Colossians 1

1 PAUL, a legate of Jesus the Messiah by the pleasure of God, and Timothy a brother,

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

2 to them who are at Colosse, the brethren, holy and believing in Jesus the Messiah: peace be with you, and grace from God our Father.

to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, at all times, and pray for you;

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

4 lo, ever since we heard of your faith in Jesus the Messiah, and of your love to all the saints;

having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which you have toward all the saints,

5 because of the hope that is laid up for you in heaven, of which ye heard before in the word of truth of the gospel;

because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of truth, the Good News,

6 which is announced to you, as also to all the world; and which groweth and yieldeth fruits, as it doth also among you from the day ye heard and knew the grace of God in reality:

which has come to you; even as it is in all the world and is bearing fruit and growing, as it does in you also, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;

7 as ye learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant, who is for you a faithful minister of the Messiah;

even as you learned of Epaphras our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,

8 and who hath made known to us your love in the Spirit.

who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.

9 Therefore we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray for you; and to ask that ye may be filled with a knowledge of the good pleasure of God, in all wisdom, and in all spiritual understanding;

For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, do not cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

10 that ye may walk as is right, and may please God with all good works, and may yield fruits, and grow in the knowledge of God;

that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in every way, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11 and may be strengthened with all strength, according to the greatness of his glory, in all patience and long suffering;

strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy;

12 and may, with joy, give thanks to God the Father, who hath fitted us for a portion of the inheritance of the saints in light;

giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light;

13 and hath rescued us from the dominion of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son;

who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love;

14 by whom we have redemption and remission of sins:

in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins;

15 who is the likeness of the invisible God, and the first-born of all creatures:

who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

16 and by him was created every thing that is in heaven and on earth, all that is seen and all that is unseen, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or sovereignties; every thing was through him, and was created by him:

For by him all things were created, in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; all things have been created by him and for him.

17 and he was prior to all, and by him every thing exists.

He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.

18 And he is the head of the body the church; as he is the head and first-born from among the dead, that he might be the first in all things.

He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

19 For it pleased the Father, that in him all fullness should dwell;

For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him,

20 and by him, to reconcile all things to himself; and through him, he hath pacified, with the blood of his cross, both those on earth and those in heaven.

and through him to reconcile all things to himself, making peace through the blood of his cross through him, whether things on the earth or things in heaven.

21 And also to you, who were before alienated and enemies in your minds, because of your evil deeds,

You, who once were alienated and were hostile in your minds, doing evil deeds,

22 to you, he hath now given peace, by the body of his flesh, and by his death; that he might establish you in his presence, holy, without blemish, and without offence;

yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and blameless before him,

23 provided ye continue in your faith, your foundation being firm, and ye be not removed from the hope of the gospel; of which ye have heard, that it is proclaimed in all the creation beneath heaven; of which gospel I Paul am a minister.

if it is so that you continue in the faith, established and firm, and not moved away from the hope of the Good News which you heard, which is being proclaimed in all creation under heaven; of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

24 And I rejoice in the sufferings which are for your sakes; and, in my flesh, I fill up the deficiency in the afflictions of the Messiah, in behalf of his body, which is the church;

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ for the sake of his body, which is the church;

25 of which I am a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me among you, that I should fulfill the word of God,

of which I was made a servant, according to the stewardship of God which was given me toward you, to fulfill the word of God,

26 namely, that mystery, which was hidden for ages and generations, but is now revealed to his saints; (aiōn g165)

the mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations. But now it has been revealed to his saints. (aiōn g165)

27 to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which mystery is the Messiah; who in you is the hope of our glory;

To them God was pleased to make known the glorious riches of this mystery among the non-Jews, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory;

28 whom we proclaim, and teach and make known to every man, in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Jesus the Messiah.

whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ Jesus;

29 And for this also, I toil and strive, with the aid of the strength that is imparted to me.

for which I also labor, struggling according to his power, which works in me mightily.