Colossians 1:1-2:5

New King James Version

Greeting

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

²To the saints ^(B)and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse:

^(C)Grace to you and peace from God our Father ^[a]and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Their Faith in Christ

³^(D)We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴^(E)since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of ^(F)your love for all the saints; ⁵because of the hope ^(G)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, ^(H)as it has also in all the world, and ^(I)is bringing forth ^[b]fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew ^(J)the grace of God in truth; ⁷as you also learned from ^(K)Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is ^(L)a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, ⁸who also declared to us your ^(M)love in the Spirit.

Preeminence of Christ

⁹^(N)For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask ^(O)that you may be filled with ^(P)the knowledge of His will ^(Q)in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; ¹⁰^(R)that you may walk worthy of the Lord, ^(S)fully pleasing Him, ^(T)being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the ^(U)knowledge of God; ¹¹^(V)strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, ^(W)for all patience and longsuffering ^(X)with joy; ¹²^(Y)giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of ^(Z)the inheritance of the saints in the light. ¹³He has delivered us from ^(AA)the power of darkness ^(AB)and ^[c]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, ¹⁴^(AC)in whom we have redemption ^[d]through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵He is ^(AD)the image of the invisible God, ^(AE)the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶For ^(AF)by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or ^(AG)dominions or ^[e]principalities or ^[f]powers. All things were created ^(AH)through Him and for Him. ¹⁷^(AI)And He is before all things, and in Him ^(AJ)all things consist. ¹⁸And ^(AK)He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, ^(AL)the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Reconciled in Christ

¹⁹For it pleased the Father that ^(AM)in Him all the fullness should dwell, ²⁰and ^(AN)by Him to reconcile ^(AO)all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, ^(AP)having made peace through the blood of His cross.

²¹And you, ^(AQ)who once were alienated and enemies in your mind ^(AR)by wicked works, yet now He has ^(AS)reconciled ²²^(AT)in the body of His flesh through death, ^(AU)to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— ²³if indeed you continue ^(AV)in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are ^(AW)not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, ^(AX)which was preached to every creature under heaven, ^(AY)of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Sacrificial Service for Christ

²⁴^(AZ)I now rejoice in my sufferings ^(BA)for you, and fill up in my flesh ^(BB)what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for ^(BC)the sake of His body, which is the church, ²⁵of which I became a minister according to ^(BD)the ^[g]stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, ²⁶^(BE)the ^[h]mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, ^(BF)but now has been revealed to His saints. ²⁷^(BG)To them God willed to make known what are ^(BH)the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: ^[i]which is ^(BI)Christ in you, ^(BJ)the hope of glory. ²⁸Him we preach, ^(BK)warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, ^(BL)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 ^(BM)mightily.

Not Philosophy but Christ

2 For I want you to know what a great ^(BN)conflict^[j] I have for you and those in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, ²that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, ^[k]both of the Father and of Christ, ³^(BO)in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

⁴Now this I say ^(BP)lest anyone should deceive you with persuasive words. ⁵For ^(BQ)though I am absent in the flesh, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing ^[l]to see ^(BR)your good order and the ^(BS)steadfastness of your faith in Christ.

Footnotes

Colossians 1:2 NU omits and the Lord Jesus Christ
Colossians 1:6 NU, M add and growing
Colossians 1:13 transferred
Colossians 1:14 NU, M omit through His blood
Colossians 1:16 rulers
Colossians 1:16 authorities
Colossians 1:25 dispensation or administration
Colossians 1:26 secret or hidden truth
Colossians 1:27 M who
Colossians 2:1 struggle
Colossians 2:2 NU omits both of the Father and
Colossians 2:5 Lit. and seeing

Psalm 94

New King James Version

God the Refuge of the Righteous

94 O Lord God, ^(A)to whom vengeance belongs—
O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!
²Rise up, O ^(B)Judge of the earth;
^[a]Render punishment to the proud.
³Lord, ^(C)how long will the wicked,
How long will the wicked triumph?

⁴They ^(D)utter speech, and speak insolent things;
All the workers of iniquity boast in themselves.
⁵They break in pieces Your people, O Lord,
And afflict Your heritage.
⁶They slay the widow and the stranger,
And murder the fatherless.
⁷^(E)Yet they say, “The Lord does not see,
Nor does the God of Jacob ^[b]understand.”

⁸Understand, you senseless among the people;
And you fools, when will you be wise?
⁹^(F)He who planted the ear, shall He not hear?
He who formed the eye, shall He not see?
¹⁰He who ^[c]instructs the ^[d]nations, shall He not correct,
He who teaches man knowledge?
¹¹The Lord ^(G)knows the thoughts of man,
That they are futile.

¹²Blessed is the man whom You ^(H)instruct, O Lord,
And teach out of Your law,
¹³That You may give him ^[e]rest from the days of adversity,
Until the pit is dug for the wicked.
¹⁴For the Lord will not ^[f]cast off His people,
Nor will He forsake His inheritance.
¹⁵But judgment will return to righteousness,
And all the upright in heart will follow it.

¹⁶Who will rise up for me against the evildoers?
Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
¹⁷Unless the Lord had been my help,
My soul would soon have settled in silence.
¹⁸If I say, “My foot slips,”
Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.
¹⁹In the multitude of my anxieties within me,
Your comforts delight my soul.

²⁰Shall ^(I)the throne of iniquity, which devises evil by law,
Have fellowship with You?
²¹They gather together against the life of the righteous,
And condemn ^(J)innocent blood.
²²But the Lord has been my defense,
And my God the rock of my refuge.
²³He has brought on them their own iniquity,
And shall ^[g]cut them off in their own wickedness;
The Lord our God shall cut them off.