< Colossians 1 >
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
Παῦλος, ἀπόστολος ˚Χριστοῦ ˚Ἰησοῦ διὰ θελήματος ˚Θεοῦ, καὶ Τιμόθεος ὁ ἀδελφὸς,
2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
τοῖς ἐν Κολοσσαῖς ἁγίοις, καὶ πιστοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἐν ˚Χριστῷ: χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ ˚Θεοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ ˚Κυρίου ˚Ἰησοῦ ˚Χριστοῦ.
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
Εὐχαριστοῦμεν τῷ ˚Θεῷ Πατρὶ τοῦ ˚Κυρίου ἡμῶν ˚Ἰησοῦ ˚Χριστοῦ, πάντοτε περὶ ὑμῶν προσευχόμενοι,
4 because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints—
ἀκούσαντες τὴν πίστιν ὑμῶν ἐν ˚Χριστῷ ˚Ἰησοῦ, καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην ἣν ἔχετε εἰς πάντας τοὺς ἁγίους,
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
διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα τὴν ἀποκειμένην ὑμῖν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ἣν προηκούσατε ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας, τοῦ εὐαγγελίου,
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.
τοῦ παρόντος εἰς ὑμᾶς, καθὼς καὶ ἐν παντὶ τῷ κόσμῳ, ἐστὶν καρποφορούμενον καὶ αὐξανόμενον, καθὼς καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν, ἀφʼ ἧς ἡμέρας ἠκούσατε καὶ ἐπέγνωτε τὴν χάριν τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ·
7 You learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,
καθὼς ἐμάθετε ἀπὸ Ἐπαφρᾶ, τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ συνδούλου ἡμῶν, ὅς ἐστιν πιστὸς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν διάκονος τοῦ ˚Χριστοῦ,
8 and who also informed us of your love in the Spirit.
ὁ καὶ δηλώσας ἡμῖν τὴν ὑμῶν ἀγάπην ἐν ˚Πνεύματι.
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,
Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡμεῖς, ἀφʼ ἧς ἡμέρας ἠκούσαμεν, οὐ παυόμεθα ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν προσευχόμενοι καὶ αἰτούμενοι, ἵνα πληρωθῆτε τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ συνέσει πνευματικῇ,
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,
περιπατῆσαι ἀξίως τοῦ ˚Κυρίου εἰς πᾶσαν ἀρεσκείαν, ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ ἀγαθῷ καρποφοροῦντες, καὶ αὐξανόμενοι τῇ ἐπιγνώσει τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ,
11 being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully
ἐν πάσῃ δυνάμει δυναμούμενοι, κατὰ τὸ κράτος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ, εἰς πᾶσαν ὑπομονὴν καὶ μακροθυμίαν μετὰ χαρᾶς,
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light.
εὐχαριστοῦντες τῷ Πατρὶ, τῷ ἱκανώσαντι ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν μερίδα τοῦ κλήρου τῶν ἁγίων ἐν τῷ φωτί,
13 He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,
ὃς ἐρρύσατο ἡμᾶς ἐκ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ σκότους, καὶ μετέστησεν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Υἱοῦ τῆς ἀγάπης αὐτοῦ,
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
ἐν ᾧ ἔχομεν τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν, τὴν ἄφεσιν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν·
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου, πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως,
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.
ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, εἴτε θρόνοι, εἴτε κυριότητες, εἴτε ἀρχαὶ, εἴτε ἐξουσίαι· τὰ πάντα διʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται.
17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
Καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων, καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν.
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.
Καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ σώματος, τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ὅς ἐστιν ἡ ἀρχή, πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, ἵνα γένηται ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτὸς πρωτεύων,
19 For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,
ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ εὐδόκησεν πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα κατοικῆσαι,
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.
καὶ διʼ αὐτοῦ ἀποκαταλλάξαι τὰ πάντα εἰς αὐτόν, εἰρηνοποιήσας διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ σταυροῦ αὐτοῦ διʼ αὐτοῦ, εἴτε τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἴτε τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.
21 Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds, engaging in evil deeds.
Καὶ ὑμᾶς ποτε ὄντας ἀπηλλοτριωμένους καὶ ἐχθροὺς τῇ διανοίᾳ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς πονηροῖς,
22 But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence—
νυνὶ δὲ ἀποκατηλλάγητε ἐν τῷ σώματι τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ, διὰ τοῦ θανάτου, παραστῆσαι ὑμᾶς ἁγίους, καὶ ἀμώμους, καὶ ἀνεγκλήτους, κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ–
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.
εἴ γε ἐπιμένετε τῇ πίστει, τεθεμελιωμένοι καὶ ἑδραῖοι, καὶ μὴ μετακινούμενοι ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλπίδος τοῦ εὐαγγελίου οὗ ἠκούσατε, τοῦ κηρυχθέντος ἐν πάσῃ κτίσει τῇ ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν, οὗ ἐγενόμην ἐγὼ Παῦλος διάκονος.
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.
Νῦν χαίρω ἐν τοῖς παθήμασιν ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν, καὶ ἀνταναπληρῶ τὰ ὑστερήματα τῶν θλίψεων τοῦ ˚Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου ὑπὲρ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ, ὅ ἐστιν ἡ ἐκκλησία,
25 I became its servant by the commission God gave me to fully proclaim to you the word of God,
ἧς ἐγενόμην ἐγὼ διάκονος, κατὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ, τὴν δοθεῖσάν μοι εἰς ὑμᾶς πληρῶσαι τὸν λόγον τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ,
26 the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations but is now revealed to His saints. (aiōn )
τὸ μυστήριον τὸ ἀποκεκρυμμένον ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γενεῶν, νῦν δὲ ἐφανερώθη τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ, (aiōn )
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.
οἷς ἠθέλησεν ὁ ˚Θεὸς, γνωρίσαι τί τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης τοῦ μυστηρίου τούτου ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, ὅ ἐστιν ˚Χριστὸς ἐν ὑμῖν, ἡ ἐλπὶς τῆς δόξης·
28 We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
ὃν ἡμεῖς καταγγέλλομεν, νουθετοῦντες πάντα ἄνθρωπον καὶ διδάσκοντες πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ, ἵνα παραστήσωμεν πάντα ἄνθρωπον τέλειον ἐν ˚Χριστῷ.
29 To this end I also labor, striving with all His energy working powerfully within me.
Εἰς ὃ καὶ κοπιῶ, ἀγωνιζόμενος κατὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν αὐτοῦ, τὴν ἐνεργουμένην ἐν ἐμοὶ ἐν δυνάμει.