1   Poul, apostle of `Crist Jhesu, bi the wille of God, 2   and Tymothe, brother, to hem that ben at Colose, hooli and feithful britheren in Crist Jhesu, 3   grace and

pees to &yogh;ou of God oure fadir and of the Lord Jhesu Crist. We don thankyngis to God, and to the fader of oure Lord Jhesu Crist, euermore preiynge for &yogh;ou, herynge &yogh;oure feith in Crist Jhesu, 4   and the loue that &yogh;e han to alle hooli men, 5   for the hope that is kept to &yogh;ou in heuenes. Which &yogh;e herden in the word of treuthe of the gospel, 6   that cam to &yogh;ou, as also it is in al the world, and makith fruyt, and wexith, as in &yogh;ou, fro that dai in which &yogh;e herden and knewen the grace of God in treuthe. 7   As &yogh;e lerneden of Epafras, oure felawe most dereworthe, which is a trewe mynystre of Jhesu Crist for &yogh;ou; 8   which also schewide to vs &yogh;oure louyng in spirit. 9   Therfor we fro the dai in which we herden, ceessen not to preye for &yogh;ou, and to axe, that &yogh;e be fillid with the knowing of his wille in al wisdom and goostli vndurstondyng; 10   that &yogh;e walke worthili to God plesynge bi alle thingis, and make fruyt in al good werk, and wexe in the science of God, 11   and ben coumfortid in al vertu bi the mi&yogh;t of his clerenesse, in al pacience and long abiding with ioye, 12   that &yogh;e do thankyngis to God and to the fadir, which made &yogh;ou worthi in to the part of eritage of hooli men in li&yogh;t. 13   Which delyueride vs fro the power of derknessis, and translatide in to the kyngdom of the sone of his louyng, 14   in whom we han a&yogh;enbiyng and remyssioun of synnes. 15   Which is the ymage of God vnuysible, the first bigetun of ech creature. 16   For in hym alle thingis ben maad, in heuenes and in erthe, visible and vnuysible, ether trones, ether dominaciouns, ether princehodes, ethir poweris, alle thingis ben maad of nou&yogh;t bi hym,

and in hym, 17   and he is bifor alle, and alle thingis ben in hym. 18   And he is heed of the bodi of the chirche; which is the bigynnyng and the firste bigetun of deede men, that he holde the firste dignyte in alle thingis. 19   For in hym it pleside al plente to inhabite, 20   and bi hym alle thingis to be recounselid in to hym, and made pees bi the blood of his cros, tho thingis that ben in erthis, ether that ben in heuenes. 21   And whanne &yogh;e weren sumtyme aliened, and enemyes bi wit in yuele werkis, 22   now he hath recounselid &yogh;ou in the bodi of his fleisch bi deth, to haue &yogh;ou hooli, and vnwemmyd, and with out repreef bifor hym. 23   If netheles &yogh;e dwellen in the feith, foundid, and stable, and vnmouable fro the hope of the gospel that &yogh;e han herd, which is prechid in al creature that is vndur heuene. Of which Y Poul am maad mynystre, 24   and now Y haue ioye in passioun for &yogh;ou, and Y fille tho thingis that failen of the passiouns of Crist in my fleisch, for his bodi, that is the chirche. 25   Of which Y Poul am maad mynystre bi the dispensacioun of God, that is &yogh;ouun to me in &yogh;ou, 26   that Y fille the word of God, the priuyte, that was hid fro worldis and generaciouns. But now it is schewid to his seyntis, 27   to whiche God wold make knowun the richessis of the glorie of this sacrament in hethene men, which is Crist in &yogh;ou, the hope of glorie. 28   Whom we schewen, repreuynge ech man, and techinge `ech man in al wisdom, that we offre ech man perfit in Crist Jhesu. 29   In which thing also Y trauele in stryuynge bi the worching of hym, that he worchith in me in vertu.

CAP. II.

1   But Y wole that &yogh;e wite, what bisynesse Y haue for &yogh;ou, and for hem that ben at Laodice, and whiche euere saien not my face in fleisch, 2   that her hertis ben coumfortid, and thei ben tau&yogh;t in charite, in to alle the richessis of the plente of the vndurstondyng, in to the knowyng of mysterie of God, the fadir of Jhesu Crist, 3   in whom alle the tresouris of wisdom and of science ben hid. 4   For this thing Y seie, that no man disseyue &yogh;ou in hei&yogh;the of wordis. 5   For thou&yogh; Y be absent in bodi, bi spirit Y am with &yogh;ou, ioiynge and seynge &yogh;oure ordre and the sadnesse of &yogh;oure bileue that is in Crist. 6   Therfor as &yogh;e han takun Jhesu Crist oure Lord, 7   walke &yogh;e in hym, and be &yogh;e rootid and bieldid aboue in hym, and confermyd in the bileue, as &yogh;e han lerud, aboundinge in hym in doynge of thankyngis. 8   Se &yogh;e that no man disseyue &yogh;ou bi filosofie and veyn fallace, aftir the tradicioun of men, aftir the elementis of the world, and not aftir Crist. 9   For in hym dwellith bodilich al the fulnesse of the Godhed. 10   And &yogh;e ben fillid in hym, that is heed of al principat and power. 11   In whom also &yogh;e ben circumcidid in circumcisioun not maad with hoond, in dispoyling of the bodi of fleisch, but in circumcisioun of Crist; 12   and &yogh;e ben biried togidere with hym in baptim, in whom also &yogh;e han rise a&yogh;en bi feith of the worching of God, that reiside hym fro deth. 13   And whanne &yogh;e weren deed in giltis, and in the prepucie of &yogh;oure

fleisch, he quikenyde togidere &yogh;ou with hym; 14   for&yogh;yuynge to &yogh;ou alle giltis, doynge awei that writing of decre that was a&yogh;ens vs, that was contrarie to vs; and he took awei that fro the myddil, pitchinge it on the cros; 15   and he spuylide principatis and poweris, and ledde out tristili, opynli ouercomynge hem in hym silf. 16   Therfor no man iuge &yogh;ou in mete, or in drink, or in part of feeste dai, or of neomenye, 17   or of sabatis, whiche ben schadewe of thingis to comynge; for the bodi is of Crist. 18   No man disseyue &yogh;ou, willynge to teche in mekenesse, and religioun of aungelis, tho thingis whiche he hath not seyn, walkinge veynli, bolnyd with wit of his fleisch, 19   and not holdynge the heed, of which al the bodi, bi boondis and ioynyngis togidere vndur mynystrid and maad, wexith in to encreessing of God. 20   For if &yogh;e ben deed with Crist fro the elementis of this world, what &yogh;it as men lyuynge to the world demen &yogh;e? 21   That &yogh;e touche not, nether taaste, 22   nether trete with hoondis tho thingis, whiche alle ben in to deth bi the ilke vss, aftir the comaundementis and the techingis of men; 23   whiche han a resoun of wisdom in veyn religioun and mekenesse, and not to spare the bodi, not in ony onour to the fulfillyng of the fleisch. CAP. III.

1   Therfor if &yogh;e han risun togidere with Crist, seke &yogh;e tho thingis that ben aboue, where Crist is sittynge in the ri&yogh;thalf

of God. 2   Sauere &yogh;e tho thingis, that ben aboue, not tho that ben on the erthe. 3   For &yogh;e ben deed, and &yogh;oure lijf is hid with Crist in God. 4   For whanne Crist schal appere, &yogh;oure lijf, thanne also &yogh;e schulen appere with hym in glorie. 5   Therfor sle &yogh;e &yogh;oure membris, whiche ben on the erthe, fornycacioun, vnclennesse, letcherie, yuel coueitise, and aueryse, which is seruyse of mawmetis; 6   for whiche thingis the wraththe of God cam on the sones of vnbileue; 7   in whiche also &yogh;e walkiden sum tyme, whanne &yogh;e lyueden in hem. 8   But now putte &yogh;e awei alle thingis, wraththe, indignacioun, malice, blasfemye and foule word of &yogh;oure mouth. 9   Nyle &yogh;e lie togidere; spuyle &yogh;e &yogh;ou fro the elde man with his dedes, and clothe &yogh;e the newe man, 10   that is maad newe a&yogh;en in to the knowing of God, aftir the ymage of hym that made hym; 11   where is not male and female, hethene man and Jew, circumcisioun and prepucie, barbarus and Scita, bonde man and fre man, but alle thingis and in alle thingis Crist. 12   Therfor &yogh;e, as the chosun of God, hooli and louyd, clothe &yogh;ou with the entrailis of merci, benygnite, and mekenesse, temperaunce, pacience; 13   and support &yogh;e echon other, and for&yogh;yue to &yogh;ou silf, if ony man a&yogh;ens ony hath a querele; as the Lord for&yogh;af to &yogh;ou, so also &yogh;e. 14   And vpon alle these thingis haue &yogh;e charite, that is the boond of perfeccioun. 15   And the pees of Crist enioye in &yogh;oure hertis, in which &yogh;e ben clepid in o bodi, and be &yogh;e kynde. 16   The word of Crist dwelle in &yogh;ou plenteuousli, in al wisdom; and teche and moneste

&yogh;ou silf in salmes, and ympnes, and spiritual songis, in grace synginge in &yogh;oure hertis to the Lord. 17   Al thing, what euere thing &yogh;e don, in word or in dede, alle thingis in the name of oure Lord Jhesu Crist, doynge thankyngis to God and to the fadir bi hym. 18   Wymmen, be &yogh;e sugetis to &yogh;oure hosebondis, as it bihoueth in the Lord. 19   Men, loue &yogh;e &yogh;oure wyues, and nyle &yogh;e be bittere to hem. 20   Sones, obeie &yogh;e to &yogh;oure fadir and modir bi alle thingis; for this is wel plesinge in the Lord. 21   Fadris, nyle &yogh;e terre &yogh;oure sones to indignacioun, that thei be not maad feble hertid. 22   Seruauntis, obeie &yogh;e bi alle thingis to fleischli lordis, not seruynge at i&yogh;e, as plesynge to men, but in symplenesse of herte, dredinge the Lord. 23   What euer &yogh;e doen, worche &yogh;e of wille, as to the Lord and not to men; 24   witinge that of the Lord &yogh;e schulen take &yogh;elding of eritage. Serue &yogh;e to the Lord Crist. 25   For he that doith iniurie, schal resseyue that that he dide yuele; and acceptacioun of persoones is not anentis God. CAP. IV.

1   Lordis, &yogh;yue &yogh;e to seruauntis that that is iust and euene, witinge that also &yogh;e han a Lord in heuene. 2   Be &yogh;e bisi in preier, and wake in it, in doynge of thankyngis; 3   and preie ech for othere, and for vs, that God opene to vs the dore of word, to speke the misterie of Crist; 4   for which also Y am boundun, that Y

schewe it, so as it bihoueth me to speke. 5   Walke &yogh;e in wisdom to hem that ben with outen forth, a&yogh;enbiynge tyme. 6   &YOGH;oure word be sauered in salt eueremore in grace; that &yogh;e wite, hou it bihoueth &yogh;ou to answere to ech man. 7   Titicus, most dere brother, and feithful mynyster, and my felowe in the Lord, schal make alle thingis knowun to &yogh;ou, that ben aboute me. 8   Whom Y sente to &yogh;ou to this same thing, that he knowe what thingis ben aboute &yogh;ou, and coumforte &yogh;oure hertis, with Onesyme, 9   most dere and feithful brother, which is of &yogh;ou; whiche schulen make alle thingis that ben doon here, knowun to &yogh;ou. 10   Aristark, prisoner with me, gretith &yogh;ou wel, and Mark, the cosyn of Barnabas, of whom &yogh;e han take maundementis; if he come to &yogh;ou, resseyue &yogh;e hym; 11   and Jhesus, that is seid Just; whiche ben of circumcisioun; thei aloone ben myn helperis in the kingdom of God, that weren to me in solace. 12   Epafras, that is of &yogh;ou, the seruaunt of Jhesu Crist, gretith &yogh;ou wel; euere bisi for &yogh;ou in preyeris, that &yogh;e stonde perfit and ful in al the wille of God. 13   And Y bere witnessyng to hym, that he hath myche trauel for &yogh;ou, and for hem that ben at Loadice, and that ben at Ierapolim. 14   Luk, the leche most dere, and Demas, greten &yogh;ou wel. 15   Grete &yogh;e wel the britheren that ben at Loadice, and the womman Nynfam, and the chirche that is in hir hous. 16   And whanne this pistle is red among &yogh;ou, do &yogh;e, that it be red in the chirche of Loadicensis; and rede &yogh;e that pistle that is of Loadicensis. 17   And seie &yogh;e to Archippus, Se the mynysterie, that thou hast takun in the Lord, that thou fille it. 18   My salutacioun, bi the hoond of Poul. Be &yogh;e myndeful of my

boondis. The grace of the Lord Jhesu Crist be with &yogh;ou. Amen. Here endith the pistle to Colocensis, and bigynneth the prologe on the firste pistle to Tessalonicensis.

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