Colossians 1

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

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

2 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.

to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ that are in Colosse: grace be to you, and peace from God our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ.

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

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

4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints,

since we heard of your faithfulness in Christ Jesus, and your love for all the saints,

5 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

in consequence of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,

6 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.

which is present among you, as it is also in all the world, and is producing fruit, even as it has been doing also among you, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth,

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

as you learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ for you,

8 and who also told us about your love in the Spirit.

and who also made known to us your love in spirit.

9 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,

For this reason, we also, from the day in which we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to request that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

10 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;

so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, in order to please him in all things, by means of every good work bringing forth fruit, and increasing in the knowledge, of God,

11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience with joy;

strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, in order to all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness,

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

giving thanks to the Father, who has made us fit for a portion of the inheritance of the saints in light:

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

who has delivered us from the authority of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his beloved Son,

14 in whom we have redemption, the remission of sins.

in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins;

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature;

16 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.

for by him were all things created, things in heaven and things in earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or lordships, or principalities, or authorities; all things were created by him, and for him:

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

and he is before all things, and by him all things consist:

18 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.

and he is the head of the body, the church: and he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in all things he might be preeminent;

19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

for it pleased the Father that all his fullness should dwell in him,

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

and by him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace by the blood of his cross; by him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

21 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

And you, who were formerly alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now has he reconciled

22 through the death of Christ in his physical body, in order to bring you into his own presence as holy, unblemished, and above reproach,

by means of death in his fleshly body, that he may present you holy, and without spot, and blameless in his sight;

23 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.

if you continue in the faith, founded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, have been made a minister.

24 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.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up what remains of my sufferings for Christ in my flesh for the sake of his body, which is the church,

25 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,

of which I was made a minister according to the commission from God, which was given to me for you, that I might fully preach the word of God,

26 the mystery that has been hidden for ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints. (aiōn g165)

the mystery which was concealed from the ages and the generations, but is now made manifest to his saints, (aiōn g165)

27 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.

to whom God would make known what is the glorious riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,

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

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

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

to which end I also labor, striving according to his energy, which works in me mightily.