Colossians 1
1 This letter comes from Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the will of God, and from our brother Timothy.
Paul, the apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and brother Timothy,
2 To the believers and trusting Christians at Colossae: may you have grace and peace from God our Father.
to the saints who are in Colossae and the faithful brethren in Christ. Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 We are always thankful to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for you, and pray for you.
We give thanks to God even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always praying for you,
4 We've heard about your trust in Christ Jesus and your love for all the believers
having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and the divine love which you have toward all the saints.
5 because of the hope prepared for you in heaven. You already heard about this in the good news, the message of truth
on account of the hope which awaits you in the heavens, which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,
6 that came to you just as it has gone throughout the whole world, spreading widely and bringing results. It's done the same for you too, ever since you heard it and realized the true nature of God's grace.
having come to you, as it is indeed in the whole world bearing fruit and increasing, as also among you, from the day on which you heard and have known the grace of God in truth;
7 Our dear friend and fellow-worker Epaphras, who is a trustworthy minister of Christ on our behalf, taught you about this.
as you have learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant, who is the faithful minister of Christ your behalf,
8 He's also made clear to us your love in the Spirit.
who also having revealed to us your divine love in the Spirit.
9 Because of this we continue to pray for you from the time we heard about you, asking God to give you understanding of what he wants you to do and to give you every kind of spiritual wisdom and understanding.
Therefore we, from the day on which we heard, do not cease praying for you, and asking that you may be filled with the perfect knowledge of his will in all wisdom, and spiritual understanding,
10 That way you'll live lives that rightly represent the Lord and please him, producing all kinds of good results and gaining greater knowledge of God.
that you may walk worthily of the Lord in all loyalty, in every good work bearing fruit, and increasing in the perfect knowledge of God.
11 May you be made powerfully strong by his wonderful strength, having great patience and endurance.
being impowered with all power, according to the might of his glory, in all patience and longsuffering with joy;
12 May you happily praise the Father, who has made it possible for us to share in the inheritance of God's people who live in the light.
giving thanks to the Father, who has made us worthy unto a participation of the inheritance of the saints in light;
13 He rescued us from the tyranny of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
who delivered us from the power of darkness, and transplanted us into the kingdom of the Son of his love;
14 through whom we have been set free and our sins forgiven.
in whom we have redemption, the remission of sins:
15 The Son is the visible picture of the invisible God. He was before all creation,
who is the image of the invisible God, being the first begotten of all creation,
16 for everything was created through him—in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, empires, rulers, leaders and authorities—everything was created through him and for him.
because in him all things are created, in the heavens and upon the earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or lordships or governments or authorities. All things were created by him, and unto him;
17 He existed before everything, and he holds everything together.
and he before all things, and all things consist in him:
18 He is also the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the first and highest of those raised from the dead, so that he is supreme in everything.
and himself is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the first begotten from the dead, in order that in all things himself may be preeminent:
19 God was pleased to have his full nature live in him,
because in him all fulness is pleased to dwell;
20 and through him brought back everything in the universe to himself, since he made peace through the blood of his cross, through him reconciling all those on the earth and in heaven.
and through him, to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross: through him, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens.
21 You once were alienated from God, enemies in the way you thought and the way you acted,
And you, being at one time aliens and enemies in your minds on account of wicked works, nevertheless he has now reconciled
22 but now he has reconciled you through his dying human body, bringing you into his presence where you stand holy, pure, and faultless.
in the body of his cross through death, to present you holy and blameless and unreprovable before him,
23 But your trust in him must continue rock-solid and immovable. Don't be shaken from the hope of the good news that you heard, the good news that's been shared throughout the world—that's the work that I Paul have been doing.
if you abide in the faith, having been grounded and firm, and not moved from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, having been preached in all creation which is under heaven; whose minister I Paul became.
24 I'm happy to have trouble for your sake, for by means of what happens to me physically I'm part of Christ's sufferings that he continues to experience for the sake of his body, the church.
Now I rejoice in sufferings in your behalf, and am filling up the residue of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh in behalf of his body, which is the church;
25 I serve the church following the direction God gave me about you, to present fully the word of God to you.
whose minister I became, according to the economy of God which was given to me unto you, to fulfill the word of God,
26 This is the mystery that was hidden down through the ages and for many generations, but it's now been revealed to God's people. (aiōn g165)
the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from the generations: but is now made manifest to his saints, (aiōn g165)
27 God wanted to make known to them the glorious wealth of this mystery to the nations: Christ living in you is the glorious hope!
to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, who is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
28 We're telling everyone about him, instructing and teaching them in the best way we know how so that we can bring everyone before God fully mature in Christ.
whom we preach, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, in order that we may present every man perfect in Christ;
29 That's what I'm working for too, making every effort as I rely on his strength which is powerfully at work in me.
unto which I also labor, agonizing according to his energy, working in me with power.
