Colossians 1
Wycliffe Bible
1 Paul, apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, and Timothy, brother,
2 to them that be at Colosse, holy and faithful brethren in Christ Jesus, grace and peace to you of God our Father [grace to you and peace of God our Father] and of the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We do thankings to God, and to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ [and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ], evermore praying for you,
4 [we] hearing your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love that ye have to all holy men,
5 for the hope that is kept to you in heavens. Which ye heard in the word of truth of the gospel,
6 that came to you, as also it is in all the world, and maketh fruit, and waxeth, as [it is] in you, from that day in which ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth.
7 As ye learned of Epaphras, our fellow most dear-worthy [our even-servant most dear-worthy], which is a true minister of Jesus Christ for you;
8 which also showed to us your loving in Spirit.
9 And therefore we from the day in which we heard, cease not to pray for you, and to ask, that ye be filled with the knowing of his will in all wisdom and ghostly understanding;
10 that ye walk worthily to God pleasing by all things, and make fruit in all good work, and wax in the science of God, [that ye walk worthily to God pleasing by all things, making fruit in all good work, and waxing in the science of God,]
11 and be comforted in all virtue by the might of his clearness [after the might of his clearness], in all patience and long abiding with joy,
12 that ye do thankings to God and to the Father, which made you worthy into the part of heritage of holy men in light.[a]
13 Which delivered us from the power of darknesses [The which delivered us from the power of darkness], and translated [us] into the kingdom of the Son of his loving,
14 in whom we have again-buying and remission of sins.
15 Which is the image of God invisible, the first begotten of each creature.
16 For in him all things be made, in heavens and in earth, visible and invisible, either thrones, either dominations, either princehoods, either powers, all things be made of nought by him, and in him,
17 and he is before all, and all things be in him.
18 And he is head of the body of the church; which is the beginning and the first begotten of dead men, that he hold the first dignity in all things[b].
19 For in him it pleased all plenty to inhabit,
20 and by him all things to be reconciled into him, and made peace by the blood of his cross, those things that be in earth's, either that be in heavens [either those things that be in earth's, or that be in heavens].
21 And when ye were sometime aliened, and enemies by wit in evil works, now he hath reconciled you
22 in the body of his flesh by death, to have you holy, and unwemmed, and without reproof before him.
23 If nevertheless ye dwell in the faith, founded, and stable [founded, and stabled], and unmoveable from the hope of the gospel that ye have heard, which is preached in all creature that is under heaven. Of which I Paul am made a minister,
24 and now I have joy in passion for you, and I fill those things that fail of the passions of Christ in my flesh, for his body, that is the church. [the which now I have joy in passions for you, and full-fill those things that fail of the passions of Christ in my flesh, for his body, that is the church.]
25 Of which I Paul am made [a] minister by the dispensation of God, that is given to me in you, that I fill the word of God,[c]
26 the private [the mystery, or private], that was hid from worlds and generations. But now it is showed to his saints,
27 to whom God would make known the riches of the glory of this sacrament in heathen men, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28 Whom we show, reproving each man, and teaching each man in all wisdom, that we offer each man perfect in Christ Jesus.
29 In which thing also I travail, in striving by the working of him [In which thing and I travail, striving after the working of him], that he worketh in me in virtue.
Footnotes
- Colossians 1:12 doing thankings to God the Father, the which made us worthy into the part of heritage of holy men in light.
- Colossians 1:18 the which is the beginning, or the first of all, and the first begotten of dead, that he be holding primacy, or the first dignity, in all things
- Colossians 1:25 Of which I Paul am made minister/am made a servant, after the dispensation of God, that is given to me in you, that I fulfill the word of God,
Colossians 1
International Standard Version
Greetings from Paul
1 From:[a] Paul, an apostle of the Messiah[b] Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother.
2 To: The holy[c] and faithful brothers in Colossae who are in union with the Messiah.[d]
May grace and peace from God our Father[e] be yours!
Paul’s Prayer for the Colossians
3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[f] praying always for you, 4 because we have heard about your faith in the Messiah[g] Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints, 5 based on the hope laid up for you in heaven. Some time ago you heard about this hope[h] through the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. Just as it is bearing fruit and spreading all over the world, so it has been doing[i] among you from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth. 7 You learned about this gospel[j] from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of the Messiah[k] on your[l] behalf. 8 He has told us about your love in the Spirit.
The Messiah is Above All
9 For this reason, since the day we heard about this, we have not stopped praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the full knowledge of God’s[m] will with respect to all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you might live in a manner worthy of the Lord and be fully pleasing to him[n] as you bear fruit while doing all kinds of good things and growing in the full knowledge of God. 11 You are being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might, so that you might patiently endure everything with joy 12 and might thank the Father, who has enabled us[o] to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. 13 God[p] has rescued us from the power of darkness and has brought us into the kingdom of the Son whom he loves, 14 through whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Centrality of Jesus
15 The Son[q] is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.
16 For by him all things in heaven and on earth were created,
things visible and invisible,
whether they are kings,[r] lords, rulers, or powers.
All things have been created through him and for him.
17 He himself existed before anything else did,
and he holds all things together.
18 He is also the head of the body,
which is the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
so that he himself might have first place in everything.
19 For God[s] was pleased to have
all of his divine essence[t] inhabit him.
20 Through the Son,[u] God[v] also reconciled all things to himself,
whether things on earth or things in heaven,
thereby making peace
through the blood of his cross.
21 You who were once alienated with a hostile attitude, doing evil,[w] 22 he has now reconciled by the death of his physical body, so that he may present you holy, blameless, and without fault before him. 23 However, you must remain firmly established and steadfast in the faith, without being moved from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.[x]
Paul’s Service in the Church
24 Now I am rejoicing while suffering for you as I complete in my flesh whatever remains of the Messiah’s[y] sufferings on behalf of his body, which is the church. 25 I became its servant[z] as God commissioned me to work for you, so that I may complete my ministry of[aa] the word of God. 26 This secret was hidden throughout the ages and generations but has now been revealed to his saints, 27 to whom God wanted to make known the glorious riches of this secret among the gentiles—which is the Messiah[ab] in you, our glorious hope. 28 It is he whom we proclaim as we admonish and wisely teach everyone, so that we may present everyone mature[ac] in the Messiah.[ad] 29 I work hard and struggle to do this, using the energy that he powerfully provides in me.
Footnotes
- Colossians 1:1 The Gk. lacks From
- Colossians 1:1 Or Christ
- Colossians 1:2 Or to the saints
- Colossians 1:2 Or Christ
- Colossians 1:2 Other mss. read from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah
- Colossians 1:3 Or Christ
- Colossians 1:4 Or Christ
- Colossians 1:5 Lit. about it
- Colossians 1:6 The Gk. lacks it has been doing
- Colossians 1:7 Lit. Just as you learned
- Colossians 1:7 Or Christ
- Colossians 1:7 Other mss. read our
- Colossians 1:9 Lit. his
- Colossians 1:10 Lit. to all pleasing
- Colossians 1:12 Other mss. read you
- Colossians 1:13 Lit. He
- Colossians 1:15 Lit. He
- Colossians 1:16 Lit. thrones
- Colossians 1:19 Lit. he
- Colossians 1:19 Lit. all of the fullness
- Colossians 1:20 Lit. Through him
- Colossians 1:20 Lit. he
- Colossians 1:21 Lit. in evil deeds
- Colossians 1:23 Or minister
- Colossians 1:24 Or Christ’s
- Colossians 1:25 Or minister
- Colossians 1:25 The Gk. lacks the ministry of
- Colossians 1:27 Or Christ
- Colossians 1:28 Or complete
- Colossians 1:28 Or Christ
2001 by Terence P. Noble
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.
