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

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by 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 who 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,

since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for 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 laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, 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 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;

7 a s ye also learned from Epaphras, our beloved fellow-servant, who is for you a faithful ministrant of the Christ,

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

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

and he also informed us of 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 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,

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,

so 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;

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 His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously

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

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,

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

14 i n whom we have the redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of the sins,

in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

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

He 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 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.

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

He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

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,

He 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.

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

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

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

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

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,

22 i n the body of his flesh through the death, to present you holy, and unblemished, and unblameable before himself,

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

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 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.

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 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.

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,

Of 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,

26 t he secret that hath been hid from the ages and from the generations, but now was manifested to his saints,

that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now 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 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.

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,

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

29 f or which also I labour, striving according to his working that is working in me in power.

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