Colossians 1

1 Paul, an emissary of Messiah Yeshua through the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

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

2 to the holy ones and faithful brothers in Messiah at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

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

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

We always give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ when we pray for you,

4 having heard of your faith in Messiah Yeshua and of the love which you have towards all the holy ones,

because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love 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

the faith and love that spring from the hope that is laid up for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the message of the truth of the gospel

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,

that has come to you. This gospel has gone out into all the world, where it is bearing fruit and increasing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.

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

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

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

and who also told us about 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, from the day we heard this, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

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,

so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord with every desire to please him: bearing 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,

being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience with joy;

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

giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled us to share in the inheritance 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,

He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,

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

in whom we have redemption, the remission of sins.

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

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

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 created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, rulers or authorities—all things were created through 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 hold together.

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.

He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in everything he may be preeminent.

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

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

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.

and through him to reconcile all things to himself, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace through the blood of his cross.

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

At one time you were alienated from God and hostile in your minds because of your evil works. But now God has reconciled you to himself

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,

through the death of Christ in his physical body, in order to bring you into his own presence as holy, unblemished, and above reproach,

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 indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, without shifting away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been preached in all creation under heaven, and of this gospel I, Paul, have become 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 Messiah in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the assembly,

I rejoice now in my sufferings for you, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.

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

I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,

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

the mystery that has been hidden for ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. (aiōn g165)

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

To them God resolved to make known how great among the Gentiles are the glorious riches of this mystery, 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 Messiah Yeshua;

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ Jesus.

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

To this end I labor, striving according to his energy that is powerfully at work within me.