Colossians 1

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

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

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

to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ, who are at Colosse: Favor to you, and peace from God our Father.

3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

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

4 because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints—

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

5 the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel

for the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, of which you have formerly heard in the word of truth of the gospel,

6 that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God.

which is present among you, as it is also in the world, and is bringing forth fruit and prevailing, even as among you, from that day you heard and knew the favor of God in truth--

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

even as you learned it of Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ,

8 and who also informed us of your love in the Spirit.

who has also declared to us your love in spirit.

9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

For this reason, we also, from the day we heard these things, do not cease to pray for you, and to request that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding--

10 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

that you may walk worthy of the Lord to all pleasing, bringing forth fruit by every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11 being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully

being strengthened with all strength, according to his glorious power, to all patience and long-suffering with joy:

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.

giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us for a portion of the inheritance of the saints in the light;

13 He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,

who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his beloved Son:

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

by whom we have redemption, even the remission of sins.

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

He is the image of the invisible God, the first born of the whole creation.

16 For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.

Because, by him were created all things which are in the heavens, and which are upon the earth; things visible, and things invisible; whether thrones, or lordships, or governments, or powers; all things were created by him and for him.

17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

And he is before all things; and by him all things consist.

18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.

And he is the head of the body, even the congregation. He is the beginning, the first born from the dead, that in all respects he might be pre-eminent.

19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,

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

20 and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross.

and by him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace by the blood of his cross; I say, by him, whether they be things on the earth, or things in the heavens.

21 Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds.

Even you, who were formerly alienated in mind, and enemies by wicked works,

22 But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence—

he has now, indeed, reconciled, by the body of his flesh, to present you holy and unblamable, and unreprovable, in his sight;

23 if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

if, indeed, you continue in the faith founded and stable, and not removed from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature which is under heaven; of which I, Paul, am made a minister.

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, which is the church.

I now rejoice in sufferings for you, and fill up the remainder of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his body, which is the congregation;

25 I became its servant by the commission God gave me to fully proclaim to you the word of God,

of which I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God, which was given to me on your account, fully to declare the word of God--

26 the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations but is now revealed to His saints. (aiōn g165)

the secret which had been kept hid from the ages, and from the generations, but now has been made manifest to his saints; (aiōn g165)

27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

to whom God has pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this secret among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

28 We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

whom we announce, admonishing every man, and teaching every man, with all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ.

29 To this end I also labor, striving with all His energy working powerfully within me.

For which I also labor, combating vigorously, according to the effectual working of him who works effectually in me with power.