Col 4 | LSB | STEP | Masters, show to your slaves what is right and fair, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.

Colossians 4

Final Instructions and Greetings

1 Masters, show to your slaves what is right and fair, knowing that you too have a Master in heaven.

2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving; 3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been bound, 4 that I may make it manifest in the way I ought to speak.

5 Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, redeeming the time. 6 Let your ^{▼▼Lit word}words always be ^{▼▼Or gracious}with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should answer each person.

7 Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow slave in the Lord, will make known to you all my affairs, 8 whom I have sent to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts; 9 ^{▼▼Lit along with Onesimus}and with him Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will inform you about the whole situation here.

10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received ^{▼▼Or commands}instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him); 11 and also Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of your number, a slave of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, always striving for you in his prayers, that you may stand ^{▼▼Or firm}complete and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I testify for him that he has ^{▼▼Or much toil, great pain}a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas. 15 Greet the brothers who are in Laodicea and also ^{▼▼Or Nymphas (masc)}Nympha and the church that is in ^{▼▼One early ms their}her house. 16 And when ^{▼▼Lit the}this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part read ^{▼▼Lit the}my letter that is coming from Laodicea. 17 And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may ^{▼▼Or continually fulfill}fulfill it.”

18 The greeting is in my own hand— ^{▼▼Lit Paul’s}Paul. Remember my chains. Grace be with you.