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

² To those who are at Colosse, saints and faithful brothers in Christ: Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

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

⁴ having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love toward all saints,

⁵ because of the hope which is laid up for you in Heaven; of which you have heard before by the Word of Truth, which is the Gospel.

⁶ It has come to you even as it has to all the world and is fruitful, as it was also among you from the day that you heard and truly knew the grace of God;

⁷ as you also learned from Epaphras (our dear fellow servant), who is for you a faithful minister of Christ.

⁸ He has also declared to us your love in the Spirit.

⁹ For this reason, we also (since the day we heard of it) do not cease to pray for you and to desire that you might be fulfilled with knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

¹⁰ so that you might walk worthily of the Lord and please Him in all things, being fruitful in all good works and increasing in the knowledge of God;

¹¹ strengthened with all might through His glorious power, leading to all patience and endurance with joy;

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

¹³ Who has delivered us from the power of darkness and has transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son

¹⁴ (in Whom we have redemption through His blood; that is, the forgiveness of sins).

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

¹⁶ For by Him were all things created which are in Heaven and which are on Earth—things visible and invisible —whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

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

¹⁸ And He is the Head of the body of the Church. He is the Beginning; Firstborn from the dead; so that in all things He might have preeminence.

¹⁹ For in Him was all fullness pleased to dwell.

²⁰ And through Him were all things reconciled to Himself, having made peace by the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on Earth or things in Heaven.

²¹ And you also - who were in times past estranged and hostile because your minds were set on evil works - He has now reconciled

²² in the body of His flesh through death; to present you as holy and blameless and beyond reproach in His sight

²³ if you continue to be grounded and established in the faith and are not moved away from the hope of the Gospel which you have heard (having been preached to all creation under Heaven, and to which I, Paul, am a minister).

²⁴ Now, I rejoice in my sufferings for you and fulfill in my flesh the rest of the afflictions of Christ for His body’s sake (which is the Church

²⁵ and whereof I am a minister) according to the dispensation of God which has been given me toward you to fulfill the Word of God;

²⁶ and which is the mystery hidden from all ages and generations and now made visible to his saints;

²⁷ to whom God would make known the riches of His glorious mystery among the Gentiles – which is Christ in you, the hope of Glory;

²⁸ Whom we preach, admonishing everyone, and teaching everyone in all wisdom, that we may present everyone complete in Christ Jesus.

²⁹ Toward this I also toil, striving according to His miraculous power working in me.