To the saints (A)and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse:

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

Their Faith in Christ

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

Preeminence of Christ

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

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Footnotes

  1. Colossians 1:2 NU omits and the Lord Jesus Christ
  2. Colossians 1:6 NU, M add and growing
  3. Colossians 1:13 transferred
  4. Colossians 1:14 NU, M omit through His blood

To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters[a] in Christ:

Grace(A) and peace to you from God our Father.[b](B)

Thanksgiving and Prayer

We always thank God,(C) the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love(D) you have for all God’s people(E) the faith and love that spring from the hope(F) stored up for you in heaven(G) and about which you have already heard in the true message(H) of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit(I) and growing throughout the whole world(J)—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. You learned it from Epaphras,(K) our dear fellow servant,[c] who is a faithful minister(L) of Christ on our[d] behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.(M)

For this reason, since the day we heard about you,(N) we have not stopped praying for you.(O) We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will(P) through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[e](Q) 10 so that you may live a life worthy(R) of the Lord and please him(S) in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,(T) 11 being strengthened with all power(U) according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience,(V) 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father,(W) who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance(X) of his holy people in the kingdom of light.(Y) 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness(Z) and brought us into the kingdom(AA) of the Son he loves,(AB) 14 in whom we have redemption,(AC) the forgiveness of sins.(AD)

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Footnotes

  1. Colossians 1:2 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God’s family; also in 4:15.
  2. Colossians 1:2 Some manuscripts Father and the Lord Jesus Christ
  3. Colossians 1:7 Or slave
  4. Colossians 1:7 Some manuscripts your
  5. Colossians 1:9 Or all spiritual wisdom and understanding
  6. Colossians 1:12 Some manuscripts us