Colossians 1

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

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus 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 at Colossae: Grace be 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 God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

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

since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye 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

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 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 come to you, as it is in all the world, and is bearing fruit and growing, as it doth also in you, from the day ye heard it, and knew the grace 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 ye learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf;

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

who also brought to our knowledge your love in the 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,

On this account we also, from the day we heard of it, cease not to pray for you, and to ask that ye 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 ye may walk worthily of the Lord so as to please him in all things, bearing fruit in 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

endued with all power according to the might of his glory unto 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 enabled us to share in 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 rescued us from the empire of darkness, and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son;

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

in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins; —

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

who 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.

for in him were created all things, those in the heavens, and those on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, all things have been created through him and for him;

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

and he is before all things, and in him all things subsist.

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, the church; since he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that he may be in all things pre-eminent;

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

for God was pleased that in him all the fullness should dwell, and by him to reconcile all things to himself,

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.

having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him, I say, whether the things on earth, or those in the heavens.

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

And you, that were once alienated, and enemies in your mind in wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

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

in the body of his flesh through his death, to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable 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 ye indeed continue in the faith grounded and settled, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye heard, which hath been preached in the whole creation under heaven; of which I Paul became 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.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up instead that which is wanting of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh on behalf of his body, which is the church;

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

of which I became a minister, according to the stewardship which God entrusted to me, for you, to fulfill the word of God,

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

the mystery which hath been hidden for ages and generations, but hath been now revealed 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 it was the will of God to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery 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 preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in 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.

to which end I also am laboring, striving earnestly through his working, which worketh within me mightily.