Yes, and I am asking you also, [my] faithful partner [Note: This person is unknown, but may have been one of Paul's preacher companions], help those women, for they have worked hard with me in [spreading] the Gospel, along with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow-workers, whose names are in the book of life. [See Rev. 3:5; Heb. 12:23].

But I rejoice with a deep and holy joy that now at length you have revived your thoughtfulness for my welfare. Indeed you have always been thoughtful for me, although opportunity failed you.

I have known both to be abased, and I have known to abound; in everything and in all things I have been initiated, both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to be in want.

I have been paid in full and have more than enough. I am fully supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus what you sent a fragrant aroma, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.

for the sake of that happiness, which you hope for, and is reserv'd for you in heaven, of which you have already been inform'd by the preaching of the truth, that is, the gospel:

that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and spreading all over the world, so it has been doing among you from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth.

by whom we have been ransomed from captivity through having our sins forgiven.

He is the likeness of the unseen God, born first before all the creation ??16 for it was by him that all things were created both in heaven and on earth, both the seen and the unseen, including Thrones, angelic Lords, celestial Powers and Rulers; all things have been created by him and for him;

for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him;

All has been created through him and for him. He was before all things, and all things unite in him;

but now you have been reconciled by {his physical body} through death, to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

if indeed ye abide in the faith founded and firm, and not moved away from the hope of the glad tidings, which ye have heard, which have been proclaimed in the whole creation which is under heaven, of which I Paul became minister.

I have been appointed to serve the Church in the position of responsibility entrusted to me by God for your benefit, so that I may fully deliver God's Message--

Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

Unto whom God hath been pleased to make known what is the glorious wealth of this sacred secret among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of the glory, -

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,

Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

and you have been filled by Him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

in whom also ye have been circumcised with circumcision not done by hand, in the putting off of the body of the flesh, in the circumcision of the Christ;

having been buried with him in baptism, wherein ye were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead.

And when you were [spiritually] dead because of your sins and your lack of being physically circumcised [Note: This refers to their having been unconverted Gentiles and therefore outside of a relationship with God], God made you alive [again] together with Christ, having forgiven us for all of our sins.

and not holding the Head, from whom all the body, having been supplied through the joints and bands, and having been joined together, will grow with the growth of God.

If then ye have been dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as though living in the world, are ye dogmatically taught,

If therefore ye have been raised with the Christ, seek the things which are above, where the Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God:

for ye did die, and your life hath been hid with the Christ in God;

and have been clothed with the new man that is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the one who created it.

So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

And let the peace of Christ preside in your hearts, to which also ye have been called in one body, and be thankful.

praying at the same time also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to speak the secret of the Christ, because of which also I have been bound,

Let your speech be always with grace, having been seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.

Aristarchus, my brother-prisoner, sends his love to you, and Mark, a relation of Barnabas (about whom you have been given orders: if he comes to you, be kind to him),

And 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.

Epaphras, who is from you, the servant of Jesus Christ, always agonizing in your behalf in his prayers, in order that you may stand perfect even having been fully carried away in all the will of God, salutes you.

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

And tell Archippus [Note: He may have been the preacher at Colosse or Laodicia. See Philemon 1:1-2], "See to it that you fulfill your ministry [there], which you have received in [the service of] the Lord."

Being conscious, my brothers, dear to God, that you have been marked out by God's purpose;

For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in great fulness of assurance; as ye know what manner of men we have been among you for your sakes.

For from you the word of the Lord has been declared, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone out; so that we need not to say anything.

For yourselves, brethren, know our entering in unto you, that it hath not been found vain:

but having suffered before and been shamefully treated, as ye know, at Philippi, we waxed bold in our God to speak unto you the gospel of God in much conflict.

but even as we have been approved of God to be intrusted with the gospel, so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God who proveth our hearts.

For we have not at any time been among you with flattering discourse, even as ye know, nor with a pretext for covetousness, God is witness;

Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.

but have been gentle in the midst of you, as a nurse would cherish her own children.

Seeing that we were thus drawn affectionately towards you, it would have been a joy to us to have imparted to you not only God's Good News, but to have given our very lives also, because you had become very dear to us.

But we, brethren, having been bereaved of you and separated for a little moment in person, not in heart, have used more abundant diligence to see your face with much desire;

this I Paul have frequently attempted, but Satan has been my obstacle.

so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been destined for this.

for we told you beforehand, when we were with you, that "we Christians are to have trouble" ??and, as you know, it has been so.)

For this cause I also, when I couldn't stand it any longer, sent that I might know your faith, for fear that by any means the tempter had tempted you, and our labor would have been in vain.

for this reason we have been comforted in you, brethren, in all our distress and tribulation, through your faith,

how can I be sufficiently thankful to God upon your account, for all the joy, which by your means we have been affected with,

Now concerning brotherly love, you have no need for anyone to write you, for you have been [personally] taught by God to love one another [that is, to have an unselfish concern for others and to do things for their benefit].

And I wish you not to be ignorant, brethren, of them having been asleep, that ye should not grieve, as also the rest, they hating no hope.

So then, go on comforting and building up one another, as you have been doing.

God, by whom you have been marked out in his purpose, is unchanging and will make it complete.

when he shall have come to be glorified in his saints, and wondered at in all that have believed, (for our testimony to you has been believed,) in that day.

This is why we always pray for you also, so that our God will consider you worthy to be [i.e., to have been] called [into the kingdom] by Him, and will fulfill, by His power, every good purpose [or, "desire for goodness"] of yours and every act produced by [your] faith.

not readily to become unsettled in mind or troubled--either by any pretended spiritual revelation or by any message or letter claiming to have been sent by us--through fancying that the day of the Lord is now here.

Let not any one deceive you in any manner, because it will not be unless the apostasy have first come, and the man of sin have been revealed, the son of perdition;

For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work, but only until he who is holding it back has been gotten out of the way.

and in all deceivableness of unrighteousness, among them that perish: because they received not the love of the truth, that they might have been saved.

Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

From which some have been turned away, giving themselves to foolish talking;

according to the glad tidings of the glory of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.

I am thankful to Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has been my strength, for showing that he thought me worthy of trust by appointing me to his ministry,

though I was previously a blasphemer and a persecutor and had been insolent in outrage. Yet mercy was shown me, because I had acted ignorantly, not having as yet believed;

and the blessing of our Lord has been given me in the greatest abundance, together with faith and love that union with Christ Jesus brings.

holding faith and a good conscience, which some having renounced, as touching the faith, have been shipwrecked:

who gave himself a ransom for all, of which the testimony has been given in its proper times,

to which I have been appointed a herald and apostle, (I speak the truth, I do not lie,) a teacher of the nations in faith and truth.

and Adam was not deceived; but the woman, having been deceived, was in transgression.

not a new convert, lest having been puffed up he may fall to a judgment of the devil;

And confessedly the mystery of piety is great. God has been manifested in flesh, has been justified in the Spirit, has appeared to angels, has been preached among the nations, has been believed on in the world, has been received up in glory.

and the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences have been burned by a hot iron.

If you warn the brethren of these dangers you will be a good and faithful servant of Christ Jesus, inwardly feeding on the lessons of the faith and of the sound teaching of which you have been, and are, so close a follower.

Be not negligent of the gift that is in thee, which has been given to thee through prophecy, with imposition of the hands of the elderhood.

Now she who is a widow indeed and who has been left alone, has fixed her hope on God and continues in entreaties and prayers night and day.

Let not a widow be taken into the number under threescore years old, having been the wife of one man,

being approved by good works, if she has brought up children, if she has been hospitable to strangers, if she has washed the saints' feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, and if she has diligently followed every good work.

And they are judged because they have been false to their first faith;

The vices of some men are so notorious, they prevent any inquisition: others don't discover themselves till they have been ordain'd.

If anyone teaches a different doctrine [i.e., from what has been urged above], and does not agree to [proclaim the] sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and to teaching that is godly [i.e., in harmony with godliness],

he has been inflated, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and controversies, from which come envy, strife, blasphemies, evil surmisings,

meddling, of men whose minds have been corrupted and deprived of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness. Withdraw from such.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

Strive earnestly in the good conflict of faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which thou hast been called, and hast confessed the good confession before many witnesses.

O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted [to you]. Turn away from pointless empty talk and contradictions of [what is] falsely called knowledge,

Through which some, who gave their minds to it, have been turned away from the faith. Grace be with you.

I give praise to God, whose servant I have been, with a heart free from sin, from the time of my fathers, because in my prayers at all times the thought of you is with me, night and day

having been reminded of the unfeigned faith that is in thee; which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice; and, I am persuaded, in thee also.

who has saved us, and by the gospel hath called us to holiness, not in consideration of our works, but in pursuance of his own resolution, and the favour, which having been promised us by Jesus Christ several ages ago,

but hath now been manifested by the appearing of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

to which I have been appointed a herald and apostle and teacher of the nations.

for which cause also these things I suffer, but I am not ashamed, for I have known in whom I have believed, and have been persuaded that he is able that which I have committed to him to guard -- to that day.

Guard [with greatest care] and keep unchanged, the treasure [that precious truth] which has been entrusted to you [that is, the good news about salvation through personal faith in Christ Jesus], through [the help of] the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.

You know that I have been abandon'd by all the Asiatics, by Phygellus and Hermogenes among the rest.

The Lord grant mercy to the house of Onesiphorus, for he has often refreshed me, and has not been ashamed of my chain;

All that you have been taught by me in the hearing of many witnesses, you must hand on to trusty men who shall themselves, in turn, be competent to instruct others also.

Always remember that Jesus Christ, a descendant of David, has been raised from the dead according to the gospel I proclaim.