Colossians 1

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

Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy, a brother,

2 Unto the holy and faithful brethren in Christ that are, in Colosse, favour unto you, and peace, from our God and Father.

to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ Jesus who are at Colossae.

3 We are giving thanks unto God, the Father of our Lord Jesus [Christ], always, for you, offering prayer, —

Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying for you always.

4 Having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which ye have unto all the saints, —

For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love that you have toward all the saints,

5 Because of the hope that is lying by for you in the heavens, of which ye heard before, in the word of the truth of the glad-message,

because of the hope that has been stored up for you in heaven, which you have heard through the Word of Truth in the Gospel.

6 When it presented itself unto you; even as, in all the world also, it is bearing fruit and growing, even as also among you, from the day when ye heard, and came personally to know the favour of God in truth,

This has reached you, just as it is present in the whole world, where it grows and bears fruit, as it has also done in you, since the day when you first heard and knew the grace of God in truth,

7 Even as ye learned [it] from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant, who is faithful in our behalf, as a minister of the Christ,

just as you learned it from Epaphras, our most beloved fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ Jesus.

8 Who also hath made evident unto us your love in spirit.

And he has also manifested to us your love in the Spirit.

9 For this cause, we also, from the day when we heard [of you], cease not, in your behalf, praying and asking—that ye may be filled unto the personal knowledge of his will, in all spiritual wisdom and discernment,

Then, too, from the day when we first heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and requesting that you be filled with the knowledge of his will, with all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

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

so that you may walk in a manner worthy of God, being pleasing in all things, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God,

11 With all power, being empowered, according to the grasp of his glory, unto all endurance and long-suffering with joy,

being strengthened in every virtue, in accord with the power of his glory, with all patience and longsuffering, with joy,

12 Giving thanks unto the Father that hath made you sufficient for your share in the inheritance of the saints in the light,

giving thanks to God the Father, who has made us worthy to have a share in the portion of the saints, in the light.

13 Who hath rescued us out of the authority of the darkness, and translated [us] into the kingdom of the Son of his love;

For he has rescued us from the power of darkness, and he has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love,

14 In whom, we have our redemption—the remission of our sins, —

in whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins.

15 Who, is an image of the unseen God, Firstborn of all creation, —

He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature.

16 Because, in him, were created all things in the heavens and upon the earth, the things seen and the things unseen, whether thrones or lordships or principalities or authorities, —they all, through him and for him, have been created,

For in him was created everything in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers. All things were created through him and in him.

17 And, he, is before all, and, they all, in him, hold together;

And he is before all, and in him all things continue.

18 And, he, is the head of the body, the assembly, Who is the beginning, Firstborn from among the dead, in order that, he, might become, in all things, himself, pre-eminent; —

And he is the head of his body, the Church. He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, so that in all things he may hold primacy.

19 Because, in him, was all the fullness well pleased to dwell,

For the Father is well-pleased that all fullness reside in him,

20 And, through him, fully to reconcile all things unto him, making peace through the blood of his cross, —[through him]—whether the things upon the earth or the things in the heavens;

and that, through him, all things be reconciled to himself, making peace through the blood of his cross, for the things that are on earth, as well as the things that are in heaven.

21 And, you, who at one time were estranged and enemies in your mind in your wicked works, yet, now, hath he fully reconciled,

And you, though you had been, in times past, understood to be foreigners and enemies, with works of evil,

22 In his body of flesh, through means of his death, to present you holy and blameless and unaccusable before him, —

yet now he has reconciled you, by his body of flesh, through death, so as to offer you, holy and immaculate and blameless, before him.

23 If, at least, ye are abiding still in the faith, founded and firm, and not to be moved away from the hope of the glad-message which ye have heard, which hath been proclaimed in all creation which is under heaven, —of which, I Paul, have become minister.

So then, continue in the faith: well-founded and steadfast and immovable, by the hope of the Gospel that you have heard, which has been preached throughout all creation under heaven, the Gospel of which I, Paul, have become a minister.

24 Now, am I rejoicing in the sufferings on your behalf, and am filling up the things that lack of the tribulations of the Christ, in my flesh, in behalf of his body, which is the assembly,

For now I rejoice in my passion on your behalf, and I complete in my flesh the things that are lacking in the Passion of Christ, for the sake of his body, which is the Church.

25 Of which, I, have become minister—according to the administration of God which hath been given unto me to you-ward, to fill up the word of God,

For I have become a minister of the Church, according to the dispensation of God that has been given to me among you, so that I may fulfill the Word of God,

26 The sacred secret which had been hidden away from the ages and from the generations, but, now, hath been made manifest unto his saints— (aiōn g165)

the mystery which had remained hidden to past ages and generations, but which now is manifested to his saints. (aiōn g165)

27 Unto whom God hath been pleased to make known what is the glorious wealth of this sacred secret among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of the glory, —

To them, God willed to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ and the hope of his glory within you.

28 Whom we are declaring, admonishing every man, and teaching every man, in all wisdom, in order that we may present every man complete in Christ;

We are announcing him, correcting every man and teaching every man, with all wisdom, so that we may offer every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

29 Unto which I am even toiling, contending according to his energy which is energising itself in me with power.

In him, too, I labor, striving according to his action within me, which he works in virtue.