Colossians 4

Masters, give the slaves who work for you what is right and fair. Remember that you also have a Master in heaven.

1Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.

Note"Servants" here renders the ordinary word for household slaves, who under Roman law were property and had no legal claim against their owner. "Equal" in 1611 English meant fair or equitable, not identical. The Greek uses the same word for the human "masters" and for the "Master in heaven," so the sentence puts the owners themselves under an owner.

2Keep on praying. Stay alert as you pray, and give thanks.

2Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;

Note"Watch" in 1611 English means stay awake and keep lookout, the word used of a sentry on night duty or someone keeping a vigil. It is not the modern sense of watching something happen.

3As you pray, pray for us too. Ask God to open a door for our message, so we can tell people the truth about Christ that God kept hidden and has now made known. It is because of that message that I am in chains.

3Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:

Note"A door of utterance" is an idiom for an opening, a chance to speak, not a physical door. "Mystery" translates a word that does not mean a riddle or something unsolvable; it means a secret that was kept and has now been disclosed. "In bonds" means in chains, under arrest.

4Pray that I will make it clear, the way I ought to speak.

4That I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.

5Act wisely toward people outside the church, making the most of every opportunity.

5Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time.

Note"Them that are without" is a standard phrase for people outside the group, here those not part of the congregation. "Redeeming the time" is a commercial metaphor: buying up the time, the way a trader snaps up goods while they are on the market.

6Let the way you talk always be kind and gracious, and seasoned with salt, so that you will know how to answer each person.

6Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

NoteSalt in the ancient world both preserved food and kept it from tasting of nothing. Greek and Roman writers also used "salty" of talk that was witty and pointed rather than flat, so the phrase suggests speech with flavor and edge to it, not blandness.

7Tychicus will tell you everything about how I am doing. He is a brother I love, a faithful helper, and a fellow servant of the Lord.

7All my state shall Tychicus declare unto you, who is a beloved brother, and a faithful minister and fellowservant in the Lord:

NoteTychicus was a traveling companion of Paul from the province of Asia, used repeatedly as a letter carrier. "Minister" here is the plain word for a servant or attendant and carries none of the modern English sense of a clergy office.

8That is exactly why I have sent him to you: so he can find out how you are doing and can encourage your hearts.

8Whom I have sent unto you for the same purpose, that he might know your estate, and comfort your hearts;

Note"State" and "estate" in 1611 English both mean a person's circumstances, how someone is doing, not property or social rank. Greek copies of this verse differ: some read that he might learn how you are doing, others that you might learn how we are doing. The King James follows the first.

9I am sending Onesimus with him. He is a faithful brother whom we love, and he is one of your own people. The two of them will tell you everything that is happening here.

9With Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things which are done here.

NoteOnesimus was a slave belonging to Philemon, a member of this same congregation; Paul's short letter to Philemon is about sending him back. "One of you" means he came from their own city, Colossae.

10Aristarchus, who is in prison with me, sends you his greetings. So does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have already been given instructions about Mark: if he comes to you, welcome him.

10Aristarchus my fellowprisoner saluteth you, and Marcus, sister’s son to Barnabas, (touching whom ye received commandments: if he come unto you, receive him;)

Note"Fellowprisoner" means someone held in custody alongside Paul. "Sister's son" is a guess by the King James translators: the Greek word means cousin, without specifying which side of the family. Barnabas was Paul's partner on his earliest travels. The instructions about receiving Mark had been sent to them separately, and we do not have them.

11Jesus, who is also called Justus, sends greetings too. Of all my fellow workers for God's kingdom, these are the only Jewish ones, and they have been a comfort to me.

11And Jesus, which is called Justus, who are of the circumcision. These only are my fellowworkers unto the kingdom of God, which have been a comfort unto me.

Note"Of the circumcision" is a standard phrase for people who were Jewish by birth, as opposed to non-Jewish converts. "Jesus" was a common Jewish name of the period, the Greek form of Joshua; Jews living in Greek cities often carried a second, Roman-sounding name as well, here Justus.

12Epaphras sends you greetings. He is one of your own people and a servant of Christ Jesus. He is always struggling in prayer for you, asking that you will stand firm, fully grown and fully sure of everything God wants.

12Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.

NoteEpaphras came from Colossae and, according to the opening of this letter, was the one who first brought the message there. "Labouring fervently" translates a word taken from athletic contests, meaning to strain or wrestle. "Perfect" in 1611 English means complete or fully grown, a matter of maturity rather than moral flawlessness.

13I can tell you myself that he works hard for you, and for the people in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

13For I bear him record, that he hath a great zeal for you, and them that are in Laodicea, and them in Hierapolis.

NoteLaodicea and Hierapolis were the two nearest cities to Colossae, all three within about ten miles of each other in the Lycus river valley. Laodicea was the wealthy administrative center of the three.

14Luke, the doctor we love, sends you greetings, and so does Demas.

14Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.

Note"Physician" simply means doctor. In the Roman world a physician was a trained practitioner, often a slave or a freed slave rather than a person of high rank. Christian tradition from the second century onward identifies this Luke as the author of the third Gospel and of Acts.

15Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters in Laodicea, and to Nymphas, and to the church that meets in his house.

15Salute the brethren which are in Laodicea, and Nymphas, and the church which is in his house.

NoteThe name written here can be read as the masculine Nymphas or the feminine Nympha depending on an accent mark that the oldest manuscripts did not have, and the copies likewise disagree over whether the house is "his," "hers," or "theirs." The King James chose the masculine reading. There were no church buildings at this date; congregations met in private homes large enough to hold them, so "the church in his house" means the group that gathered there.

16After this letter has been read to you, make sure it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans. And be sure you read the letter coming from Laodicea.

16And when this epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; and that ye likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.

Note"Epistle" is just the older English word for letter. Letters were read aloud to the assembled group, since copies were costly and many members could not read. "The epistle from Laodicea" is a letter that has not survived under that name, though some have suggested it is a letter we know by another title.

17Tell Archippus this: "Pay close attention to the work the Lord gave you to do, and finish it."

17And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.

NoteArchippus is also greeted by name at the start of the letter to Philemon. "Ministry" here means an assigned task or piece of service; the letter never says what the task was, so the readers evidently knew.

18I, Paul, am writing this greeting with my own hand. Remember that I am in chains. May God's grace be with you. Amen.

18The salutation by the hand of me Paul. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you. Amen.