From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

these are only the shadow of the things to come, but the reality is Christ!

We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

You learned the gospel from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave – a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf –

My goal is that their hearts, having been knit together in love, may be encouraged, and that they may have all the riches that assurance brings in their understanding of the knowledge of the mystery of God, namely, Christ,

In him you also were circumcised – not, however, with a circumcision performed by human hands, but by the removal of the fleshly body, that is, through the circumcision done by Christ.

Let the peace of Christ be in control in your heart (for you were in fact called as one body to this peace), and be thankful.

At the same time pray for us too, that God may open a door for the message so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body – for the sake of his body, the church – what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace in your hearts to God.

Epaphras, who is one of you and a slave of Christ, greets you. He is always struggling in prayer on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God.