Colossians 1:23

1:23 if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm, ¹  without shifting ²  from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has also been preached in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become its servant.

Colossians 2:1

2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, ³  and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. ⁴ 

Colossians 2:5

2:5 For though ⁵  I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, rejoicing to see ⁶  your morale ⁷  and the firmness of your faith in Christ.

Colossians 3:13

3:13 bearing with one another and forgiving ⁸  one another, if someone happens to have ⁹  a complaint against anyone else. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also forgive others. ¹⁰ 

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¹ tn BDAG 276 s.v. ἑδραῖος suggests “firm, steadfast.”

² tn BDAG 639 s.v. μετακινέω suggests “without shifting from the hope” here.

³ tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”

⁴ tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”

⁵ tn The conditional particle εἰ (ei) together with καί (kai) here indicates a first class condition in Greek and carries a concessive force, especially when seen in contrast to the following phrase which begins with ἀλλά (alla).

⁶ tn Grk “rejoicing and seeing.”

⁷ tn The Greek word τάξις can mean “order,” “discipline,” or even “unbroken ranks” (REB).

⁸ tn For the translation of χαριζόμενοι (carizomenoi) as “forgiving,” see BDAG 1078 s.v. χαρίζομαι 3. The two participles “bearing” (ἀνεχόμενοι, anecomenoi) and “forgiving” (χαριζόμενοι) express the means by which the action of the finite verb “clothe yourselves” is to be carried out.

⁹ tn Grk “if someone has”; the term “happens,” though not in the Greek text, is inserted to bring out the force of the third class condition.

¹⁰ tn The expression “forgive others” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. It is included in the translation to make the sentence complete and more comprehensible to the English reader.