Colossians 3 - 1 Thessalonians 3

English Standard Version

Put On the New Self

3 ^(A)If then you have been raised with Christ, seek ^(B)the things that are above, where Christ is, ^(C)seated at the right hand of God. ^2 (D)Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. ³ For ^(E)you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ ^(F)who is your^[a] life ^(G)appears, then you also will appear with him ^(H)in glory.

^5 (I)Put to death therefore ^(J)what is earthly in you:^{[b] (K)}sexual immorality, impurity, ^(L)passion, evil desire, and covetousness, ^(M)which is idolatry. ^6 (N)On account of these the wrath of God is coming.^{[c] 7 (O)}In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. ⁸ But now ^(P)you must put them all away: ^(Q)anger, wrath, malice, ^(R)slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. ^9 (S)Do not lie to one another, seeing that ^(T)you have put off ^(U)the old self^[d] with its practices ¹⁰ and ^(V)have put on ^(W)the new self, ^(X)which is being renewed in knowledge ^(Y)after the image of ^(Z)its creator. ^11 (AA)Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave,^[e] free; but Christ is ^(AB)all, and in all.

^12 (AC)Put on then, as ^(AD)God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, ^(AE)compassionate hearts, ^(AF)kindness, ^(AG)humility, meekness, and patience, ^13 (AH)bearing with one another and, ^(AI)if one has a complaint against another, ^(AJ)forgiving each other; ^(AK)as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴ And above all these put on ^(AL)love, which ^(AM)binds everything together in ^(AN)perfect harmony. ¹⁵ And let ^(AO)the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called ^(AP)in one body. And ^(AQ)be thankful. ¹⁶ Let ^(AR)the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, ^(AS)singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, ^(AT)with thankfulness in your hearts to God. ¹⁷ And ^(AU)whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, ^(AV)giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Rules for Christian Households

^18 (AW)Wives, submit to your husbands, as ^(AX)is fitting in the Lord. ¹⁹ Husbands, love your wives, and ^(AY)do not be harsh with them. ²⁰ Children, obey your parents ^(AZ)in everything, for this pleases the Lord. ²¹ Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged. ²² Bondservants, obey ^(BA)in everything those who are your earthly masters,^[f] not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. ^23 (BB)Whatever you do, work heartily, ^(BC)as for the Lord and not for men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord ^(BD)you will receive the inheritance as your reward. ^(BE)You are serving the Lord Christ. ²⁵ For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.

4 Masters, treat your bondservants^[g] justly and fairly, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.

Further Instructions

^2 (BF)Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it ^(BG)with thanksgiving. ³ At the same time, pray also for us, that God may ^(BH)open to us a door for the word, ^(BI)to declare the mystery of Christ, ^(BJ)on account of which I am in prison— ⁴ that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak.

^5 (BK)Walk in wisdom toward ^(BL)outsiders, making the best use of the time. ⁶ Let your speech always ^(BM)be gracious, ^(BN)seasoned with salt, ^(BO)so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.

Final Greetings

⁷ Tychicus will tell you ^(BP)all about my activities. He is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant^[h] in the Lord. ⁸ I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts, ⁹ and with him ^(BQ)Onesimus, our faithful and ^(BR)beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you of everything that has taken place here.

^10 (BS)Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you, and Mark ^(BT)the cousin of Barnabas (concerning whom you have received instructions—^(BU)if he comes to you, welcome him), ¹¹ and Jesus who is called ^(BV)Justus. ^(BW)These are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and ^(BX)they have been a comfort to me. ^12 (BY)Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always ^(BZ)struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand ^(CA)mature and fully assured in all the will of God. ¹³ For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. ^14 (CB)Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does ^(CC)Demas. ¹⁵ Give my greetings to the brothers^[i] at Laodicea, and to Nympha and ^(CD)the church in her house. ¹⁶ And when ^(CE)this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. ¹⁷ And say to ^(CF)Archippus, “See that you fulfill ^(CG)the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”

¹⁸ I, Paul, ^(CH)write this greeting with my own hand. ^(CI)Remember ^(CJ)my chains. ^(CK)Grace be with you.

Greeting

1 Paul, ^(CL)Silvanus, and Timothy,

To the church of the ^(CM)Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

^(CN)Grace to you and peace.

The Thessalonians' Faith and Example

^2 (CO)We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly^{[j] (CP)}mentioning you in our prayers, ³ remembering before ^(CQ)our God and Father ^(CR)your work of faith and labor of ^(CS)love and ^(CT)steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁴ For we know, ^(CU)brothers^[k] loved by God, ^(CV)that he has chosen you, ⁵ because ^(CW)our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and ^(CX)in the Holy Spirit and with full ^(CY)conviction. You know ^(CZ)what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake. ⁶ And ^(DA)you became imitators of us ^(DB)and of the Lord, for ^(DC)you received the word in much affliction, ^(DD)with the ^(DE)joy of the Holy Spirit, ⁷ so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. ⁸ For not only has the word of the Lord ^(DF)sounded forth from you in Macedonia and Achaia, but your faith in God has gone forth ^(DG)everywhere, so that we need not say anything. ⁹ For they themselves report concerning us the kind of ^(DH)reception we had among you, and how ^(DI)you turned to God ^(DJ)from idols to serve the living and ^(DK)true God, ¹⁰ and ^(DL)to wait for his Son ^(DM)from heaven, ^(DN)whom he raised from the dead, Jesus ^(DO)who delivers us from ^(DP)the wrath to come.

Paul's Ministry to the Thessalonians

2 For you yourselves know, brothers,^[l] that our ^(DQ)coming to you ^(DR)was not in vain. ² But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated ^(DS)at Philippi, as you know, ^(DT)we had boldness in our God ^(DU)to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much ^(DV)conflict. ³ For ^(DW)our appeal does not spring from ^(DX)error or ^(DY)impurity or ^(DZ)any attempt to deceive, ⁴ but just as we have been approved by God ^(EA)to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not ^(EB)to please man, but to please God ^(EC)who tests our hearts. ^5 (ED)For we never came with words of flattery,^[m] as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—^(EE)God is witness. ^6 (EF)Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, ^(EG)though we could have made ^(EH)demands as ^(EI)apostles of Christ. ⁷ But we were ^(EJ)gentle^[n] among you, ^(EK)like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. ⁸ So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God ^(EL)but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

⁹ For you remember, brothers, ^(EM)our labor and toil: we ^(EN)worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. ¹⁰ You are witnesses, and ^(EO)God also, ^(EP)how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. ¹¹ For you know how, ^(EQ)like a father with his children, ¹² we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and ^(ER)charged ^(ES)you to walk in a manner worthy of God, ^(ET)who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

¹³ And ^(EU)we also thank God constantly^[o] for this, that when you received ^(EV)the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it ^(EW)not as the word of men^[p] but as what it really is, the word of God, ^(EX)which is at work in you believers. ¹⁴ For you, brothers, ^(EY)became imitators of ^(EZ)the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For ^(FA)you suffered the same things from your own countrymen ^(FB)as they did from the Jews,^{[q] 15 (FC)}who killed both the Lord Jesus and ^(FD)the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and ^(FE)oppose all mankind ^16 (FF)by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always ^(FG)to fill up the measure of their sins. But ^(FH)wrath has come upon them at last!^[r]

Paul's Longing to See Them Again

¹⁷ But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, ^(FI)in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire ^(FJ)to see you face to face, ¹⁸ because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan ^(FK)hindered us. ¹⁹ For what is our hope or ^(FL)joy or crown of boasting ^(FM)before our Lord Jesus at his ^(FN)coming? Is it not you? ²⁰ For you are our glory and joy.

3 Therefore when we could bear it no longer, we were willing ^(FO)to be left behind at Athens alone, ² and we ^(FP)sent Timothy, ^(FQ)our brother and God's coworker^[s] in the gospel of Christ, to establish and exhort you in your faith, ³ that no one be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that ^(FR)we are destined for this. ⁴ For when we were with you, we kept telling you beforehand that we were to suffer affliction, ^(FS)just as it has come to pass, and just as you know. ⁵ For this reason, ^(FT)when I could bear it no longer, ^(FU)I sent to learn about your faith, ^(FV)for fear that somehow ^(FW)the tempter had tempted you and ^(FX)our labor would be in vain.

Timothy's Encouraging Report

⁶ But ^(FY)now that Timothy has come to us from you, and has brought us the good news of ^(FZ)your faith and love and reported ^(GA)that you always remember us kindly and ^(GB)long to see us, as we long to see you— ⁷ for this reason, brothers,^[t] in all our distress and affliction ^(GC)we have been comforted about you through your faith. ⁸ For now we live, if you ^(GD)are standing fast in the Lord. ⁹ For ^(GE)what thanksgiving can we return to God for you, for all the joy that we feel for your sake before our God, ¹⁰ as we pray most earnestly ^(GF)night and day ^(GG)that we may see you face to face and ^(GH)supply what is lacking in your faith?

¹¹ Now may ^(GI)our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, ^(GJ)direct our way to you, ¹² and may the Lord ^(GK)make you increase and abound in love ^(GL)for one another and for all, as we do for you, ¹³ so that he may ^(GM)establish your hearts blameless in holiness before ^(GN)our God and Father, at ^(GO)the coming of our Lord Jesus ^(GP)with all his saints.