1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus Lit throughby the will of God, and Timothy Lit theour brother,

2To the Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s peoplesaints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

3We Or always give...praying for yougive thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have Or towardfor all the Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s peoplesaints;

5because of the hope reserved for you in Lit the heavensheaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, Or of the gospelthe gospel

6which has come to you, just as Or it is in all the world also, bearingin all the world also it is bearing fruit and Or spreading abroadincreasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard it and Or came to fully knowunderstood the grace of God in truth;

7just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,

8and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.

9For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the Or real knowledgeknowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

10so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, Lit unto all pleasingto please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and Or growing by the knowledgeincreasing in the Or real knowledgeknowledge of God;

11strengthened with all power, according to Lit the might of His gloryHis glorious might, Lit unto allfor the attaining of all perseverance and Or patience with joypatience; joyously

12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us Lit unto the portion ofto share in the inheritance of the Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s peoplesaints in light.

13 Lit Who rescued For He rescued us from the Lit authoritydomain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of Lit the Son of His loveHis beloved Son,

14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

15 Lit Who is He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation:

16for Or inby 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.

17He Or has existed prior tois before all things, and in Him all things Or endurehold together.

18He is also the 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.

19For Or all the fullness was pleased to dwellit was the Father’s good pleasure for all the I.e., fullness of deityfullness to dwell in Him,

20and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, whether things on earth or things in Lit the heavensheaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

21And although you were previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds,

22yet He has now reconciled you in His body of flesh through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—

23if indeed you continue in Or in faiththe faith firmly established and steadfast, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, Lit becamewas made a Or servantminister.

24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am supplementing what is lacking Lit ofin Christ’s afflictions in behalf of His body, which is the church.

25I Lit becamewas made a minister of this church according to the commission from God granted to me for your benefit, so that I might Lit make full the word of Godfully carry out the preaching of the word of God,

26that is, the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s peoplesaints,

27to whom God willed to make known what the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

28We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person Lit inwith all wisdom, so that we may present every person Or perfectcomplete in Christ.

29For this purpose I also labor, striving according to His Lit workingpower which Lit in powerworks mightily within me.