Colossians 1

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Greetings from Paul and Timothy

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

¹Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy the brother,

²To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae:

Grace and peace to you from God our Father.^a

²To the saints in Colossae and faithful brothers in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

³We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

⁴because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints—

⁴having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints,

⁵the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel

⁵because of the hope being laid up for you in the heavens, which you heard of before in the word of truth, the gospel,

⁶that has come to you.

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God.

⁶the one being present unto you, just as also in all the world it is bearing fruit and growing, just as also among you from the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth,

⁷You learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our^a behalf,

⁷just as you learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on behalf of us,

⁸and who also informed us of your love in the Spirit.

⁸the one also having made known to us your love in the Spirit.

⁹For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

⁹Because of this, we also from the day we heard do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding

¹⁰so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

¹⁰to walk worthily of the Lord: pleasing in all, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God,

¹¹being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully

¹¹being empowered with all power according to the power of His glory unto all endurance and patience, with joy

¹²giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you^a to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.

¹²giving thanks to the Father, the One having qualified you for the share of the inheritance of the saints in the light,

¹³He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,

¹³who delivered us from the authority of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,

¹⁴in whom we have redemption,^a the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁴in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Supremacy of the Son

¹⁵The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation,

¹⁶For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.

¹⁶because in Him were created all things in the heavens and on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or lordships or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him.

¹⁷He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

¹⁷And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

¹⁸And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.

¹⁸And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, firstborn out from the dead, so that He might be having preeminence in all things,

¹⁹For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,

¹⁹because all the fullness was well pleased to dwell in Him,

²⁰and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.

²⁰and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross through Him, whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens.

²¹Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds.

²¹And you, being once alienated and enemies in the mind, in the evil works—

²²But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence—

²²but now He has reconciled you in His body of flesh through death, to present you holy and unblemished and blameless before Him,

²³if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature^a under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

²³if indeed you continue in the faith, established and steadfast, and not being moved away from the hope of the gospel that you heard, the one having been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Paul’s Suffering for the Church

²⁴Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, which is the church.

²⁴Now I rejoice in the sufferings for you, and I am filling up that which is lacking of the tribulations of Christ in my flesh for His body, which is the church,

²⁵I became its servant by the commission God gave me to fully proclaim to you the word of God,

²⁵of which I became a minister according to the administration of God having been given to me toward you, to fulfill the word of God,

²⁶the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations but is now revealed to His saints.

²⁶the mystery having been hidden away from the ages and from the generations, but now having been manifested to His saints,

²⁷To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

²⁷to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,

²⁸We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect^a in Christ.

²⁸whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, so that we may present every man perfect in Christ.

²⁹To this end I also labor, striving with all His energy working powerfully within me.

²⁹Unto this also I toil, striving according to His energy, which is working in me in power.