Colossians 1

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

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

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

to the believers and faithful brothers in Christ who are at Colossae. May 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, and we always pray for you.

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

We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all those set apart for God.

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

You have this love because of the certain hope reserved for you in heaven. You heard about this confident expectation before in the word of truth, 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 has come to you. This gospel is bearing fruit and is growing in all the world. It has been doing this in you also from the day you heard it and learned about 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,

This is the gospel as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf.

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

Epaphras has made known to us 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,

Because of this love, from the day we heard this we have not stopped praying for you. We have been asking that you will 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,

We have been praying that you will walk worthily of the Lord in pleasing ways. We have been praying that you will bear fruit in every good deed and that you will grow 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

We pray you may be strengthened in every ability according to the power of his glory into all perseverance and patience.

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

We pray that you will joyfully give thanks to the Father, who has made you able to have a share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

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

He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.

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

In his Son we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

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

The Son is the image of the invisible God. He is the firstborn of all 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 by him all things were created, those in the heavens and those on the earth, the visible and the invisible things. Whether thrones or dominions or governments or authorities, all things were created by him and for him.

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

He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

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.

He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so he has first place among all things.

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

For God was pleased that all his fullness should live 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 to reconcile through the Son all things to himself. God made peace through the blood of his cross. God reconciled all things to himself, whether the things on the earth or the things in heaven.

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

At one time, you also were strangers to God and were his enemies in mind and in evil deeds.

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

But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death. He did this in order to present you holy, blameless, and above reproach before him,

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 you continue in the faith, established and firm, not moved away from the certain hope of the gospel that you heard. This is the gospel that was proclaimed to every person created under heaven. This is the gospel of which I, Paul, became a servant.

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 I fill up in my flesh what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ for the sake 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,

It is of this church that I am a servant, according to the responsibility from God that was given 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)

This is the secret truth that was hidden for ages and for generations. But now it has been revealed to those who believe in him. (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.

It is to them that God wanted to make known the riches of the glory of this secret truth 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.

This is he whom we proclaim. We admonish every person, and we teach every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ.

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

For this I labor and strive according to his energy that is at work in me in power.