1 Masters, give to your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven. 2 Continue steadfastly in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving, 3 praying together for us also, that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds, 4 that I may reveal it as I ought to speak. 5 Walk in wisdom towards those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one. 7 All my affairs will be made known to you by Tychicus, the beloved brother, faithful servant, and fellow bondservant in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that he may know your circumstances and comfort your hearts, 9 together with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will make known to you everything that is going on here. 10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, greets you, and Mark the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you received instructions, “if he comes to you, receive him”), 11 and Jesus who is called Justus. These are my only fellow workers for God’s Kingdom who are of the circumcision, men who have been a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, salutes you, always striving for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. 13 For I testify about him that he has great zeal for you, and for those in Laodicea, and for those in Hierapolis. 14 Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you. 15 Greet the brothers who are in Laodicea, with Nymphas and the assembly that is in his house. 16 When this letter has been read amongst you, cause it to be read also in the assembly of the Laodiceans, and that you also read the letter from Laodicea. 17 Tell Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfil it.” 18 I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Amen.
Colossians · World English Bible British Edition (with Deuterocanon)
Colossians 4 World English Bible British Edition (with Deuterocanon)
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
Notes on this text (1)
- "World English Bible" is a trademark of eBible.org; the text is shown unaltered.
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
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)