1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and
Timothy our brother, 2 to the saints and faithful brothers*1 in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you
and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying
always for you, 4 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the
love which you have toward all the saints, 5 because of the hope
which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof you heard before in the
word of the truth of the gospel, 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; 7 even as
you learned of Epaphras our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful
minister of Christ on our behalf, 8 who also declared to us your love in
the Spirit. 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,
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;
11 strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for
all endurance and perseverance with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father,
who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;
13 who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into
the Kingdom of the Son of his love; 14 in whom we have our
redemption,*2 the forgiveness of our sins;
15 who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by him were all things 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. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.
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.
19 For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him; 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.
21 You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your
evil works, 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,
23 if it is so that you continue in the faith, grounded and
steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you
heard, which is being proclaimed in all creation under heaven; of which I,
Paul, was made a servant.
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; 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, 26 the mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations. But
now it has been revealed to his saints, 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; 28 whom we proclaim,
admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may
present every man perfect in Christ Jesus; 29 for which I also labor,
striving according to his working, which works in me mightily.
1 The word
for “brothers” here and where context allows may also be correctly translated
“brothers and sisters” or “siblings.”
2 TR adds “through his blood,”
World English Bible - Public Domain |
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