Colossians 4:16

4:16 And after ¹  you have read this letter, have it read ²  to the church of Laodicea. In turn, read the letter from Laodicea ³  as well.

Colossians 4:2

Exhortation to Pray for the Success of Paul’s Mission

4:2 Be devoted to prayer, keeping alert in it with thanksgiving.

Colossians 3:14

3:14 And to all these ⁴  virtues ⁵  add ⁶  love, which is the perfect bond. ⁷ 

¹ tn Grk “when.”

² tn The construction beginning with the imperative ποιήσατε ἵνα…ἀναγνωσθῇ (poihsate Jina…anagnwsqh) should be translated as “have it read” where the conjunction ἵνα functions to mark off its clause as the direct object of the imperative ποιήσατε. The content of the clause (“reading the letter”) is what Paul commands with the imperative ποιήσατε. Thus the translation “have it read” has been used here.

³ sn This letter is otherwise unknown, but some have suggested that it is the letter known today as Ephesians.

⁴ tn BDAG 365 s.v. ἐπί 7 suggests “to all these” as a translation for ἐπὶ πᾶσιν δὲ τούτοις (epi pasin de toutoi").

⁵ tn The term “virtues” is not in the Greek text, but is included in the translation to specify the antecedent and to make clear the sense of the pronoun “these.”

⁶ tn The verb “add,” though not in the Greek text, is implied, picking up the initial imperative “clothe yourselves.”

⁷ tn The genitive τῆς τελειότητος (th" teleiothto") has been translated as an attributive genitive, “the perfect bond.”