1 Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus through God’s will, and Timothy the brother, 2 †to the saints at Colossæ and faithful brethren in Christ: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 We thank :God the Father of our :Lord Jesus Christ always praying for you, 4 having heard of your :faith in Christ Jesus, and the love which ye have toward all the saints, 5 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 which is come unto you; even as it is also in all the world bearing fruit and increasing, as in you also, from the day ye heard and knew the grace of :God in truth; 7 even as ye learned from Epaphras our :beloved fellowbondman, who is a faithful minister of the Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your :love in Spirit. 9 For this cause we also, from the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and ask for you, that ye be filled with the knowledge of his :will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10 to walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing in every good work bearing fruit, and increasing in :knowledge of :God; 11 strengthened with all power, according to the might of his :glory, unto all patience and long-suffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who fitted you to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in :light; 13 who delivered us out of the power of :darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his :love; 14 in whom we have the redemption, the forgiveness of :sins: 15 who is the invisible God’s image, firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him were :all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; :all things have been created through him, and unto him; 17 and HE is before all, and in him :all things consist. 18 And HE is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, firstborn from the dead; that in all HE might have pre-eminence. 19 For the whole fullness was pleased to dwell in him; 20 and through him to reconcile :all things unto him, having made peace through the blood of his :cross: through him, whether the things upon the earth, or those in the heavens. 21 And you, being alienated before and enemies in :mind in the evil :works, 22 yet now hath he reconciled in the body of his :flesh through :death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreprovable before him: 23 if so that ye continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard :preached in all creation :under the :heaven; whereof I Paul became minister.
24 Now I rejoice in my :sufferings for you, and fill up on my part what are lacking of the afflictions of the Christ in my :flesh for his :body, which is the church; 25 whereof I became minister, according to the †dispensation of :God :given me toward you, to fulfill the word of :God, 26 the mystery :hid from the ages and from the generations: but now hath it been manifested to his :saints, 27 to whom :God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this :mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you, the hope of :glory: 28 whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ; 29 whereunto I also toil, striving according to his :working, which worketh in me with power.
