1 P aul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

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

2 T o the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ that are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

3 W e give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

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

4 s ince we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;

having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have toward all the saints,

5 b ecause of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel

because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,

6 w hich has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth;

which is come unto you; even as it is also in all the world bearing fruit and increasing, as it doth in you also, since the day ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth;

7 j ust as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,

even as ye learned of Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,

8 a nd he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.

who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

9 F or this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

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

10 s o that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11 s trengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously

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

12 g iving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. The Incomparable Christ

giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;

13 F or He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love;

14 i n whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins:

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

who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;

16 F or by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities— all things have been created through Him and for Him.

for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him;

17 H e is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

and he is before all things, and in him all things consist.

18 H e is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

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

19 F or it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,

For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the fulness dwell;

20 a nd through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven.

and through him to reconcile all things unto himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens.

21 A nd although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,

And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works,

22 y et He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—

yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him:

23 i f indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister.

if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister.

24 N ow I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions.

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 church;

25 O f this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,

whereof I was made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which was given me to you-ward, to fulfil the word of God,

26 t hat is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints,

even the mystery which hath been hid for ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to his saints,

27 t o whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

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

28 W e proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.

whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ;

29 F or this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

whereunto I labor also, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.