4:1 Masters, grant your slaves justice and fairness, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven.
4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;
4:3 praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned;
4:4 that I may make it clear in the way that I ought to proclaim it.
4:5 ①Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, ②making the most of the opportunity.
▷ ①Lit Walk ②Lit redeeming the time
4:6 Your speech must always be ①with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
▷ ①Or gracious
4:7 As to all my affairs, Tychicus, our beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord, will bring you information.
4:8 For I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts;
4:9 ①and with him is Onesimus, our faithful and beloved brother, who is one of your own. They will inform you about the whole situation here.
▷ ①Lit along with Onesimus
4:10 Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, sends you his greetings; and also Barnabas’ cousin Mark (about whom you received ①instructions; if he comes to you, welcome him);
▷ ①Or orders
4:11 and also Jesus who is called Justus; these are the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God who are from the circumcision, and they have proved to be an encouragement to me.
4:12 Epaphras, who is one of your own, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings, always striving earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may ①stand ②mature and ③fully assured in all the will of God.
▷ ①Or stand firm ②Or fully developed ③Or made complete
4:13 For I testify for him that he has ①a deep concern for you and for those who are in Laodicea and Hierapolis.
▷ ①Or much toil; or great pain
4:14 Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and Demas does also.
4:15 Greet the brothers and sisters who are in Laodicea and also ①Nympha and the church that is in ②her house.
▷ ①Or Nymphas (masc) ②One early ms their
4:16 When ①this letter is read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and you, for your part, read ②my letter that is coming from Laodicea.
▷ ①Lit the ②Lit the
4:17 Tell Archippus, “See to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, so that you may ①fulfill it.”
▷ ①Or continually fulfill
4:18 ①I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my ②imprisonment. Grace be with you.
▷ ①Lit The greeting by my hand of Paul ②Lit bonds