Colossians 1

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

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

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 holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Sovereign Jesus Christ.

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

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

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

(having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love toward 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

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 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.

(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 You learned it 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 and who also told us about your love in the Spirit.

who also reported 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 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 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;

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 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience 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 has enabled us to share in the inheritance of the saints in 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 He has rescued us from the dominion 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 redemption, the remission of sins.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

because in Him all the Fullness was pleased to dwell

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 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 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

So now He has reconciled you as well (you who once were alienated and hostile in your mind because of your wicked works),

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

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, 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 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 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 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 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 that has been hidden for ages and generations but has now been 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 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 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 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 proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ.

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

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