Thanksgiving and Prayer

We always thank God,(A) 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(B) you have for all God’s people(C) the faith and love that spring from the hope(D) stored up for you in heaven(E) and about which you have already heard in the true message(F) of the gospel that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit(G) and growing throughout the whole world(H)—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,(I) our dear fellow servant,[a] who is a faithful minister(J) of Christ on our[b] behalf, and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.(K)

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

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Footnotes

  1. Colossians 1:7 Or slave
  2. Colossians 1:7 Some manuscripts your
  3. Colossians 1:9 Or all spiritual wisdom and understanding
  4. Colossians 1:12 Some manuscripts us

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

Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,

For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;

Which 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:

As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;

Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.

For 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;

10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11 Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:

13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

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