{Greek: lords.}Masters, render unto your {Greek: Bondservants.}servants that which is just and {Greek: equality.}equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.
Continue stedfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving;
withal praying for us also, that God may open unto us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds;
that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
Walk in wisdom toward them that are without, {Greek: buying up the opportunity.}redeeming the time.
Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one.
All my affairs shall Tychicus make known unto you, the beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow-servant in the Lord:
whom I have sent unto you for this very purpose, that ye may know our state, and that he may comfort your hearts;
together with Onesimus, the faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you. They shall make known unto you all things that are done here.
Aristarchus my fellow-prisoner saluteth you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas (touching whom ye received commandments; if he come unto you, receive him),
and Jesus that is called Justus, who are of the circumcision: these only are my fellow-workers unto the kingdom of God, men that have been a comfort unto me.
Epaphras, who is one of you, a {Greek: bondservant.}servant of Christ Jesus, saluteth you, always striving for you in his prayers, that ye may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.
For I bear him witness, that he hath much labor for you, and for them in Laodicea, and for them in Hierapolis.
Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas salute you.
Salute the brethren that are in Laodicea, and {The Greek may represent Nympha.}Nymphas, and the church that is in {Some ancient authorities read her.}their house.
And when {Greek: the}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 say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.
The salutation of me Paul with mine own hand. Remember my bonds. Grace be with you.
Querverweise zu Kolosser 4,1 Kol 4,1
Thou shalt not oppress thy neighbor, nor rob him: the wages of a hired servant shall not abide with thee all night until the morning.
If thou seest the oppression of the poor, and the violent taking away of justice and righteousness in {Or, the state}a province, marvel not at the matter: for one higher than the high regardeth; and there are higher than they.
And if thy brother be waxed poor with thee, and sell himself unto thee; thou shalt not make him to serve as a bond-servant.
As a hired servant, and as a sojourner, he shall be with thee; he shall serve with thee unto the year of jubilee:
then shall he go out from thee, he and his children with him, and shall return unto his own family, and unto the possession of his fathers shall he return.
For they are my servants, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt: they shall not be sold as bondmen.
Thou shalt not rule over him with rigor, but shalt fear thy God.
But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren.
If thy brother, a Hebrew man, or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee, and serve thee six years; then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free from thee.
And when thou lettest him go free from thee, thou shalt not let him go empty:
thou shalt furnish him liberally out of thy flock, and out of thy threshing-floor, and out of thy winepress; as Jehovah thy God hath blessed thee thou shalt give unto him.
And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and Jehovah thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to-day.
And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your Father, {Greek: the heavenly.}even he who is in heaven.
Thou shalt not oppress a hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy sojourners that are in thy land within thy gates:
But if that evil {Greek: bondservant.}servant shall say in his heart, My lord tarrieth;
and shall begin to beat his fellow-servants, and shall eat and drink with the drunken;
the lord of that {Greek: bondservant.}servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not, and in an hour when he knoweth not,
and shall {Or, severely scourge him}cut him asunder, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
in his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it (for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it); lest he cry against thee unto Jehovah, and it be sin unto thee.
And he said also unto the disciples, There was a certain rich man, who had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he was wasting his goods.
And he called him, and said unto him, What is this that I hear of thee? render the account of thy stewardship; for thou canst be no longer steward.
And the steward said within himself, What shall I do, seeing that my lord taketh away the stewardship from me? I have not strength to dig; to beg I am ashamed.
I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses.
And calling to him each one of his lord's debtors, he said to the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?
And he said, A hundred {Greek: baths, the bath being a Hebrew measure. See Ezekiel 45:10, 11, 14}measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy {Greek: writings.}bond, and sit down quickly and write fifty.
Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, A hundred {Greek: cors, the cor being a Hebrew measure. See Ezekiel 45:14.}measures of wheat. He saith unto him, Take thy {Greek: writings.}bond, and write fourscore.
And his lord commended {Greek: the stewart of unrightousness.}the unrighteous steward because he had done wisely: for the sons of this {Or, age}world are for their own generation wiser than the sons of the light.
And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends {Greek: out of.}by means of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles.
He that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much: and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much.
If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is {Some ancient authorities read your own.}your own?
No {Greek: household-servant.}servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
Yet now our flesh is as the flesh of our brethren, our children as their children: and, lo, we bring into bondage our sons and our daughters to be servants, and some of our daughters are brought into bondage already: neither is it in our power to help it; for other men have our fields and our vineyards.
And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.
Then I consulted with myself, and contended with the nobles and the {Or, deputies}rulers, and said unto them, Ye exact usury, every one of his brother. And I held a great assembly against them.
And I said unto them, We after our ability have {Hebrew: bought.}redeemed our brethren the Jews, that were sold unto the nations; and would ye even sell your brethren, and should they be sold unto us? Then held they their peace, and found never a word.
Also I said, The thing that ye do is not good: ought ye not to walk in the fear of our God, because of the reproach of the nations our enemies?
And I likewise, my brethren and my servants, do lend them money and grain. I pray you, let us leave off this usury.
Restore, I pray you, to them, even this day, their fields, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, also the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the new wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them.
Then said they, We will restore them, and will require nothing of them; so will we do, even as thou sayest. Then I called the priests, and took an oath of them, that they would do according to this promise.
Also I shook out my lap, and said, So God shake out every man from his house, and from his labor, that performeth not this promise; even thus be he shaken out, and emptied. And all the assembly said, Amen, and praised Jehovah. And the people did according to this promise.
And it came to pass, when he was come back again, having received the kingdom, that he commanded these {Greek: bondservants.}servants, unto whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading.
They make oil within the walls of these men;They tread their winepresses, and suffer thirst.
knowing that whatsoever good thing each one doeth, the same shall he receive again from the Lord, whether he be bond or free.
From out of the {Hebrew: city of men.}populous city men groan,And the soul of the wounded crieth out:Yet God regardeth not the folly.
And, ye {Greek: lords.}masters, do the same things unto them, and forbear threatening: knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no respect of persons with him.
{Or, Henceforth}Finally, {Greek: be made powerful.}be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.
Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
For our wrestling is not against {Greek: blood and flesh.}flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
and having shod your feet with the preparation of the {Greek: good tidings. See Matthew 4:23 margin.}gospel of peace;
withal taking up the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit, and watching thereunto in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints,
and on my behalf, that utterance may be given unto me {Or, in opening my mouth with boldness, to make known}in opening my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the {Greek: good tidings. See Matthew 4:23 margin.}gospel,
for which I am an ambassador in {Greek: a chain.}chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
If I have despised the cause of my man-servant or of my maid-servant,When they contended with me;
What then shall I do when God riseth up?And when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?
Did not he that made me in the womb make him?And did not one fashion us in the womb?
These shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings; and they also shall overcome that are with him, called and chosen and faithful.
Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold, in the day of your fast ye find your own pleasure, and {Or, oppress all your laborers}exact all your labors.
And he hath on his garment and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
Is such the fast that I have chosen? the day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head as a rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him? wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to Jehovah?
Is not this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of Jehovah shall be thy rearward.
Then shalt thou call, and Jehovah will answer; thou shalt cry, and he will say, Here I am.If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking wickedly;
that every man should let his man-servant, and every man his maid-servant, that is a Hebrew or a Hebrewess, go free; that none should make bondmen of them, to wit, of a Jew his brother.
And all the princes and all the people obeyed, that had entered into the covenant, that every one should let his man-servant, and every one his maid-servant, go free, that none should make bondmen of them any more; they obeyed, and let them go:
but afterwards they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.
Therefore the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, saying,
Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of {Hebrew: bondmen.}bondage, saying,
At the end of seven years ye shall let go every man his brother that is a Hebrew, that {Or, hath sold himself}hath been sold unto thee, and hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free from thee: but your fathers hearkened not unto me, neither inclined their ear.
And ye were now turned, and had done that which is right in mine eyes, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and ye had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:
but ye turned and profaned my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom ye had let go free at their pleasure, to return; and ye brought them into subjection, to be unto you for servants and for handmaids.
Therefore thus saith Jehovah: ye have not hearkened unto me, to proclaim liberty, every man to his brother, and every man to his neighbor: behold, I proclaim unto you a liberty, saith Jehovah, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be {Or, a terror unto}tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth.
And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against the false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the sojourner from his right, and fear not me, saith Jehovah of hosts.
For judgment is without mercy to him that hath showed no mercy: mercy glorieth against judgment.
Behold, the hire of the laborers who mowed your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth out: and the cries of them that reaped have entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.