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

Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus, by God's will, and Timotheus the 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 holy and faithful brethren in Christ which in Colosse. 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 the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ continually praying 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 the love which ye have towards 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,

on account of the hope which laid up for you in the heavens; of which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the glad tidings,

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 are come to you, as in all the world, are bearing fruit and growing, even as also among you, from the day ye heard and knew indeed 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 from Epaphras our beloved fellow-bondman, who is a faithful minister of Christ for you,

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

who has also manifested to us your love in 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 reason we also, from the day we heard, do not cease praying and asking for you, to the end that ye may be filled with the full knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual 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 well-pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing by the true 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 endurance 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 to the Father, who has made us fit for sharing the portion 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 has delivered us from the authority of darkness, and translated 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 redemption, the forgiveness of sins;

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

who is image of the invisible God, 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.

because by him were created all things, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or lordships, or principalities, or authorities: all things have been created by him and for him.

17 A nd He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

And he is before all, and all things subsist together by him.

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 assembly; who is beginning, firstborn from among the dead, that he might have the first place in all things:

19 F or it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,

for in him all the fulness was pleased to 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 by him to reconcile all things to itself, having made peace by the blood of his cross—by him, whether the things on the earth or the 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, who once were alienated and enemies in mind by wicked works, yet now has it reconciled

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

in the body of his flesh through death; to present you holy and unblamable and irreproachable before it,

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 indeed ye abide in the faith founded and firm, and not moved away from the hope of the glad tidings, which ye have heard, which have been proclaimed in the whole creation which under heaven, of which I Paul became 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 sufferings for you, and I fill up that which is behind of the tribulations of Christ in my flesh, for his body, which is the assembly;

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,

of which I became minister, according to the dispensation of God which given me towards you to complete 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.

the mystery which hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been made manifest 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 would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, 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 announce, admonishing every man, and teaching every man, in all wisdom, to the end 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 also I toil, combating according to his working, which works in me in power.