Colossians 1

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

Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God--and Timothy our brother:

2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

To the people of God and the believing brethren at Colossae who are in Christ. May grace and peace be granted to you from God our Father.

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

We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, constantly praying for you as we do,

4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the (agape) love which all of you have to all the saints,

because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you cherish towards all God's people,

5 For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof all of you heard before in the (logos) word of the truth of the gospel;

on account of the hope treasured up for you in Heaven. Of this hope you have already heard in the Message of the truth of the Good News.

6 Which has come unto you, as it is in all the world; and brings forth fruit, as it does also in you, since the day all of you heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:

For it has reached you, and remains with you, just as it has also spread through the whole world, yielding fruit there and increasing, as it has done among you from the day when first you heard it and came really to know the grace of God,

7 As all of you also learned of Epaphras our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;

as you learned it from Epaphras our dearly-loved fellow servant. He is to you a faithful minister of Christ in our stead,

8 Who also declared unto us your (agape) love in the (pneuma) Spirit.

and moreover he has informed us of your love, which is inspired by the Spirit.

9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that all of you might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

For this reason we also, from the day we first received these tidings, have never ceased to pray for you and to entreat that you may be filled with a clear knowledge of His will accompanied by thorough wisdom and discernment in spiritual things;

10 That all of you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

so that your lives may be worthy of the Lord and perfectly pleasing to Him, while you exhibit the results of right action of every sort and grow into a fuller knowledge of God.

11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

Since His power is so glorious, may you be strengthened with strength of every kind, and be prepared for cheerfully enduring all things with patience and long-suffering;

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

and give thanks to the Father who has made us fit to receive our share of the inheritance of God's people in Light.

13 Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his (agape) dear Son:

It is God who has delivered us out of the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us into the Kingdom of His dearly-loved Son,

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

in whom we have our redemption--the forgiveness of our sins.

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Christ is the visible representation of the invisible God, the Firstborn and Lord of all creation.

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

For in Him was created the universe of things in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, thrones, dominions, princedoms, powers--all were created, and exist through and for Him.

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

And HE IS before all things and in and through Him the universe is a harmonious whole.

18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Moreover He is the Head of His Body, the Church. He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, in order that He Himself may in all things occupy the foremost place.

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

For it was the Father's gracious will that the whole of the divine perfections should dwell in Him.

20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

And God purposed through Him to reconcile the universe to Himself, making peace through His blood, which was shed upon the Cross--to reconcile to Himself through Him, I say, things on earth and things in Heaven.

21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has he reconciled

And you, estranged as you once were and even hostile in your minds, amidst your evil deeds,

22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and irreproachable in his sight:

He has now, in His human body, reconciled to God by His death, to bring you, holy and faultless and irreproachable, into His presence;

23 If all of you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which all of you have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;

if, indeed, you are still firmly holding to faith as your foundation, without ever shifting from your hope that rests on the Good News that you have heard, which has been proclaimed in the whole creation under Heaven, and in which I Paul have been appointed to serve.

24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:

Now I can find joy amid my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my own person whatever is lacking in Christ's afflictions on behalf of His Body, the Church.

25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfill the (logos) word of God;

I have been appointed to serve the Church in the position of responsibility entrusted to me by God for your benefit, so that I may fully deliver God's Message--

26 Even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: (aiōn g165)

the truth which has been kept secret from all ages and generations, but has now been revealed to His people, (aiōn g165)

27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

to whom it was His will to make known how vast a wealth of glory for the Gentile world is implied in this truth--the truth that 'Christ is in you, the hope of glory.'

28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Him we preach, admonishing every one and instructing every one, with all possible wisdom, so that we may bring every one into God's presence, made perfect through Christ.

29 Unto which I also labour, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily.

To this end, like an earnest wrestler, I exert all my strength in reliance upon the power of Him who is mightily at work within me.