1 P aul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Timotheus the brother,

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

2 t o the saints in Colossae, and to the faithful brethren in Christ: Grace to you, and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus 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, always praying for you,

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

4 h aving heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love that to 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 that is laid up for you in the heavens, which ye heard of before in the word of the truth of the good news,

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 is present to you, as also in all the world, and is bearing fruit, as also in you, from the day in which ye 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 ye also learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant, who is for you a faithful ministrant of the Christ,

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

8 w ho also did declare to us your love in the Spirit.

who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

9 B ecause of this, we also, from the day in which we heard, do not cease praying for you, and asking that ye may be filled with the full 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 o your walking worthily of the Lord to all pleasing, in every good work being fruitful, and increasing to 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 i n all might being made mighty according to the power of His glory, to all endurance and long-suffering 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 did make us meet for the participation 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 w ho did rescue us out of the authority of the darkness, and did translate into the reign 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 the redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of the sins,

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

15 w ho is the image of the invisible God, first-born of all creation,

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

16 b ecause in him were the all things created, those in the heavens, and those upon the earth, those visible, and those invisible, whether thrones, whether lordships, whether principalities, whether authorities; all things through him, and for him, have been created,

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 himself is before all, and the all things in him have consisted.

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

18 A nd himself is the head of the body -- the assembly -- who is a beginning, a first-born out of the dead, that he might become in all -- himself -- first,

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 b ecause in him it did please all the fulness to tabernacle,

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

20 a nd through him to reconcile the all things to himself -- having made peace through the blood of his cross -- through him, whether the things upon the earth, whether the things in the heavens.

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 -- once being alienated, and enemies in the mind, in the evil works, yet now did he reconcile,

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 the death, to present you holy, and unblemished, and unblameable before himself,

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 also ye remain in the faith, being founded and settled, and not moved away from the hope of the good news, which ye heard, which was preached in all the creation that under the heaven, of which I became -- I Paul -- a ministrant.

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 do fill up the things lacking of the tribulations of the Christ in my flesh for his body, which is the assembly,

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 -- I did become a ministrant according to the dispensation of God, that was given to me for you, to fulfil 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 secret that hath been hid from the ages and from the generations, but now was 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 did will to make known what the riches of the glory of this secret among the nations -- which is Christ in you, the hope of the 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 hom we proclaim, 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 f or which also I labour, striving according to his working that is working in me in power.

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