4 Masters, provide your slaves with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven.
Further Instructions
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. 3 And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. 4 Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. 5 Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. 6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
Final Greetings
7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant[a] in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our[b] circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. 9 He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here.
10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews[c] among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.
NOTES:
4:7–18 Paul concludes with greetings and information concerning
various Christians is known to the Colossians.
4:7 Tychicus: Acts 20:4 mentions his role in the collection
for Jerusalem; Eph 6:21 repeats what is said here; see also 2 Tm 4:12; Ti 3:12.
4:10 Aristarchus: a Thessalonian who was with Paul at
Ephesus and Caesarea and on the voyage to Rome (Acts 19:29; 20:4; 27:2). Mark:
also referred to at Phlm 24 and 2 Tm 4:11 and, as “John Mark,” in Acts (Acts
12:12, 25; 13:13; 15:37–40). See also 1 Pt 5:13 and the note there.
Traditionally the author of the second gospel.
4:11 Jesus: a then common Jewish name, the Greek form of
Joshua.
4:12 Epaphras: see notes on Col 1:3–8 and Col 1:7.
4:13 Laodicea: see note on Col 2:1. Hierapolis: a city
northeast of Laodicea and northwest of Colossae.
4:14 Luke: only here described as a medical doctor; cf. Phlm
24 and 2 Tm 4:11. Traditionally the author of the third gospel. Demas: cf. Phlm
24; he later deserted Paul (2 Tm 4:10).
4:15 Nympha and…her house: some manuscripts read a masculine
for the house-church leader, “Nymphas and…his house.”
4:16 The one from Laodicea: either a letter by Paul that has
been lost or the Letter to the Ephesians (cf. note on Eph 1:1 in Ephesus).
4:17 Fulfill the ministry: usually taken to mean that
Archippus, the son of Philemon and Apphia (Phlm 1–2), is “pastor” at Colossae.
An alternate interpretation is that Archippus, not Philemon, is the owner of
the slave Onesimus and that Paul is asking Archippus to complete the service he
has received in the Lord by sending Onesimus back to minister to Paul in his
captivity (cf. Phlm 20).
4:18 My own hand: a postscript in Paul’s own hand was his
custom; cf. Gal 6:11–18 and 2 Thes 3:17–18.
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