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Colossians 1
Christian Standard Bible

Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will,(A) and Timothy(B) our brother:

2 To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father.[a]

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 word 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 came to truly appreciate(F) God’s grace.[b](G) 7 You learned this from Epaphras,(H) our dearly loved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ(I) on your[c] 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,[d] 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 being strengthened(P) with all power,(Q) according to his glorious(R) might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you[e] to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.(S) 13 He has rescued(T) us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom(U) of the Son(V) he loves.(W) 14 In him we have redemption,[f] the forgiveness of sins.

The Centrality of Christ

15 He is the image of the invisible God,(X)
the firstborn over all creation.(Y)
16 For everything was created by him,(Z)
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities—
all things have been created through him and for him.(AA)
17 He is before all things,(AB)
and by him all things(AC) hold together.
18 He is also the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning,(AD)
the firstborn from the dead,(AE)
so that he might come to have
first place in everything.
19 For God was pleased to have
all his fullness(AF) dwell in him,(AG)
20 and through him to reconcile
everything to himself,
whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace(AH)
through his blood,(AI) shed on the cross.[g](AJ)

21 Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds as expressed in your evil actions. 22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death,(AK) to present you holy, faultless,(AL) and blameless before him(AM)— 23 if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith(AN) and are not shifted away from the hope(AO) of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation(AP) under heaven,(AQ) and I, Paul,(AR) have become a servant of it.

Paul’s Ministry

24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings(AS) for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for his body,(AT) that is, the church. 25 I have become its servant, according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. 27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ(AU) in you, the hope(AV) of glory. 28 We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. 29 I labor for this, striving(AW) with his strength that works powerfully in me.(AX)

Footnotes

  1. 1:2 Other mss add and the Lord Jesus Christ
  2. 1:6 Or and truly recognized God’s grace
  3. 1:7 Other mss read our
  4. 1:9 Or all spiritual wisdom and understanding
  5. 1:12 Other mss read us
  6. 1:14 Other mss add through his blood
  7. 1:20 Other mss add through him
Close ISV

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

  1. Colossians 1:1 The Gk. lacks From
  2. Colossians 1:1 Or Christ
  3. Colossians 1:2 Or to the saints
  4. Colossians 1:2 Or Christ
  5. Colossians 1:2 Other mss. read from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah
  6. Colossians 1:3 Or Christ
  7. Colossians 1:4 Or Christ
  8. Colossians 1:5 Lit. about it
  9. Colossians 1:6 The Gk. lacks it has been doing
  10. Colossians 1:7 Lit. Just as you learned
  11. Colossians 1:7 Or Christ
  12. Colossians 1:7 Other mss. read our
  13. Colossians 1:9 Lit. his
  14. Colossians 1:10 Lit. to all pleasing
  15. Colossians 1:12 Other mss. read you
  16. Colossians 1:13 Lit. He
  17. Colossians 1:15 Lit. He
  18. Colossians 1:16 Lit. thrones
  19. Colossians 1:19 Lit. he
  20. Colossians 1:19 Lit. all of the fullness
  21. Colossians 1:20 Lit. Through him
  22. Colossians 1:20 Lit. he
  23. Colossians 1:21 Lit. in evil deeds
  24. Colossians 1:23 Or minister
  25. Colossians 1:24 Or Christ’s
  26. Colossians 1:25 Or minister
  27. Colossians 1:25 The Gk. lacks the ministry of
  28. Colossians 1:27 Or Christ
  29. Colossians 1:28 Or complete
  30. Colossians 1:28 Or Christ
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Philippians 4
Colossians 2
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