1 οι κυριοι το δικαιον και την ισοτητα τοις δουλοις παρεχεσθε, ειδοτες οτι και υμεις εχετε κυριον εν ουρανοις. 2 τη προσευχη προσκαρτερειτε, γρηγορουντες εν αυτη εν ευχαριστια, 3 προσευχομενοι αμα και περι ημων, ινα ο θεος ανοιξη ημιν θυραν του λογου, λαλησαι το μυστηριον του χριστου, δι ο και δεδεμαι, 4 ινα φανερωσω αυτο ως δει με λαλησαι. 5 εν σοφια περιπατειτε προς τους εξω, τον καιρον εξαγοραζομενοι. 6 ο λογος υμων παντοτε εν χαριτι, αλατι ηρτυμενος, ειδεναι πως δει υμας ενι εκαστω αποκρινεσθαι. 7 τα κατ εμε παντα γνωρισει υμιν τυχικος ο αγαπητος αδελφος και πιστος διακονος και συνδουλος εν κυριω, 8 ον επεμψα προς υμας εις αυτο τουτο, ινα γνω τα περι υμων και παρακαλεση τας καρδιας υμων, 9 συν ονησιμω τω πιστω και αγαπητω αδελφω, ος εστιν εξ υμων· παντα υμιν γνωριουσιν τα ωδε. 10 ασπαζεται υμας αρισταρχος ο συναιχμαλωτος μου, και μαρκος ο ανεψιος βαρναβα,— περι ου ελαβετε εντολας· εαν ελθη προς υμας, δεξασθε αυτον,— 11 και ιησους ο λεγομενος ιουστος, οι οντες εκ περιτομης, ουτοι μονοι συνεργοι εις την βασιλειαν του θεου, οιτινες εγενηθησαν μοι παρηγορια. 12 ασπαζεται υμας επαφρας ο εξ υμων, δουλος χριστου, παντοτε αγωνιζομενος υπερ υμων εν ταις προσευχαις, ινα στητε τελειοι και πεπληρωμενοι εν παντι θεληματι του θεου· 13 μαρτυρω γαρ αυτω οτι εχει ζηλον πολυν υπερ υμων και των εν λαοδικεια και των εν ιεραπολει. 14 ασπαζεται υμας λουκας ο ιατρος ο αγαπητος και δημας. 15 ασπασασθε τους εν λαοδικεια αδελφους και νυμφαν και την κατ οικον αυτου εκκλησιαν· 16 και οταν αναγνωσθη παρ υμιν η επιστολη, ποιησατε ινα και εν τη λαοδικεων εκκλησια αναγνωσθη, και την εκ λαοδικειας ινα και υμεις αναγνωτε. 17 και ειπατε αρχιππω· βλεπε την διακονιαν ην παρελαβες εν κυριω, ινα αυτην πληροις. 18 ο ασπασμος τη εμη χειρι παυλου. μνημονευετε μου των δεσμων. η χαρις μεθ υμων· αμην.
Colossians · Patriarchal Text (Antoniades 1904/1912)
Colossians 4 Patriarchal Text (Antoniades 1904/1912)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (3)
- The digital source has no accents or capitals (as Robinson distributes it); 1912 base text, movable nu regularised.
- Double square brackets [[ ]] are marks in the digital source; at 1 John 5:7–8 they enclose the words the 1904 edition prints in smaller type.
- Credit: Maurice A. Robinson & Jussi Ala-Konni (byztxt).
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Archippus
Called by Paul his fellow soldier and told to complete the ministry he received in the Lord.
Cited in the guide: Colossians 4:17; Philemon 2
Demas
A coworker of Paul who sends greetings from Rome, but later deserted him because he loved the present world.
Cited in the guide: Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:10; Philemon 24
Epaphras
A faithful minister of Christ who taught the Colossians, wrestled for them in prayer, and was Paul's fellow prisoner.
Cited in the guide: Colossians 1:7; Colossians 4:12; Philemon 23
Jesus called Justus
Named by Paul among the few Jewish believers who were his coworkers for the kingdom of God and a comfort to him.
Cited in the guide: Colossians 4:11
Luke
Paul's beloved physician and coworker who stayed with him when others had left him in his final imprisonment.
Cited in the guide: Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24
Nympha
A woman whose house hosts a church to which Paul sends greetings.
Cited in the guide: Colossians 4:15
Onesimus
A slave who became a believer through Paul in prison and whom Paul sent back to Philemon as a beloved brother.
Cited in the guide: Colossians 4:9; Philemon 10
Tychicus
A man from Asia who traveled with Paul; Paul calls him a beloved brother and faithful servant and sent him with letters to Ephesus, Colossae, and elsewhere.
Cited in the guide: Acts 20:4; Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7
Cross references (18)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 Ephesians 6:8–20; Revelation 17:14; Deuteronomy 24:14–15; James 2:13; Luke 16:1–13
- 2 1 Thessalonians 5:17–18; Philippians 4:6; Ephesians 6:18; Romans 12:12; Matthew 26:41
- 3 Ephesians 6:19–20; Acts 14:27; 2 Thessalonians 3:1–2; Philippians 1:13–14; 1 Corinthians 4:1
- 4 2 Corinthians 4:1–4; Ephesians 6:20; Colossians 4:6; 2 Corinthians 3:12; 2 Corinthians 2:14–17
- 5 Ephesians 5:15–17; James 3:13; James 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 4:12; Romans 16:19
- 6 Ephesians 4:29; 1 Peter 3:15; Ecclesiastes 10:12; Mark 9:50; Proverbs 15:4
- 7 Ephesians 6:21–23; Acts 20:4; 2 Timothy 4:12; Titus 3:12; 1 Corinthians 4:1–4
- 8 Ephesians 6:22; Colossians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 12:18; 1 Corinthians 4:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:11
- 9 Philemon 10–19; Colossians 4:7
- 10 Acts 19:29; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 24; Acts 15:37–39; Acts 27:2
- 11 Acts 11:2; Titus 1:10; Philemon 1; Romans 4:12; 2 Corinthians 6:1
- 12 Romans 15:30; Colossians 1:9; Colossians 1:28; Colossians 1:7; Philemon 23
- 13 Colossians 2:1; 2 Corinthians 8:3; Revelation 3:14–18; Romans 10:2; Revelation 1:11
- 14 Philemon 24; 2 Timothy 4:10–11
- 15 Romans 16:5; 1 Corinthians 16:9; Philemon 2
- 16 1 Thessalonians 5:27; 2 Thessalonians 3:14
- 17 Philemon 2; Acts 1:17; 1 Timothy 4:16; 2 Timothy 1:6; 1 Corinthians 4:1–2
- 18 Hebrews 13:3; 1 Timothy 6:21; 2 Timothy 4:22; 1 Corinthians 16:21; Hebrews 13:25
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
What Christ said to His disciples, that doth Paul also now advise. And what did Christ say? "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." (Matt. x. 16.) That is, be upon your guard, giving them no handle against you.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 13 (1889)
And again he says, in the Epistle to the Colossians: "Luke, the beloved physician, greets you." But surely if Luke, who always preached in company with Paul, and is called by him "the beloved," and with him performed the work of an evangelist, and was entrusted to hand down to us a Gospel, learned nothing different from him (Paul), as …
For this very reason He Himself also discoursed much unto the Jews in parables, "because they seeing saw not." For this, Paul likewise commanded "to know how we ought to answer every man."
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)