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Colossians 4
New International Version
Colossians 4
New International Version
4 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair,(A) because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
Further Instructions
2 Devote yourselves to prayer,(B) being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door(C) for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery(D) of Christ, for which I am in chains.(E) 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise(F) in the way you act toward outsiders;(G) make the most of every opportunity.(H) 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace,(I) seasoned with salt,(J) so that you may know how to answer everyone.(K)
Final Greetings
7 Tychicus(L) will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant[a](M) in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our[b] circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts.(N) 9 He is coming with Onesimus,(O) our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you.(P) They will tell you everything that is happening here.
10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus(Q) sends you his greetings, as does Mark,(R) the cousin of Barnabas.(S) (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews[c] among my co-workers(T) for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras,(U) who is one of you(V) and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you,(W) that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature(X) and fully assured. 13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea(Y) and Hierapolis. 14 Our dear friend Luke,(Z) the doctor, and Demas(AA) send greetings. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea,(AB) and to Nympha and the church in her house.(AC)
16 After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read(AD) in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.
17 Tell Archippus:(AE) “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”(AF)
18 I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.(AG) Remember(AH) my chains.(AI) Grace be with you.(AJ)
Footnotes
- Colossians 4:7 Or slave; also in verse 12
- Colossians 4:8 Some manuscripts that he may know about your
- Colossians 4:11 Greek only ones of the circumcision group
Colossians 4
Good News Translation
Colossians 4
Good News Translation
4 (A)Masters, be fair and just in the way you treat your slaves. Remember that you too have a Master in heaven.
Instructions
2 Be persistent in prayer, and keep alert as you pray, giving thanks to God. 3 At the same time pray also for us, so that God will give us a good opportunity to preach his message about the secret of Christ. For that is why I am now in prison. 4 Pray, then, that I may speak, as I should, in such a way as to make it clear.
5 (B)Be wise in the way you act toward those who are not believers, making good use of every opportunity you have. 6 (C)Your speech should always be pleasant and interesting, and you should know how to give the right answer to everyone.
Final Greetings
7 (D)Our dear friend Tychicus, who is a faithful worker and fellow servant in the Lord's work, will give you all the news about me. 8 That is why I am sending him to you, in order to cheer you up by telling you how all of us are getting along. 9 (E)With him goes Onesimus, that dear and faithful friend, who belongs to your group. They will tell you everything that is happening here.
10 (F)Aristarchus, who is in prison with me, sends you greetings, and so does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have already received instructions to welcome Mark if he comes your way.) 11 Joshua, also called Justus, sends greetings too. These three are the only Jewish believers who work with me for the Kingdom of God, and they have been a great help to me.
12 (G)Greetings from Epaphras, another member of your group and a servant of Christ Jesus. He always prays fervently for you, asking God to make you stand firm, as mature and fully convinced Christians, in complete obedience to God's will. 13 I can personally testify to his hard work for you and for the people in Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 (H)Luke, our dear doctor, and Demas send you their greetings.
15 Give our best wishes to the believers in Laodicea and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.[a] 16 After you read this letter, make sure that it is read also in the church at Laodicea. At the same time, you are to read the letter that the believers in Laodicea will send you. 17 (I)And tell Archippus, “Be sure to finish the task you were given in the Lord's service.”
18 With my own hand I write this: Greetings from Paul Do not forget my chains!
May God's grace be with you.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Colossians 4:15 Nympha … her house; some manuscripts have Nymphas … his house.
Colossians 4
Common English Bible
Colossians 4
Common English Bible
4 Masters, be just and fair to your slaves, knowing that you yourselves have a master in heaven.
2 Keep on praying and guard your prayers with thanksgiving. 3 At the same time, pray for us also. Pray that God would open a door for the word so we can preach the secret plan[a] of Christ—which is why I’m in chains. 4 Pray that I might be able to make it as clear as I ought to when I preach. 5 Act wisely toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. 6 Your speech should always be gracious and sprinkled with insight so that you may know how to respond to every person.
Final greeting
7 Tychicus, our dearly loved brother, faithful minister, and fellow slave in the Lord, will inform you about everything that has happened to me. 8 This is why I sent him to you, so that you’ll know all about us and so he can encourage your hearts. 9 I sent him with Onesimus, our faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of you. They will let you know about everything here.
10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, says hello to you. So does Mark, Barnabas’ cousin (you received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him). 11 Jesus, called Justus, also says hello. These are my only fellow workers for God’s kingdom who are Jewish converts. They have been an encouragement to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, says hello. He’s a slave of Christ Jesus who always wrestles for you in prayers so that you will stand firm and be fully mature and complete in the entire will of God. 13 I can vouch for him that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the dearly loved physician, and Demas say hello.
15 Say hello to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, along with Nympha and the church that meets in her house. 16 After this letter has been read to you publicly, make sure that the church in Laodicea reads it and that you read the one from Laodicea. 17 And tell Archippus, “See to it that you complete the ministry that you received in the Lord.”
18 I, Paul, am writing this greeting personally. Remember that I’m in prison. Grace be with you.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Colossians 4:3 Or mystery
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.
Good News Translation (GNT) 
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
Common English Bible (CEB)
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible