Colossians 1

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

²to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ Jesus who are at Colossae.

³Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying for you always.

⁴For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love that you have toward all the saints,

⁵because of the hope that has been stored up for you in heaven, which you have heard through the Word of Truth in the Gospel.

⁶This has reached you, just as it is present in the whole world, where it grows and bears fruit, as it has also done in you, since the day when you first heard and knew the grace of God in truth,

⁷just as you learned it from Epaphras, our most beloved fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ Jesus.

⁸And he has also manifested to us your love in the Spirit.

⁹Then, too, from the day when we first heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and requesting that you be filled with the knowledge of his will, with all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

¹⁰so that you may walk in a manner worthy of God, being pleasing in all things, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God,

¹¹being strengthened in every virtue, in accord with the power of his glory, with all patience and longsuffering, with joy,

¹²giving thanks to God the Father, who has made us worthy to have a share in the portion of the saints, in the light.

¹³For he has rescued us from the power of darkness, and he has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love,

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

¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature.

¹⁶For in him was created everything in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers. All things were created through him and in him.

¹⁷And he is before all, and in him all things continue.

¹⁸And he is the head of his body, the Church. He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, so that in all things he may hold primacy.

¹⁹For the Father is well-pleased that all fullness reside in him,

²⁰and that, through him, all things be reconciled to himself, making peace through the blood of his cross, for the things that are on earth, as well as the things that are in heaven.

²¹And you, though you had been, in times past, understood to be foreigners and enemies, with works of evil,

²²yet now he has reconciled you, by his body of flesh, through death, so as to offer you, holy and immaculate and blameless, before him.

²³So then, continue in the faith: well-founded and steadfast and immovable, by the hope of the Gospel that you have heard, which has been preached throughout all creation under heaven, the Gospel of which I, Paul, have become a minister.

²⁴For now I rejoice in my passion on your behalf, and I complete in my flesh the things that are lacking in the Passion of Christ, for the sake of his body, which is the Church.

²⁵For I have become a minister of the Church, according to the dispensation of God that has been given to me among you, so that I may fulfill the Word of God,

²⁶the mystery which had remained hidden to past ages and generations, but which now is manifested to his saints.

²⁷To them, God willed to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ and the hope of his glory within you.

²⁸We are announcing him, correcting every man and teaching every man, with all wisdom, so that we may offer every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

²⁹In him, too, I labor, striving according to his action within me, which he works in virtue.

Colossians 1

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

²To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ Jesus who are at Colossa.

³Grace be to you and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you.

⁴Hearing your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have towards all the saints.

⁵For the hope that is laid up for you in heaven, which you have heard in the word of the truth of the gospel,

⁶Which is come unto you, as also it is in the whole world and bringeth forth fruit and groweth, even as it doth in you, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth.

⁷As you learned of Epaphras, our most beloved fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ Jesus;

⁸Who also hath manifested your love in the spirit.

⁹Therefore we also, from the day that we heard it, cease not to pray for you and to beg that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding:

¹⁰That you may walk worthy of God, in all things pleasing; being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God:

¹¹Strengthened with all might according to the power of his glory, in all patience and longsuffering with joy,

¹²Giving thanks to God the Father, who hath made us worthy to be partakers of the lot of the saints in light:

¹³Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love,

¹⁴In whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission of sins:

¹⁵Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

¹⁶For in him were all things created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers. All things were created by him and in him.

¹⁷And he is before all: and by him all things consist.

¹⁸And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he may hold the primacy:

¹⁹Because in him, it hath well pleased the Father that all fulness should dwell:

²⁰And through him to reconcile all things unto himself, making peace through the blood of his cross, both as to the things that are on earth and the things that are in heaven.

²¹And you, whereas you were some time alienated and enemies in mind in evil works:

²²Yet now he hath reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unspotted and blameless before him:

²³If so ye continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and immoveable from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, which is preached in all the creation that is under heaven: whereof I Paul am made a minister.

²⁴Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill up those things that are wanting of the sufferings of Christ, in my flesh, for his body, which is the church:

²⁵Whereof I am made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given me towards you, that I may fulfil the word of God:

²⁶The mystery which hath been hidden from ages and generations, but now is manifested to his saints,

²⁷To whom God would make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ, in you the hope of glory.

²⁸Whom we preach, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

²⁹Wherein also I labour, striving according to his working which he worketh in me in power.