,weymouth ,new ,testament in ,modern    
,speech1 ,colossians  ,third ,edition   
#aiac   ,r4 ,f4 ,weymouth     ,book #ea 
,colossians  #jja3jja ,paul1 an ,apostle
 of ,christ ,jesus by the will of ,god--
         and ,timothy our brother3      
#jja3jjb ,to the people of ,god and the 
believing brethren at ,colossae         
who are in ,christ4  ,may grace and     
peace be granted to you         from    
,god our ,father4  #jja3jjc ,we give    
thanks to ,god1 the ,father of our ,lord
 ,jesus ,christ1         constantly     
praying for you as we do1  #jja3jjd     
because we have heard of your faith in  
,christ ,jesus and of         the love  
which you cherish towards all ,god's    
people1  #jja3jje on account of the hope
 treasured up for you in ,heaven4       
,of this hope you have already heard in 
the ,message of the truth         of the
 ,good ,news4  #jja3jjf ,for it has     
reached you1 and remains with you1 just 
as it has         also spread through   
the whole world1 yielding fruit there   

and increasing1 as it has done among you
 from the day when         first you    
heard it and came really to know the    
grace of ,god1  #jja3jjg as you learned 
it from ,epaphras our dearly-loved      
fellow servant4         ,he is to you a 
faithful minister of ,christ in our     
stead1  #jja3jjh and moreover he has    
informed us of your love1 which is      
inspired         by the ,spirit4        
#jja3jji ,for this reason we also1 from 
the day we first received these tidings1
         have never ceased to pray for  
you and to entreat that you         may 
be filled with a clear knowledge of ,his
 will accompanied         by thorough   
wisdom and discernment in spiritual     
things2  #jja3jaj so that your lives may
 be worthy of the ,lord and perfectly   
pleasing to ,him1 while you exhibit the 
results of right action         of every
 sort and grow into a fuller knowledge  
of ,god4  #jja3jaa ,since ,his power is 
so glorious1 may you be strengthened    
with strength of every kind1 and be     

prepared for cheerfully         enduring
 all things with patience and           
long-suffering2  #jja3jab and give      
thanks to the ,father who has made us   
fit to receive         our share of the 
inheritance of ,god's people in ,light4 
#jja3jac ,it is ,god who has delivered  
us out of the dominion of darkness1     
and has transferred us into the ,kingdom
 of ,his dearly-loved ,son1  #jja3jad in
 whom we have our redemption--the       
forgiveness of our sins4  #jja3jae      
,christ is the visible representation of
 the invisible ,god1         the        
,firstborn and ,lord of all creation4   
#jja3jaf ,for in ,him was created the   
universe of things in heaven         and
 on earth1 things seen and things       
unseen1 thrones1         dominions1     
princedoms1 powers--all were created1   
and exist         through and for ,him4 
#jja3jag ,and ,,he ,,is before all      
things and in and through ,him the      
universe         is a harmonious whole4 
#jja3jah ,moreover ,he is the ,head of  

,his ,body1 the ,church4         ,he is 
the ,beginning1 the ,firstborn from     
among the dead1 in order         that   
,he ,himself may in all things occupy   
the foremost place4  #jja3jai ,for it   
was the ,father's gracious will that the
 whole of the divine         perfections
 should dwell in ,him4  #jja3jbj ,and   
,god purposed through ,him to reconcile 
the universe to ,himself1         making
 peace through ,his blood1 which was    
shed upon the ,cross--         to       
reconcile to ,himself through ,him1 ,i  
say1 things on earth         and things 
in ,heaven4  #jja3jba ,and you1         
estranged as you once were and even     
hostile in your minds1         amidst   
your evil deeds1  #jja3jbb ,he has now1 
in ,his human body1 reconciled to ,god  
by ,his death1         to bring you1    
holy and faultless and irreproachable1  
into ,his presence2  #jja3jbc if1       
indeed1 you are still firmly holding to 
faith as your foundation1               
without ever shifting from your hope    

that rests on the ,good ,news           
that you have heard1 which has been     
proclaimed in the whole         creation
 under ,heaven1 and in which ,i ,paul   
have been         appointed to serve4   
#jja3jbd ,now ,i can find joy amid my   
sufferings for you1 and ,i fill up      
in my own person whatever is lacking in 
,christ's afflictions         on behalf 
of ,his ,body1 the ,church4  #jja3jbe ,i
 have been appointed to serve the       
,church in the position         of      
responsibility entrusted to me by ,god  
for your benefit1         so that ,i may
 fully deliver ,god's ,message--        
#jja3jbf the truth which has been kept  
secret from all ages and generations1   
but has now been revealed to ,his       
people1  #jja3jbg to whom it was ,his   
will to make known how vast a wealth    
of glory for the ,gentile world is      
implied in this truth--         the     
truth that ,christ is in you1 the hope  
of glory4'  #jja3jbh ,him we preach1    
admonishing every one and instructing   

every one1         with all possible    
wisdom1 so that we may bring every one  
into         ,god's presence1 made      
perfect through ,christ4  #jja3jbi ,to  
this end1 like an earnest wrestler1 ,i  
exert all my         strength in        
reliance upon the power of ,him who is  
mightily         at work within me4     
#jjb3jja ,for ,i would have you know in 
how severe a struggle ,i am engaged     
on behalf of you and the brethren in    
,laodicea and of all         who have   
not known me personally1  #jjb3jjb in   
order that their hearts may be cheered1 
they themselves         being welded    
together in love and enjoying all the   
advantages         of a reasonable      
certainty1 till at last they attain the 
full         knowledge of ,god's truth1 
which is ,christ ,himself4  #jjb3jjc ,in
 ,him all the treasures of wisdom and   
knowledge are stored up1         hidden 
from view4  #jjb3jjd ,i say this to     
prevent your being misled by any        
one's plausible sophistry4  #jjb3jje    

,for although1 as you say1 ,i am absent 
from you in body1         yet in spirit 
,i am present with you and am delighted 
to witness         your good discipline 
and the solid front presented by your   
faith in ,christ4  #jjb3jjf ,as         
therefore you have received the ,christ1
 even ,jesus our ,lord1         live and
 act in vital union with ,him2  #jjb3jjg
 having the roots of your being firmly  
planted in ,him1         and continually
 building yourselves up in ,him1 and    
always being         increasingly       
confirmed in the faith as you were      
taught it1         and abounding in it  
with thanksgiving4  #jjb3jjh ,take care 
lest there be some one who leads you    
away         as prisoners by means of   
his philosophy and idle fancies1        
following human traditions and the      
world's crude notions         instead of
 following ,christ4  #jjb3jji ,for it is
 in ,christ that the fulness of ,god's  
nature dwells embodied1         and in  
,him you are made complete1  #jjb3jaj   

and ,he is the ,lord of all princes and 
rulers4  #jjb3jaa ,in ,him also you were
 circumcised with a circumcision not    
performed by hand1 when you threw off   
your sinful nature         in true      
,christian circumcision2  #jjb3jab      
having been buried with ,him in your    
baptism1 in which you         were also 
raised with ,him through faith produced 
within you         by ,god who raised   
,him from among the dead4  #jjb3jac ,and
 to you--dead as you once were in your  
transgressions         and in the       
uncircumcision of your natural          
state--,he has         nevertheless     
given ,life with ,himself1 having       
forgiven us         all our             
transgressions4  #jjb3jad ,the bond1    
with its requirements1 which was in     
force against us         and was hostile
 to us1 ,he cancelled1 and cleared it   
out of the way1         nailing it to   
,his ,cross4  #jjb3jae ,and the hostile 
princes and rulers ,he shook off from   
,himself1         and boldly displayed  

them as ,his conquests1 when by the     
,cross ,he         triumphed over them4 
#jjb3jaf ,therefore suffer no one to sit
 in judgement on you as to              
eating or drinking or with regard to a  
festival1 a new moon         or a       
sabbath4  #jjb3jag ,these were a shadow 
of things that were soon to come1       
but the substance belongs to ,christ4   
#jjb3jah ,let no one defraud you of your
 prize1 priding himself on         his  
humility and on his worship of the      
angels1 and taking         his stand on 
the visions he has seen1 and idly puffed
 up         with his unspiritual        
thoughts4  #jjb3jai ,such a one does not
 keep his hold upon ,christ1 the ,head1 
from whom the ,body1 in all its parts   
nourished and strengthened         by   
its points of contact and its           
connections1 grows with         a divine
 growth4  #jjb3jbj ,if you have died    
with ,christ and have escaped from the  
world's         rudimentary notions1    
why1 as though your life still belonged 

to the world1 do you submit to such     
precepts as  #jjb3jba ,do not handle    
this2 ,do not taste that2 ,do not touch 
that other thing--  #jjb3jbb referring  
to things which are all intended to be  
used up and perish--         in         
obedience to mere human injunctions and 
teachings8  #jjb3jbc ,these rules have  
indeed an appearance of wisdom where    
self-imposed worship exists1 and an     
affectation of humility         and an  
ascetic severity4  ,but not one of them 
is of any value         in combating the
 indulgence of our lower natures4       
#jjc3jja ,if however you have risen with
 ,christ1 seek the things that          
are above1 where ,christ is1 enthroned  
at ,god's right hand4  #jjc3jjb ,give   
your minds to the things that are above1
 not to the things         that are on  
the earth4  #jjc3jjc ,for you have died1
 and your life is hidden with ,christ in
 ,god4  #jjc3jjd ,when ,christ          
appears--,he is our true ,life--then you
 also will         appear with ,him in  

glory4  #jjc3jje ,therefore put to death
 your earthward inclinations--          
fornication1 impurity1 sensual passion1 
unholy desire1         and all greed1   
for that is a form of idolatry4         
#jjc3jjf ,it is on account of these very
 sins that ,god's anger is coming1      
#jjc3jjg and you also were once addicted
 to them1 while you were living         
under their power4  #jjc3jjh ,but now   
you must rid yourselves of every kind of
 sin--         angry and passionate     
outbreaks1 ill-will1 evil speaking1     
foul-mouthed abuse--so that these may   
never soil your lips4  #jjc3jji ,do not 
speak falsehoods to one another1 for you
 have stripped         off the old self 
with its doings1  #jjc3jaj and have     
clothed yourselves with the new self    
which is being         remoulded into   
full knowledge so as to become like ,him
         who created it4  #jjc3jaa ,in  
that new creation there is neither      
,greek nor ,jew1         circumcision   
nor uncircumcision1 barbarian1          

,scythian1 slave nor         free man1  
but ,christ is everything and is in all 
of us4  #jjc3jab ,clothe yourselves     
therefore1 as ,god's own people holy and
         dearly loved1 with             
tender-heartedness1 kindness1 lowliness 
of mind1 meekness1 long-suffering2      
#jjc3jac bearing with one another and   
readily forgiving each other1         if
 any one has a grievance against        
another4  ,just as the ,lord         has
 forgiven you1 you also must forgive4   
#jjc3jad ,and over all these put on     
love1 which is the perfect bond of      
union2  #jjc3jae and let the peace which
 ,christ gives settle all questionings  
in your hearts1 to which peace indeed   
you were called         as belonging to 
,his one ,body2 and be thankful4        
#jjc3jaf ,let the teaching concerning   
,christ remain as a rich treasure       
in your hearts4  ,in all wisdom teach   
and admonish one another         with   
psalms1 hymns1 and spiritual songs1 and 
sing with grace         in your hearts  

to ,god4  #jjc3jag ,and whatever you do1
 in word or in deed1 do everything in   
the name         of the ,lord ,jesus1   
and let it be through ,him that you give
         thanks to ,god the ,father4    
#jjc3jah ,married women1 be submissive  
to your husbands1 as is fitting         
in the ,lord4  #jjc3jai ,married men1 be
 affectionate to your wives1 and do not 
treat them harshly4  #jjc3jbj ,children 
be obedient to your parents in          
everything2         for that is right   
for ,christians4  #jjc3jba ,fathers1 do 
not fret and harass your children1 or   
you may make         them sullen and    
morose4  #jjc3jbb ,slaves1 be obedient  
in everything to your earthly masters2  
not in acts of eye service1 as aiming   
only to please men1         but with    
simplicity of purpose1 because you fear 
the ,lord4  #jjc3jbc ,whatever you are  
doing1 let your hearts be in your work1 
as a thing done for the ,lord and not   
for men4  #jjc3jbd ,for you know that it
 is from the ,lord you will receive     

the inheritance as your reward4  ,christ
 is the ,master whose                   
bondservants you are4  #jjc3jbe ,the man
 who perpetrates a wrong will find the  
wrong repaid to him2         and with   
,god there are no merely earthly        
distinctions4  #jjd3jja ,masters1 deal  
justly and equitably with your slaves1  
knowing that you too have a ,master in  
,heaven4  #jjd3jjb ,be earnest and      
unwearied in prayer1 being on the alert 
in it         and in your giving of     
thanks4  #jjd3jjc ,and pray at the same 
time for us also1 that ,god may open for
 us         a door for preaching1 for us
 to tell the truth concerning           
,christ for the sake of which ,i am even
 a prisoner4  #jjd3jjd ,then ,i shall   
proclaim it fully1 as it is my duty to  
do4  #jjd3jje ,behave wisely in relation
 to the outside world1         buying up
 your opportunities4  #jjd3jjf ,let your
 language be always seasoned with the   
salt of grace1         so that you may  
know how to give every man a fitting    

answer4  #jjd3jjg ,tychicus1 our        
much-loved brother1 a trusty assistant  
and fellow         servant with us in   
the ,lord's work1 will give you every   
information about me4  #jjd3jjh ,and for
 this very purpose ,i send him to you   
that you may know         how we are    
faring2 and that he may cheer your      
hearts4  #jjd3jji ,and with him ,i send 
our dear and trusty brother ,onesimus1  
who is         one of yourselves4  ,they
 will inform you of everything here4    
#jjd3jaj ,aristarchus my fellow prisoner
 sends greeting to you1 and so does     
,barnabas's cousin ,mark4  ,you have    
received instructions as to him2        
if he comes to you1 give him a welcome4 
#jjd3jaa ,jesus1 called ,justus1 also   
sends greeting4  ,these three are       
,hebrew converts4  ,they alone among    
such have worked loyally         with me
 for the ,kingdom of ,god--they are men 
who have been         a comfort to me4  
#jjd3jab ,epaphras1 who is one of       
yourselves1 a bondservant of ,jesus     

,christ1         sends greetings to you1
 always wrestling on your behalf        
in his prayers1 that you may stand      
firm--,christians of ripe               
character and of clear conviction as to 
everything which         is ,god's will4
  #jjd3jac ,for ,i can bear witness to  
the deep interest he takes in you       
and in the brethren at ,laodicea and in 
those at ,hierapolis4  #jjd3jad ,luke1  
the dearly-loved physician1 salutes you1
 and so does ,demas4  #jjd3jae          
,christian greetings to the brethren at 
,laodicea1 especially         to        
,nymphas1 and to the ,church that meets 
at their house4  #jjd3jaf ,and when this
 ,letter has been read among you1 let it
 be read         also in the ,church of 
the ,laodiceans1 and you in turn must   
read the one ,i am sending to ,laodicea4
  #jjd3jag ,and tell ,archippus to      
discharge carefully the duties devolving
         upon him as a servant of the   
,lord4  #jjd3jah ,i ,paul add with my   
own hand this final greeting4           

,be mindful of me in my imprisonment4   
,grace be with you4