Colossians 1

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Timotheus the brother,

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

2 to the holy ones in Colossae, and to the faithful brothers in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Sovereign Jesus Christ.

3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always praying for you,

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

4 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love that [is] to all the holy ones,

(having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love toward all the saints),

5 because of the hope that is laid up for you in the heavens, which you heard of beforehand by the word of the truth of the good news,

because of the hope that is being reserved for you in the heavens, of which you have already heard through the Word of the Truth

6 which has come to you, as also in all the world, and is bearing fruit, as also in you, from the day in which you heard, and knew the grace of God in truth,

(the Gospel that has come to you just as also in all the world, where it is producing fruit and growing just as also among you, from the day in which you heard about and truly understood God's grace),

7 as you also learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful servant of the Christ for you,

even as you learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave, who is a faithful servant of Christ on your behalf,

8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.

who also reported to us your love in spirit.

9 Because of this, we also, from the day in which we heard, do not cease praying for you, and asking that you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

For this very reason, since the day we heard of it, we have not stopped praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the real knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

10 to walk worthily of the LORD, pleasing in all, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God,

in order for you to walk worthily of the Lord, pleasing Him in every way, being fruitful in every good work and growing into the real knowledge of God;

11 in all might being made mighty according to the power of His glory, to all endurance and long-suffering with joy.

being enabled with all capability according to the strength that resides in His glory, for all endurance and steadfastness.

12 Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us for the participation of the inheritance of the holy ones in the light,

Nor have we stopped giving thanks joyfully to the Father who has qualified us for the share in the inheritance of the saints in the Light;

13 who rescued us out of the authority of the darkness, and translated [us] into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

who delivered us out of the dominion of the darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

14 in whom we have the redemption [[through His blood]], the forgiveness of sins,

in whom we have the redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins.

15 who is the image of the invisible God, firstborn of all creation,

He is the visible representation of the invisible God, ‘Firstborn’ over all creation,

16 because all things were created in Him, those in the heavens, and those on the earth, those visible, and those invisible, whether thrones, whether lordships, whether principalities, whether authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him,

because by Him all things were created—those in the heavens and those on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

17 and He is before all, and all things have consisted in Him.

Yes, He is before all, and in Him all things subsist.

18 And He is the head of the body—the Assembly—who is a beginning, a firstborn out of the dead, that He might become first in all [things] Himself,

Also, He is the Head of the body, the Church. He is Beginning, the firstborn from among the dead, so that He may be preeminent in everything,

19 because all the fullness was pleased to dwell in Him,

because in Him all the Fullness was pleased to dwell

20 and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself—having made peace through the blood of His Cross—through Him, whether the things on the earth, whether the things in the heavens.

and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross—through Him, whether things on the earth or things on the heavens.

21 And you—once being alienated, and enemies in the mind, in the evil works, yet now He reconciled,

So now He has reconciled you as well (you who once were alienated and hostile in your mind because of your wicked works),

22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and unblemished, and unblameable before Himself,

by His physical body through His death, so as to present you before Him holy and blameless and above reproach—

23 if you also remain in the faith, being founded and settled, and not moved away from the hope of the good news, which you heard, which was preached in all the creation that [is] under Heaven, of which I, Paul, became a servant.

if, that is, you continue in the Faith established and firm, not drifting away from the hope of the Gospel, that you heard and that was proclaimed in all the creation under the heaven, of which I, Paul, became a servant.

24 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up the things lacking of the tribulations of the Christ in my flesh for His body, which is the Assembly,

Now I rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf and supplement in my flesh the things lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the Church,

25 of which I became a servant according to the dispensation of God, that was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,

of which I became a servant according to the stewardship from God that was given to me towards you, to complete the Word of God,

26 the secret that has been hid from the ages and from the generations, but now was revealed to His holy ones, (aiōn g165)

the secret that has been hidden from past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His saints; (aiōn g165)

27 to whom God willed to make known what [is] the riches of the glory of this secret among the nations—which is Christ in you, the hope of the glory,

to whom God resolved to make known who is the wealth of the glory of this secret among the nations, namely Christ in you, the hope of glory;

28 whom we proclaim, warning every man, and teaching every man, in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus,

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

29 for which I also labor, striving according to His working that is working in me in power.

It is to this end that I labor, striving according to His working that works through me with power.