Colossians 1
Contemporary English Version
1 From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, who is also a follower.
2 To God's people who live in Colossae and are faithful followers of Christ.
I pray that God our Father will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
A Prayer of Thanks
3 Each time we pray for you, we thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 We have heard of your faith in Christ and of your love for all God's people, 5 because what you hope for is kept safe for you in heaven. You first heard about this hope when you believed the true message, which is the good news.
6 The good news is spreading all over the world with great success. It has spread in this same way among you, ever since the first day you learned the truth about God's wonderful kindness 7 (A) from our good friend Epaphras. He works together with us for Christ and is a faithful worker for you.[a] 8 He is also the one who told us about the love that God's Spirit has given you.
The Person and Work of Christ
9 We have not stopped praying for you since the first day we heard about you. In fact, we always pray that God will show you everything he wants you to do and that you may have all the wisdom and understanding his Spirit gives. 10 Then you will live a life that honors the Lord, and you will always please him by doing good deeds. You will come to know God even better. 11 His glorious power will make you patient and strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy.
12 I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you[b] have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light. 13 God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, 14 (B) who forgives our sins and sets us free.
15 (C) Christ is exactly like God,
who cannot be seen.
He is the first-born Son,
superior to all creation.
16 Everything was created by him,
everything in heaven
and on earth,
everything seen and unseen,
including all forces
and powers,
and all rulers
and authorities.
All things were created
by God's Son,
and everything was made
for him.
17 God's Son was before all else,
and by him everything
is held together.
18 (D) He is the head of his body,
which is the church.
He is the very beginning,
the first to be raised
from death,
so that he would be
above all others.
19 God himself was pleased
to live fully in his Son.
20 (E) And God was pleased
for him to make peace
by sacrificing his blood
on the cross,
so that all beings in heaven
and on earth
would be brought back to God.
21 You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. 22 But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent. 23 But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news. It was preached to everyone on earth, and I myself have become a servant of this message.
Paul's Service to the Church
24 I am glad I can suffer for you. I am pleased also that in my own body I can continue[c] the suffering of Christ for his body, the church. 25 God's plan was to make me a servant of his church and to send me to preach his complete message to you. 26 For ages and ages this message was kept secret from everyone, but now it has been explained to God's people. 27 God did this because he wanted you Gentiles to understand his wonderful and glorious mystery. And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God's glory.
28 We announce the message about Christ, and we use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so all of Christ's followers will grow and become mature. 29 This is why I work so hard and use the mighty power he gives me.
Colossians 1
New American Standard Bible
Thankfulness for Spiritual Attainments
1 (A)Paul, (B)an apostle of Christ Jesus [a](C)by the will of God, and (D)Timothy [b]our brother,
2 To the [c](E)saints and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ who are at Colossae: (F)Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 (G)We [d]give thanks to God, (H)the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 (I)since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the (J)love which you have [e]for (K)all the [f]saints; 5 because of the (L)hope (M)reserved for you in [g]heaven, of which you previously (N)heard in the word of truth, [h]the gospel 6 which has come to you, just as [i](O)in all the world also it is bearing (P)fruit and [j]increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you (Q)heard it and [k]understood the grace of God in truth; 7 just as you learned it from (R)Epaphras, our (S)beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 8 and he also informed us of your (T)love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason we also, (U)since the day we heard about it, (V)have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the [l](W)knowledge of His will in all spiritual (X)wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will (Y)walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, [m](Z)to please Him in all respects, (AA)bearing fruit in every good work and [n]increasing in the [o]knowledge of God; 11 (AB)strengthened with all power, according to [p]His glorious might, [q]for the attaining of all perseverance and [r]patience; (AC)joyously 12 giving thanks to (AD)the Father, who has qualified us [s]to share in (AE)the inheritance of the [t]saints in (AF)light.
The Incomparable Christ
13 [u]For He rescued us from the [v](AG)domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of [w](AH)His beloved Son, 14 (AI)in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 [x]He is the (AJ)image of the (AK)invisible God, the (AL)firstborn of all creation: 16 for [y](AM)by Him all things were created, (AN)both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether (AO)thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—(AP)all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He [z](AQ)is before all things, and in Him all things [aa]hold together. 18 He is also the (AR)head of (AS)the body, the church; and He is (AT)the beginning, (AU)the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For [ab]it was (AV)the Father’s good pleasure for all (AW)the [ac]fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to (AX)reconcile all things to Himself, (AY)whether things on earth or things in [ad]heaven, having made (AZ)peace through (BA)the blood of His cross.
21 And although you were (BB)previously alienated and hostile in attitude, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now (BC)reconciled you in His (BD)body of flesh through death, in order to (BE)present you before Him (BF)holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in [ae]the faith firmly (BG)established and steadfast, and not shifting from the (BH)hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed (BI)in all creation under heaven, (BJ)and of which I, Paul, [af]was made a [ag](BK)minister.
24 (BL)Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh (BM)I am supplementing what is lacking [ah]in Christ’s afflictions in behalf of (BN)His body, which is the church. 25 (BO)I [ai]was made a minister of this church according to the (BP)commission from God granted to me for your benefit, so that I might [aj]fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is, (BQ)the mystery which had been hidden from the past ages and generations, but now has been revealed to His [ak]saints, 27 to whom (BR)God willed to make known what (BS)the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles is, the mystery that is (BT)Christ in you, the (BU)hope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, (BV)admonishing every person and teaching every person [al]with all (BW)wisdom, so that we may (BX)present every person [am](BY)complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose I also (BZ)labor, (CA)striving (CB)according to His [an]power which [ao]works mightily within me.
Footnotes
- Colossians 1:1 Lit through
- Colossians 1:1 Lit the
- Colossians 1:2 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
- Colossians 1:3 Or always give...praying for you
- Colossians 1:4 Or toward
- Colossians 1:4 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
- Colossians 1:5 Lit the heavens
- Colossians 1:5 Or of the gospel
- Colossians 1:6 Or it is in all the world also, bearing
- Colossians 1:6 Or spreading abroad
- Colossians 1:6 Or came to fully know
- Colossians 1:9 Or real knowledge
- Colossians 1:10 Lit unto all pleasing
- Colossians 1:10 Or growing by the knowledge
- Colossians 1:10 Or real knowledge
- Colossians 1:11 Lit the might of His glory
- Colossians 1:11 Lit unto all
- Colossians 1:11 Or patience with joy
- Colossians 1:12 Lit unto the portion of
- Colossians 1:12 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
- Colossians 1:13 Lit Who rescued
- Colossians 1:13 Lit authority
- Colossians 1:13 Lit the Son of His love
- Colossians 1:15 Lit Who is
- Colossians 1:16 Or in
- Colossians 1:17 Or has existed prior to
- Colossians 1:17 Or endure
- Colossians 1:19 Or all the fullness was pleased to dwell
- Colossians 1:19 I.e., fullness of deity
- Colossians 1:20 Lit the heavens
- Colossians 1:23 Or in faith
- Colossians 1:23 Lit became
- Colossians 1:23 Or servant
- Colossians 1:24 Lit of
- Colossians 1:25 Lit became
- Colossians 1:25 Lit make full the word of God
- Colossians 1:26 Lit holy ones; i.e., God’s people
- Colossians 1:28 Lit in
- Colossians 1:28 Or perfect
- Colossians 1:29 Lit working
- Colossians 1:29 Lit in power
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