Paul's Letter to the Colossians, Chapter 1
{1:1} Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and
Timothy our brother, {1:2} to the saints and faithful [1>]brothers[<1]
in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and
the Lord Jesus Christ.
{1:3} We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
praying always for you, {1:4} having heard of your faith in Christ
Jesus, and of the love which you have toward all the saints, {1:5}
because 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 Good News, {1:6}
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; {1:7} even as you learned of Epaphras
our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our
behalf, {1:8} who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. {1:9}
For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don't cease
praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the
knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
{1:10} that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all
respects, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the
knowledge of God; {1:11} strengthened with all power, according to the
might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy;
{1:12} giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of
the inheritance of the saints in light; {1:13} who delivered us out of
the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son
of his love; {1:14} in whom we have our redemption,[2] the forgiveness
of our sins; {1:15} who is the image of the invisible God, the
firstborn of all creation. {1:16} For by him all things were created,
in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible,
whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things
have been created through him, and for him. {1:17} He is before all
things, and in him all things are held together. {1:18} He is the head
of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from
the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. {1:19} For
all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him; {1:20} and through him
to reconcile all things to himself, by him, whether things on the
earth, or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood
of his cross.
{1:21} You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind
in your evil works, {1:22} yet now he has reconciled in the body of
his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and
blameless before him, {1:23} if it is so that you continue in the
faith, grounded and steadfast, 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, was made a servant.
{1:24} Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on
my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh
for his body's sake, which is the assembly; {1:25} 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, {1:26} the mystery which has
been hidden for ages and generations. But now it has been revealed to
his saints, {1:27} to whom God was pleased to make known what are the
riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is
Christ in you, the hope of glory; {1:28} whom we proclaim, admonishing
every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present
every man perfect in Christ Jesus; {1:29} for which I also labor,
striving according to his working, which works in me mightily.
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Footnotes:
[1] {1:2} The word for "brothers" here and where context allows may
also be correctly translated "brothers and sisters" or "siblings."
[2] {1:14} TR adds "through his blood,"
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