Pray that I may make it known as I should. ¹ 

Conduct yourselves ¹  with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunities.

God wanted to make known to them the glorious ¹  riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross – through him, ¹  whether things on earth or things in heaven.

I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship ¹  from God – given to me for you – in order to complete ²  the word of God,

Let the word of Christ ¹  dwell in you richly, teaching and exhorting one another with all wisdom, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, all with grace ²  in your hearts to God.

I sent him ¹  with Onesimus, the faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. ²  They will tell ³  you about everything here.

For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you, ¹  have not ceased praying for you and asking God ²  to fill ³  you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

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.

Be careful not to allow anyone to captivate you ¹  through an empty, deceitful philosophy ²  that is according to human traditions and the elemental spirits ³  of the world, and not according to Christ.

We always ¹  give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

Do not lie to one another since you have put off the old man with its practices

bearing with one another and forgiving ¹  one another, if someone happens to have ²  a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others. ³ 

Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (about whom you received instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him).

For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, ¹  and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. ² 

Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths ¹  about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind. ² 

Even though they have the appearance of wisdom ¹  with their self-imposed worship and false humility ²  achieved by an ³  unsparing treatment of the body – a wisdom with no true value – they in reality result in fleshly indulgence. ⁴ 

At the same time pray ¹  for us too, that ²  God may open a door for the message ³  so that we may proclaim ⁴  the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ⁵ 

Epaphras, who is one of you and a slave ¹  of Christ, ²  greets you. He is always struggling in prayer on your behalf, so that you may stand mature and fully assured ³  in all the will of God.