Colossians 1

1 Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus, by God's will, and Timotheus the brother,

PAUL, a legate of Jesus the Messiah by the pleasure of God, and Timothy a brother,

2 to the holy and faithful brethren in Christ which [are] in Colosse. Grace to you and peace from God our Father [and Lord Jesus Christ].

to them who are at Colosse, the brethren, holy and believing in Jesus the Messiah: peace be with you, and grace from God our Father.

3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ continually [when] praying for you,

We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, at all times, and pray for you;

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

lo, ever since we heard of your faith in Jesus the Messiah, and of your love to all the saints;

5 on account of the hope which [is] laid up for you in the heavens; of which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the glad tidings,

because of the hope that is laid up for you in heaven, of which ye heard before in the word of truth of the gospel;

6 which are come to you, as [they are] in all the world, [and] are bearing fruit and growing, even as also among you, from the day ye heard [them] and knew indeed the grace of God, in truth:

which is announced to you, as also to all the world; and which groweth and yieldeth fruits, as it doth also among you from the day ye heard and knew the grace of God in reality:

7 even as ye learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow-bondman, who is a faithful minister of Christ for you,

as ye learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant, who is for you a faithful minister of the Messiah;

8 who has also manifested to us your love in [the] Spirit.

and who hath made known to us your love in the Spirit.

9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard [of your faith and love], do not cease praying and asking for you, to the end that ye may be filled with the full knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

Therefore we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray for you; and to ask that ye may be filled with a knowledge of the good pleasure of God, in all wisdom, and in all spiritual understanding;

10 [so as] to walk worthily of the Lord unto all well-pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing by the true knowledge of God;

that ye may walk as is right, and may please God with all good works, and may yield fruits, and grow in the knowledge of God;

11 strengthened with all power according to the might of his glory unto all endurance and longsuffering with joy;

and may be strengthened with all strength, according to the greatness of his glory, in all patience and long suffering;

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has made us fit for sharing the portion of the saints in light,

and may, with joy, give thanks to God the Father, who hath fitted us for a portion of the inheritance of the saints in light;

13 who has delivered us from the authority of darkness, and translated [us] into the kingdom of the Son of his love:

and hath rescued us from the dominion of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son;

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

by whom we have redemption and remission of sins:

15 who is image of the invisible God, firstborn of all creation;

who is the likeness of the invisible God, and the first-born of all creatures:

16 because by him were created all things, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or lordships, or principalities, or authorities: all things have been created by him and for him.

and by him was created every thing that is in heaven and on earth, all that is seen and all that is unseen, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or sovereignties; every thing was through him, and was created by him:

17 And he is before all, and all things subsist together by him.

and he was prior to all, and by him every thing exists.

18 And he is the head of the body, the assembly; who is [the] beginning, firstborn from among the dead, that he might have the first place in all things:

And he is the head of the body the church; as he is the head and first-born from among the dead, that he might be the first in all things.

19 for in him all the fulness [of the Godhead] was pleased to dwell,

For it pleased the Father, that in him all fullness should dwell;

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

and by him, to reconcile all things to himself; and through him, he hath pacified, with the blood of his cross, both those on earth and those in heaven.

21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in mind by wicked works, yet now has it reconciled

And also to you, who were before alienated and enemies in your minds, because of your evil deeds,

22 in the body of his flesh through death; to present you holy and unblamable and irreproachable before it,

to you, he hath now given peace, by the body of his flesh, and by his death; that he might establish you in his presence, holy, without blemish, and without offence;

23 if indeed ye abide in the faith founded and firm, and not moved away from the hope of the glad tidings, which ye have heard, which have been proclaimed in the whole creation which [is] under heaven, of which I Paul became minister.

provided ye continue in your faith, your foundation being firm, and ye be not removed from the hope of the gospel; of which ye have heard, that it is proclaimed in all the creation beneath heaven; of which gospel I Paul am a minister.

24 Now, I rejoice in sufferings for you, and I fill up that which is behind of the tribulations of Christ in my flesh, for his body, which is the assembly;

And I rejoice in the sufferings which are for your sakes; and, in my flesh, I fill up the deficiency in the afflictions of the Messiah, in behalf of his body, which is the church;

25 of which I became minister, according to the dispensation of God which [is] given me towards you to complete the word of God,

of which I am a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me among you, that I should fulfill the word of God,

26 the mystery which [has been] hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been made manifest to his saints; (aiōn g165)

namely, that mystery, which was hidden for ages and generations, but is now revealed to his saints; (aiōn g165)

27 to whom God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you the hope of glory:

to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which mystery is the Messiah; who in you is the hope of our glory;

28 whom we announce, admonishing every man, and teaching every man, in all wisdom, to the end that we may present every man perfect in Christ.

whom we proclaim, and teach and make known to every man, in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Jesus the Messiah.

29 Whereunto also I toil, combating according to his working, which works in me in power.

And for this also, I toil and strive, with the aid of the strength that is imparted to me.