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 in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Their Faith in Christ

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 the God and 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 of your love 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 which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of 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, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew 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 a s you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf,

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

8 w ho also declared to us your love in the Spirit. Preeminence of Christ

who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

9 F or this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual 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 t hat you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful 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 might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;

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 be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

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

13 H e has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

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 through His blood, 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 over all creation.

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

16 F or by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were 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 A nd He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

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

18 A nd He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. Reconciled in Christ

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 pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,

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

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

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 you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled

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

22 i n the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight—

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, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. Sacrificial Service for Christ

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 I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,

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 which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill 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 he mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed 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 them God willed 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.

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

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

29 T o this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

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