Colossians 1

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

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

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

Unto the holy and faithful brethren in Christ that are, in Colosse, favour unto you, and peace, from our God and Father.

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

We are giving thanks unto God, the Father of our Lord Jesus [Christ], always, for you, offering prayer, —

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 of the love which ye have unto 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 lying by for you in the heavens, of which ye heard before, in the word of the truth of the glad-message,

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;

When it presented itself unto you; even as, in all the world also, it is bearing fruit and growing, even as also among you, from the day when ye heard, and came personally to know the favour of God in truth,

7 even as ye learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf;

Even as ye learned [it] from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant, who is faithful in our behalf, as a minister of the Christ,

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

Who also hath made evident unto 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 cause, we also, from the day when we heard [of you], cease not, in your behalf, praying and asking—that ye may be filled unto the personal knowledge of his will, in all spiritual wisdom and discernment,

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;

So as to walk worthily of the Lord, unto all pleasing, in every good work, bearing fruit, and growing in the personal knowledge of God,

11 endued with all power according to the might of his glory unto all patience and long-suffering with joy;

With all power, being empowered, according to the grasp of his glory, unto all endurance and long-suffering with joy,

12 giving thanks to the Father, who enabled us to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light;

Giving thanks unto the Father that hath made you sufficient for your 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 hath rescued us out of the authority of the darkness, and translated [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 our redemption—the remission of our sins, —

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

Who, is an image of the unseen God, Firstborn of 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, in him, were created all things in the heavens and upon the earth, the things seen and the things unseen, whether thrones or lordships or principalities or authorities, —they all, through him and for him, have been created,

17 and he is before all things, and in him all things subsist.

And, he, is before all, and, they all, in him, hold together;

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;

And, he, is the head of the body, the assembly, Who is the beginning, Firstborn from among the dead, in order that, he, might become, in all things, himself, pre-eminent; —

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, was all the fullness well 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, fully to reconcile all things unto him, making peace through the blood of his cross, —[through him]—whether the things upon the earth or the things in the heavens;

21 And you, that were once alienated, and enemies in your mind in wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

And, you, who at one time were estranged and enemies in your mind in your wicked works, yet, now, hath he fully reconciled,

22 in the body of his flesh through his death, to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable in his sight;

In his body of flesh, through means of his death, to present you holy and blameless and unaccusable before him, —

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, at least, ye are abiding still in the faith, founded and firm, and not to be moved away from the hope of the glad-message which ye have heard, which hath been proclaimed in all creation which is under heaven, —of which, I Paul, have become minister.

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, am I rejoicing in the sufferings on your behalf, and am filling up the things that lack of the tribulations of the Christ, in my flesh, in behalf of his body, which is the assembly,

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, have become minister—according to the administration of God which hath been given unto me to you-ward, to fill up 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 sacred secret which had been hidden away from the ages and from the generations, but, now, hath been made manifest unto 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;

Unto whom God hath been pleased to make known what is the glorious wealth of this sacred secret among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of the 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 are declaring, admonishing every man, and teaching every man, in all wisdom, in order that we may present every man complete in Christ;

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

Unto which I am even toiling, contending according to his energy which is energising itself in me with power.