Colossians 1

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

Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, by the purpose of God, and Timothy our brother,

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

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

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

We give praise to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, making prayer for you at all times,

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

After hearing of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which you have for all the saints,

5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the Good News

Through the hope which is in store for you in heaven; knowledge of which was given to you before in the true word of the good news,

6 which has come to you, even as it is in all the world and is bearing fruit and growing, as it does in you also, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth,

Which has come to you; and which in all the world is giving fruit and increase, as it has done in you from the day when it came to your ears and you had true knowledge of the grace of God;

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

As it was given to you by Epaphras, our well-loved helper, who is a true servant of Christ for us,

8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.

And who, himself, made clear to us your love in the Spirit.

9 For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

For this reason, we, from the day when we had word of it, keep on in prayer for you, that you may be full of the knowledge of his purpose, with all wisdom and experience of the Spirit,

10 that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God,

Living uprightly in the approval of the Lord, giving fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11 strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy,

Full of strength in the measure of the great power of his glory, so that you may undergo all troubles with joy;

12 giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light,

Giving praise to the Father who has given us a part in the heritage of the saints in light;

13 who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love,

Who has made us free from the power of evil and given us a place in the kingdom of the Son of his love;

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

In whom we have our salvation, the forgiveness of sins:

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

Who is the image of the unseen God coming into existence before all living things;

16 For by him all things were created in the heavens and on the earth, visible things and invisible things, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things have been created through him and for him.

For by him all things were made, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, authorities, lords, rulers, and powers; all things were made by him and for him;

17 He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.

He is before all things, and in him all things have being.

18 He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.

And he is the head of the body, the church: the starting point of all things, the first to come again from the dead; so that in all things he might have the chief place.

19 For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him,

For God in full measure was pleased to be in him;

20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by him, whether things on the earth or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross.

Through him uniting all things with himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, I say, uniting all things which are on earth or in heaven.

21 You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil deeds,

And you, who in the past were cut off and at war with God in your minds through evil works, he has now made one

22 yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without defect and blameless before him,

In the body of his flesh through death, so that you might be holy and without sin and free from all evil before him:

23 if it is so that you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Good News which you heard, which is being proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, was made a servant.

If you keep yourselves safely based in the faith, not moved from the hope of the good news which came to you, and which was given to every living being under heaven; of which I, Paul, was made a servant.

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the assembly,

Now I have joy in my pain because of you, and in my flesh I undergo whatever is still needed to make the sorrows of Christ complete, for the salvation of his body, the church;

25 of which I was made a servant according to the stewardship of God which was given me toward you to fulfill the word of God,

Of which I became a servant by the purpose of God which was given to me for you, to give effect to the word of God,

26 the mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations. But now it has been revealed to his saints, (aiōn g165)

The secret which has been kept from all times and generations, but has now been made clear to his saints, (aiōn g165)

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

To whom God was pleased to give knowledge of the wealth of the glory of this secret among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

28 We proclaim him, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus;

Whom we are preaching; guiding and teaching every man in all wisdom, so that every man may be complete in Christ;

29 for which I also labor, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily.

And for this purpose I am working, using all my strength by the help of his power which is working in me strongly.