1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, (1Co 1:1; 2Co 1:1; 1Th 3:2)2To the saints and faithful brothers[1] in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. (Ro 1:7; Eph 1:1; Php 1:1)
Thanksgiving and Prayer
3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, (Eph 1:15; Phm 1:4)4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, (1Th 1:3)5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, (Ac 23:6; Eph 1:13; Col 1:23; 2Ti 4:8; Tit 1:2; Heb 3:6; 1Pe 1:4)6which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, (Ps 98:3; Mt 24:14; Joh 15:5; Joh 15:16; Ac 11:23; Ro 16:26; Eph 4:21; Php 1:11; Col 1:23)7just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.[2] He is a faithful minister of Christ on your[3] behalf (Col 4:7; Col 4:12; Phm 1:23)8and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. (Ro 15:30)9And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, (1Co 12:8; Eph 1:8; Eph 1:17; Col 1:4; Col 4:5; 2Th 1:11)10so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; (Ps 1:1; Ps 1:3; 2Co 5:9; Eph 4:1; Eph 5:10; Col 1:6; 1Th 4:1)11being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; (Mt 5:12; Eph 3:16; Eph 4:2)12giving thanks[4] to the Father, who has qualified you[5] to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. (Ac 26:18; Eph 5:20; Col 3:15)13He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, (Lu 22:53; Eph 1:6; Eph 6:12; 1Th 1:10; 2Pe 1:11)14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Eph 1:7)
The Preeminence of Christ
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (Ps 89:27; Ro 8:29; 2Co 4:4; 1Ti 1:17)16For by[6] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. (Eze 10:1; Ro 11:36; 1Co 8:6; Eph 1:10; Eph 1:21)17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Joh 1:1; Joh 8:58; Heb 1:3)18And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. (Ac 26:23; 1Co 15:20; Eph 1:22; Re 1:5; Re 3:14)19For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, (Joh 1:16; Col 2:9)20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (2Co 5:18; Eph 1:10; Eph 2:13; Eph 2:14)21And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, (Eph 2:1; Eph 2:12; Tit 1:16)22he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, (Ro 7:4; 1Co 1:8; Eph 1:4; Eph 5:27; Jud 1:24)23if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation[7] under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. (Mr 16:15; Joh 15:4; Ac 2:5; 2Co 3:6; Eph 3:17; Col 1:5; Col 2:7)
Paul’s Ministry to the Church
24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, (2Co 1:5; 2Co 7:4; Eph 4:12; 2Ti 1:8; 2Ti 2:10)25of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, (Eph 3:2; Col 1:23)26the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. (Ro 16:25; Eph 3:9)27To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Eph 1:18; Eph 3:16; Col 1:26; Col 2:2; 1Ti 1:1)28Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Mt 5:48; Col 1:22)29For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (1Co 15:10; Eph 1:19; Col 2:1; Col 4:12; 1Ti 4:10)
Colossians 1
New International Version
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,2To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters[1] in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.[2]
Thanksgiving and prayer
3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people –5the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel6that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world – just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace.7You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant,[3] who is a faithful minister of Christ on our[4] behalf,8and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[5]10so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,12and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[6] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The supremacy of the Son of God
15The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.16For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of[7] your evil behaviour.22But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation –23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.
Paul’s labour for the church
24Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.25I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness –26the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people.27To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.28He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.29To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
Colossians 1
King James Version
1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,2To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.3We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,4Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,5For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;6Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:7As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;8Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.9For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;10That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;11Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:14In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:17And he is before all things, and by 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 might have the preeminence.19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;20And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.21And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled22In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:23If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;24Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:25Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;26Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:29Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
Colossians 1
New International Reader’s Version
1I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. Our brother Timothy joins me in writing.2We are sending this letter to you, our brothers and sisters in Colossae. You belong to Christ. You are holy and faithful. May God our Father give you grace and peace.
Paul prays and gives thanks
3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you.4We thank him because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus. We have also heard that you love all God’s people.5Your faith and love are based on the hope you have. What you hope for is stored up for you in heaven. You have already heard about it. You were told about it when the true message was given to you. I’m talking about the good news6that has come to you. In the same way, the good news is bearing fruit. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world. It has been doing that among you since the day you heard it. That is when you really understood God’s grace.7You learned the good news from Epaphras. He is dear to us. He serves Christ together with us. He faithfully works for Christ and for us among you.8He also told us about your love that comes from the Holy Spirit.9That’s why we have not stopped praying for you. We have been praying for you since the day we heard about you. We keep asking God to fill you with the knowledge of what he wants. We pray he will give you the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.10Then you will be able to lead a life that is worthy of the Lord. We pray that you will please him in every way. So we want you to bear fruit in every good thing you do. We pray that you will grow to know God better.11We want you to be very strong, in keeping with his glorious power. We want you to be patient. We pray that you will never give up.12We want you to give thanks with joy to the Father. He has made you fit to have what he will give to all his holy people. You will all receive a share in the kingdom of light.13He has saved us from the kingdom of darkness. He has brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.14Because of what the Son has done, we have been set free. Because of him, all our sins have been forgiven.
The Son of God is better than everything else
15The Son is the exact likeness of God, who can’t be seen. The Son is first, and he is over all creation.16All things were created in him. He created everything in heaven and on earth. He created everything that can be seen and everything that can’t be seen. He created kings, powers, rulers and authorities. All things have been created by him and for him.17Before anything was created, he was already there. He holds everything together.18And he is the head of the body, which is the church. He is the beginning. He is the first to be raised from the dead. That happened so that he would be far above everything.19God was pleased to have his whole nature living in Christ.20God was pleased to bring all things back to himself. That’s because of what Christ has done. These things include everything on earth and in heaven. God made peace through Christ’s blood, by his death on the cross.21At one time you were separated from God. You were enemies in your minds because of your evil ways.22But because Christ died, God has brought you back to himself. Christ’s death has made you holy in God’s sight. So now you don’t have any flaw. You are free from blame.23But you must keep your faith steady and firm. You must not move away from the hope the good news holds out to you. This is the good news that you heard. It has been preached to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, now serve the good news.
Paul’s work for the church
24I am happy because of what I am suffering for you. My suffering joins with and continues the sufferings of Christ. I suffer for his body, which is the church.25I serve the church. God appointed me to bring the complete word of God to you.26That word contains the mystery that has been hidden for many ages. But now it has been made known to the Lord’s people.27God has chosen to make known to them the glorious riches of that mystery. He has made it known among the Gentiles. And here is what it is. Christ is in you. He is your hope of glory.28Christ is the one we preach about. With all the wisdom we have, we warn and teach everyone. When we bring them to God, we want them to be like Christ. We want them to be grown up as people who belong to Christ.29That’s what I’m working for. I work hard with all the strength of Christ. His strength works powerfully in me.