Children and Parents

¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

²“Honor your father and mother” (which is the first commandment with a promise),

³“that it may go well with you and that you may have a long life on the earth.”

⁴Fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath; instead, bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Serving with Honor

⁵Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.

⁶And do this not only to please them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

⁷Serve with good will, as to the Lord and not to men,

⁸because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.

⁹And masters, do the same for your slaves. Give up your use of threats, because you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.

The Full Armor of God

¹⁰Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

¹¹Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.

¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

¹³Therefore take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you will be able to stand your ground, and having done everything, to stand.

¹⁴Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed,

¹⁵and with your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace.

¹⁶In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

¹⁷And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸Pray in the Spirit at all times, with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance in your prayers for all the saints.

¹⁹Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will boldly make known the mystery of the gospel,

²⁰for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.

Final Greetings

²¹Tychicus, the beloved brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know about me and what I am doing.

²²I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about us, and that he may encourage your hearts.

²³Peace to the brothers and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁴Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.

Prayerful Speech and Actions

¹Masters, supply your slaves with what is right and fair, since you know that you also have a Master in heaven.

²Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful,

³as you pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

⁴Pray that I may declare it clearly, as I should.

⁵Act wisely toward outsiders, redeeming the time.

⁶Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

Greetings from Paul’s Fellow Workers

⁷Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a beloved brother, a faithful minister, and a fellow servant in the Lord.

⁸I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about us, and that he may encourage your hearts.

⁹With him I am sending Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They will tell you about everything here.

¹⁰My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you greetings, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas. You have already received instructions about him: If he comes to you, welcome him.

¹¹Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my fellow workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.

¹²Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, so that you may stand mature and fully assured in the full will of God.

¹³For I testify about him that he goes to great pains for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.

¹⁴Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas send you greetings.

Signature and Final Instructions

¹⁵Greet the brothers in Laodicea, as well as Nympha and the church that meets at her house.

¹⁶After this letter has been read among you, make sure that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.

¹⁷Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”

¹⁸This greeting is in my own hand—Paul.Remember my chains.Grace be with you.

Unity in the Body

¹As a prisoner in the Lord, then, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling you have received:

²with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,

³and with diligence to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

⁴There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;

⁵one Lord, one faith, one baptism;

⁶one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

⁷Now to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

⁸This is why it says:“When He ascended on high,He led captives away,and gave gifts to men.”

⁹What does “He ascended” mean, except that He also descendedto the lower parts of the earth?

¹⁰He who descended is the very One who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things.

¹¹And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,

¹²to equip the saints for works of ministry and to build up the body of Christ,

¹³until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, as we mature to the full measure of the stature of Christ.

¹⁴Then we will no longer be infants, tossed about by the waves and carried around by every wind of teaching and by the clever cunning of men in their deceitful scheming.

¹⁵Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head.

¹⁶From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.

New Life in Christ

¹⁷So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.

¹⁸They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts.

¹⁹Having lost all sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity, with a craving for more.

²⁰But this is not the way you came to know Christ.

²¹Surely you heard of Him and were taught in Him—in keeping with the truth that is in Jesus—

²²to put off your former way of life, your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;

²³to be renewed in the spirit of your minds;

²⁴and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

²⁵Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one another.

²⁶“Be angry, yet do not sin.”Do not let the sun set upon your anger,

²⁷and do not give the devil a foothold.

²⁸He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.

²⁹Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, in whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

³¹Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, outcry and slander, along with every form of malice.

³²Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

God’s Enemies Are Scattered

¹God arises. His enemies are scattered,and those who hate Him flee His presence.

²As smoke is blown away,You will drive them out;as wax melts before the fire,the wicked will perish in the presence of God.

³But the righteous will be gladand rejoice before God;they will celebrate with joy.

⁴Sing to God!Sing praises to His name.Exalt Him who rides on the clouds—His name is the LORD—and rejoice before Him.

⁵A father of the fatherlessand a defender of widowsis God in His holy habitation.

⁶God settles the lonely in families;He leads the prisoners out to prosperity,but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.

⁷O God, when You went out before Your people,when You marched through the wasteland,Selah

⁸the earth shook and the heavens poured down rainbefore God, the One on Sinai,before God, the God of Israel.

⁹You sent abundant rain, O God;You refreshed Your weary inheritance.

¹⁰Your flock settled therein;O God, from Your bounty You provided for the poor.

¹¹The Lord gives the command;a great company of women proclaim it:

¹²“Kings and their armies flee in haste;she who waits at home divides the plunder.

¹³Though you lie down among the sheepfolds,the wings of the dove are covered with silver,and her feathers with shimmering gold.”

¹⁴When the Almightyscattered the kings in the land,it was like the snow falling on Zalmon.

¹⁵A mountain of God is Mount Bashan;a mountain of many peaks is Mount Bashan.

¹⁶Why do you gaze in envy, O mountains of many peaks?This is the mountain God chose for His dwelling,where the LORD will surely dwell forever.

¹⁷The chariots of God are tens of thousands—thousands of thousands are they;the Lord is in His sanctuaryas He was at Sinai.

¹⁸You have ascended on high;You have led captives away.You have received gifts from men,even from the rebellious,that the LORD God may dwell there.

¹⁹Blessed be the Lord,who daily bears our burden,the God of our salvation.Selah

²⁰Our God is a God of deliverance;the Lord GOD is our rescuer from death.

²¹Surely God will crush the heads of His enemies,the hairy crowns of those who persist in guilty ways.

²²The Lord said, “I will retrieve them from Bashan,I will bring them up from the depths of the sea,

²³that your foot may be dippedin the blood of your foes—the tongues of your dogs in the same.”

²⁴They have seen Your procession, O God—the march of my God and King into the sanctuary.

²⁵The singers lead the way,the musicians follow after,among the maidens playing tambourines.

²⁶Bless God in the great congregation;bless the LORD from the fountain of Israel.

²⁷There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them,the princes of Judah in their company,the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali.

²⁸Summon Your power, O God;show Your strength, O God,which You have exerted on our behalf.

²⁹Because of Your temple at Jerusalemkings will bring You gifts.

³⁰Rebuke the beast in the reeds,the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations,until it submits, bringing bars of silver.Scatter the nations who delight in war.

³¹Envoys will arrive from Egypt;Cushwill stretch out her hands to God.

³²Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth;sing praises to the Lord—Selah

³³to Him who rides upon the highest heavens of old;behold, His mighty voice resounds.

³⁴Ascribe the power to God,whose majesty is over Israel,whose strength is in the skies.

³⁵O God, You are awesome in Your sanctuary;the God of Israel Himselfgives strength and power to His people.Blessed be God!