1 P aul, an apostle (special messenger) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah), by the will of God, and Timothy brother,

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

2 T o the saints (the consecrated people of God) and believing and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace (spiritual favor and blessing) to you and peace from God our Father.

to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 W e continually give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah), as we are praying for you,

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

4 F or we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus '> the leaning of your entire human personality on Him in absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness] and of the love which you for all the saints (God’s consecrated ones),

since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the charity which ye have toward all the saints,

5 B ecause of the hope laid up ( reserved and waiting) for you in heaven. Of this you heard in the past in the message of the truth of the Gospel,

for the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, of which ye have already heard by the word of the truth of the gospel,

6 W hich has come to you. Indeed, in the whole world is bearing fruit and still is growing, even as it has done among yourselves ever since the day you first heard and came to know and understand the grace of God in truth.

which is come unto you, as it is in all the world, and brings forth fruit, as it does also in you, since the day ye heard it and knew the grace of God in truth,

7 Y ou so learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ in our stead and as our representative and yours.

as ye also learned of Epaphras, our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ,

8 A lso he has informed us of your love in the Spirit.

who also declared unto us your charity in the Spirit.

9 F or this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make '> special] request for you, that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom '> in comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God] and in understanding and discernment of spiritual things—

¶ For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, asking that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,

10 T hat you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God '> acquaintance, and recognition].

that ye might walk worthy of the Lord, pleasing him in everything, being fruitful in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God,

11 t hat you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy,

strengthened with all might, according to the power of his glory unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness,

12 G iving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God’s holy people) in the Light.

¶ giving thanks unto the Father, who has made us worthy to participate in the inheritance of the saints in light,

13 h as delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son,

14 I n Whom we have our redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our sins.

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

15 H e is the exact likeness of the unseen God; He is the Firstborn of all creation.

who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature;

16 F or it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers, or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him and in and for Him.

for by him were all things created, that are in the heavens and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they are thrones or dominions or principalities or powers: all things were created by him and in him;

17 A nd He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together).

And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

18 H e also is the Head of body, the church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place.

And he is the head of the body, the congregation, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.

19 F or it has pleased that all the divine fullness (the sum total of the divine perfection, powers, and attributes) should dwell in Him permanently.

For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell

20 A nd God purposed that through ( by the service, the intervention of) Him all things should be completely reconciled back to Himself, whether on earth or in heaven, as through Him, made peace by means of the blood of His cross.

and by him to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross, whether they are the things in the earth or the things in the heavens.

21 A nd although you at one time were estranged and alienated from Him and were of hostile attitude of mind in your wicked activities,

And you, that were in another time alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now he has reconciled you

22 Y et now has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His presence.

in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight

23 p rovided that you continue to stay with and in the faith, well-grounded and settled and steadfast, not shifting or moving away from the hope the glad tidings (the Gospel), which you heard and which has been preached to every person under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

if ye continue in the faith grounded and settled and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard and which is preached to every creature which is under heaven, of which I Paul am made a minister,

24 n ow I rejoice in the midst of my sufferings on your behalf. And in my own person I am making up whatever is still lacking and remains to be completed '> on our part] of Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of His body, which is the church.

who now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fulfill in my flesh that which is lacking of the tribulations of the Christ for his body’s sake, which is the congregation,

25 I n it I became a minister in accordance with the divine stewardship which was entrusted to me for you, to make the Word of God fully known —

of which I am made a minister by the dispensation of God which is given to me in you, to fulfil the word of God,

26 T he mystery of which was hidden for ages and generations '> from angels and men], but is now revealed to His holy people (the saints),

even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints,

27 T o whom God was pleased to make known how great for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ within and among you, the Hope of glory.

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

28 H im we preach and proclaim, warning and admonishing everyone and instructing everyone in all wisdom ( comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God), that we may present every person mature (full-grown, fully initiated, complete, and perfect) in Christ (the Anointed One).

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

29 F or this I labor '> unto weariness], striving with all the superhuman energy which He so mightily enkindles and works within me.

in which I continue to labour, contending according to his operation, which he works in me mightily.