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

2To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse:

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

4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints;

5because 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,

6which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth 1:6 NU, M add and growingfruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;

7as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf,

8who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.

9For 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;

10that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;

12giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

13He has delivered us from the power of darkness and 1:13 transferredconveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

14in whom we have redemption 1:14 NU, M omit through His bloodthrough His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

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

16For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or 1:16 rulersprincipalities or 1:16 authoritiespowers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

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

18And 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.

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

20and 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.

21And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled

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

23if 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.

24I 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,

25of which I became a minister according to the 1:25 dispensation or administrationstewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,

26the 1:26 secret or hidden truthmystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

27To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: 1:27 M whowhich is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

28Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

29To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.