Colossians 1:1-12
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will,(A) and Timothy(B) our[a] brother:
2 To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.[b]
Thanksgiving
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the message of truth,(C) the gospel 6 that has come to you. It is bearing fruit(D) and growing all over the world,(E) just as it has among you since the day you heard it and recognized God’s grace(F) in the truth.[c](G) 7 You learned this from Epaphras,(H) our dearly loved fellow slave. He is a faithful servant of the Messiah(I) on your[d] behalf, 8 and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.(J)
Prayer for Spiritual Growth
9 For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking(K) that you may be filled with the knowledge(L) of His will(M) in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,[e] 10 so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work(N) and growing in the knowledge of God.(O) 11 May you be strengthened(P) with all power,(Q) according to His glorious(R) might, for all endurance and patience, with joy 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you[f] to share in the saints’[g] inheritance in the light.(S)
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Colossians 1:1 Lit the
- Colossians 1:2 Other mss add and the Lord Jesus Christ
- Colossians 1:6 Or and truly recognized God’s grace
- Colossians 1:7 Other mss read our
- Colossians 1:9 Or all spiritual wisdom and understanding
- Colossians 1:12 Other mss read us
- Colossians 1:12 Or holy ones’
Colossians 1:1-12
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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 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 1:1-12
Amplified Bible
Thankfulness for Spiritual Attainments
1 Paul, an apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed) by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the [a]saints and faithful [b]believers in Christ [who are] at Colossae: Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father.
3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we pray always for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus [how you lean on Him with absolute confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness], and of the [unselfish] [c]love which you have for all the saints (God’s people); 5 because of the [confident] hope [of experiencing that] which is reserved and waiting for you in heaven. You previously heard of this hope in the message of truth, the gospel [regarding salvation] 6 which has come to you. Indeed, just as in the whole world the gospel is constantly bearing fruit and spreading [by God’s power], just as it has been doing among you ever since the day you first heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth [becoming thoroughly and deeply acquainted with it]. 7 You learned it from [our representative] Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf 8 and he also has told us of your love [well-grounded and nurtured] in the [Holy] Spirit.
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about it, we have not stopped praying for you, asking [specifically] that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom [with insight into His purposes], and in understanding [of spiritual things], 10 so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord [displaying admirable character, moral courage, and personal integrity], to [fully] please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing in the knowledge of God [with deeper faith, clearer insight and fervent love for His precepts]; 11 [we pray that you may be] strengthened and invigorated with all power, according to His glorious might, to attain every kind of endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints (God’s people) in the Light.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Colossians 1:2 Every born-again believer (saint) has been reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, made holy and set apart for God’s purpose.
- Colossians 1:2 Lit brethren.
- Colossians 1:4 The key to understanding this and other statements about love is to know that this love (the Greek word agape) is not so much a matter of emotion as it is of doing things for the benefit of another person, that is, having an unselfish concern for another and a willingness to seek the best for another.
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