Colossians 1

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

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

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 saints and faithful brothers in Christ who are in Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord 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,

because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for 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,

the faith and love that spring from the hope that is laid up for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the message of the truth of the gospel

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,

that has come to you. This gospel has gone out into all the world, where it is bearing fruit and increasing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.

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

You learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf

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

and who also told us about your love in the 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 reason, from the day we heard this, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's 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,

so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord with every desire to please him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the 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 strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience with joy;

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

giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled us to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

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

He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,

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

in whom we have redemption, the remission of sins.

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

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of 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,

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions, rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

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

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

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,

He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in everything he may be preeminent.

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

For in him all the fullness of God 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, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace through the blood of his cross.

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

At one time you were alienated from God and hostile in your minds because of your evil works. But now God has reconciled you to himself

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

through the death of Christ in his physical body, in order to bring you into his own presence as holy, unblemished, 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 indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, without shifting away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been preached in all creation under heaven, and of this gospel I, Paul, have become 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,

I rejoice now in my sufferings for you, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that 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,

I became a servant of the church according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,

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 mystery that has been hidden for ages and generations but has now 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 them God resolved to make known how great among the Gentiles are the glorious riches of this mystery, which is 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,

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ Jesus.

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

To this end I labor, striving according to his energy that is powerfully at work within me.