proper [for those] in the Lord.¹⁹Husbands:Love your wives – and don’t be nasty to them.²⁰Children:Obey your parents in everything – because this is beautiful before our Lord.^[Syr]21Fathers:Don’t demand too much from your children, so they don’t get discouraged.²²Slaves:Obey your fleshly masters in everything… Not just by putting on a good show to please men, but sincerely, from the heart – and in the fear of Jehovah.²³Yes, whatever you’re doing, work at it wholeheartedly as if it’s for the Lord and not for men... ²⁴Remember that from our Lord you’ll get rewarded with an inheritance from Jehovah – because you serve the Anointed One.²⁵For the wrongdoer will be ‘rewarded’ exactly according to what he’s done – no matter who it is!

¹Masters:Act righteously and fairly with your slaves, remember that you too have a Master – in heaven!²[And to all:]Keep in constant prayer, stay alert, and give thanks.³Also, keep praying for us… That God may open doors for us to speak and tell others about the mystery of the Anointed One...This is why I’m [here in] shackles… ⁴To display whatever it is that I’m supposed to say.⁵Keep on walking wisely when it comes to those on the outside, and keep an eye out for opportunities.⁶Be respectful in everything that you say… Season everything with salt, and know how to answer everyone appropriately.⁷TychiKos (my dear brother, faithful servant, and fellow slave in the Lord) will explain to you everything that’s happening to me. ⁸That’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 who came from you, who’ll tell you all the rest.¹⁰AristArchus (my fellow prisoner) sends you his greetings, as does Mark (BarNabas’ cousin).He’s the one who you were told to welcome if he ever comes to [visit] you… ¹¹And so does Jesus (who’s also called Justus).All of them are circumcised, but they’re also my fellow workers for the Kingdom of God, and they’ve done so much to comfort me!¹²EpaPhras (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.¹³I 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.¹⁴Luke (the beloved physician) sends you his greetings, and so does Demas.¹⁵Give my greetings to the brothers at LaoDikea, as well as to Nympha and the called ones in her home.¹⁶After 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.¹⁷Also, tell ArcHippus to keep an eye on the service assignment that he accepted in the Lord and to make sure that he fulfills it.¹⁸Here is my greeting (Paul’s) in my own hand!Remember me in prison.May [God’s] loving care be with you.