aPaul, ban apostle
of Jesus
Christ
1 cby the will
of God
, and dTimothy
2our brother
,
To the 1 asaints and faithful
brethren
in Christ
who are at Colossae
: bGrace
to you and peace
from God
our Father
.
aWe give thanks
to God
, bthe Father
of our Lord
Jesus
Christ
, praying
always
for you,
asince we heard of your faith
in Christ
Jesus
and the blove
which
you have
1for call
the 2saints
;
because of the ahope
blaid
up for you in 1heaven
, of which
you previously
cheard
in the word
of truth
, 2the gospel
which has come to you, just
as 1 ain all
the world
also
it is constantly bearing
bfruit
and 2increasing
, even
as it has been doing in you also
since
the day
you cheard
of it and 3understood
the grace
of God
in truth
;
just as you learned
it from aEpaphras
, our bbeloved
fellow
bond-servant
, who
is a faithful
servant
of Christ
on our behalf
,
and he also informed
us of your alove
in the Spirit
.
For this reason
also
, asince
the day
we heard
of it, bwe have not ceased
to pray
for you and to ask
that you may be filled
with the 1 cknowledge
of His will
in all
spiritual
dwisdom
and understanding
,
so that you will awalk in a manner
worthy
of the Lord
, 1 bto please
Him in all
respects
, cbearing
fruit
in every
good
work
and 2increasing
in the 3knowledge
of God
;
astrengthened with all
power
, according
to 1His glorious
might
, 2for the attaining of all
steadfastness
and 3patience
; bjoyously
giving thanks
to athe Father
, who has qualified
us 1to share
in bthe inheritance
of the 2saints
in cLight
.
1For He rescued us from the 2 adomain
of darkness
, and transferred
us to the kingdom
of 3 bHis beloved
Son
,
ain whom we have
redemption
, the forgiveness
of sins
.
1He is the aimage of the binvisible
God
, the cfirstborn
of all
creation
.
For 1 aby Him all things
were created
, aboth in the heavens
and on earth
, visible
and invisible
, whether
bthrones
or
dominions
or
rulers
or
authorities
-- call
things
have been created
through
Him and for Him.
He 1 ais before all
things
, and in Him all
things
2hold
together
.
He is also ahead
of bthe body
, the church
; and He is cthe beginning
, dthe firstborn
from the dead
, so
that He Himself
will come
to have
first
place
in everything
.
For 1it was athe Father's good pleasure
for all
bthe 2fullness
to dwell
in Him,
and through Him to areconcile
all
things
to Himself
, having made
bpeace
through
cthe blood
of His cross
; through
Him, I say, dwhether
things on earth
or
things in 1heaven
.
And although you were aformerly alienated
and hostile
in mind
, engaged in evil
deeds
,
yet He has now
areconciled
you in His fleshly
bbody
through
death
, in order to cpresent
you before
Him dholy
and blameless
and beyond
reproach
--
if indeed
you continue
in 1the faith
firmly
aestablished
and steadfast
, and not moved
away
from the bhope
of the gospel
that you have heard
, which was proclaimed
cin all
creation
under
heaven
, dand of which
I, Paul
, 2was made
a 3 eminister
.
aNow I rejoice
in my sufferings
for your sake
, and in my flesh
bI 1do my share
on behalf
of cHis body
, which
is the church
, in filling
up what
is lacking
2in Christ's
afflictions
.
aOf this church I 1was made a minister
according
to the bstewardship
from God
bestowed
on me for your benefit
, so that I might 2fully
carry
out the preaching of the word
of God
,
that is, athe mystery which has been hidden
from the past ages
and generations
, but has now
been manifested
to His 1saints
,
to whom aGod
willed
to make
known
what
is bthe riches
of the glory
of this
mystery
among
the Gentiles
, which
is cChrist
in you, the dhope
of glory
.
We proclaim Him, aadmonishing
every
man
and teaching
every
man
1with all
bwisdom
, so
that we may cpresent
every
man
2 dcomplete
in Christ
.
For this purpose also
I alabor
, bstriving
caccording
to His 1power
, which 2mightily
works
within
me.