Colossians 1

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

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

2 to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ at Colossae: Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father.

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 God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

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

4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,

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

5 on account of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, of which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,

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 is come to you, as it is in all the world, and is bearing fruit and growing, as it doth also in you, from the day ye heard it, 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 even as ye learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf;

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

8 who also brought to our knowledge your love in the Spirit.

who also reported to us your love in spirit.

9 On this account we also, from the day we heard of it, cease not to pray for you, and to ask that ye may be filled with the 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 that ye may walk worthily of the Lord so as to please him in all things, bearing fruit 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 endued with all power according to the might of his glory unto all patience 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 enabled us to share in the inheritance of the saints 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 from the empire of darkness, and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son;

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 our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins; —

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

15 who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of the whole creation;

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

16 for in him were created all things, those in the heavens, and those on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers, 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 things, and in him all things subsist.

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

18 And he is the head of the body, the church; since he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that he may be in all things pre-eminent;

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 for God was pleased that in him all the fullness should dwell, and by him to reconcile all things to himself,

because in Him all the Fullness was pleased to dwell

20 having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him, I say, whether the things on earth, or those 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, that were once alienated, and enemies in your mind in wicked works, yet now hath 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 his death, to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable in his sight;

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

23 if ye indeed continue in the faith grounded and settled, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye heard, which hath been preached in the whole creation under heaven; of which I Paul became a minister.

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 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up instead that which is wanting of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh on behalf of his body, which is the church;

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 minister, according to the stewardship which God entrusted 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 mystery which hath been hidden for ages and generations, but hath been now revealed to his saints; (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 it was the will of God to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of 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 preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ;

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

29 to which end I also am laboring, striving earnestly through his working, which worketh within me mightily.

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