Greeting

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

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

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

Thanksgiving

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the message of truth,(C) the gospel 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) You learned this from Epaphras,(H) our dearly loved fellow slave. He is a faithful servant of the Messiah(I) on your[d] behalf, and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.(J)

Prayer for Spiritual Growth

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) 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 We have redemption,[h] the forgiveness of sins, in Him.

The Centrality of Christ

15 He is the image of the invisible God,(X)
the firstborn over all creation.[i](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
by making peace(AH)
through the blood(AI) of His cross[j](AJ)
whether things on earth or things in heaven.

21 Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds because of your evil actions. 22 But now He has reconciled you by His physical body[k] 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 administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message 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. Colossians 1:1 Lit the
  2. Colossians 1:2 Other mss add and the Lord Jesus Christ
  3. Colossians 1:6 Or and truly recognized God’s grace
  4. Colossians 1:7 Other mss read our
  5. Colossians 1:9 Or all spiritual wisdom and understanding
  6. Colossians 1:12 Other mss read us
  7. Colossians 1:12 Or holy ones’
  8. Colossians 1:14 Other mss add through His blood
  9. Colossians 1:15 The One who is preeminent over all creation
  10. Colossians 1:20 Other mss add through Him
  11. Colossians 1:22 His body of flesh on the cross

Paul Paulos, an apostle apostolos of Christ Christos Jesus Iēsous by dia the will thelēma of God theos, and kai Timothy Timotheos our ho brother adelphos, to the ho saints hagios and kai faithful pistos brothers adelphos in en Christ Christos at en Colossae Kolossai: Grace charis to you hymeis and kai peace eirēnē from apo God theos our hēmeis Father patēr.

We always pantote thank eucharisteō · ho God theos, the Father patēr of ho our hēmeis Lord kyrios Jesus Iēsous Christ Christos, when we pray proseuchomai for peri you hymeis, for we have heard akouō of · ho your hymeis faith pistis in en Christ Christos Jesus Iēsous and kai the ho love agapē that hos you have echō for eis all pas the ho saints hagios. Both spring from dia the ho hope elpis · ho laid apokeimai up for you hymeis in en · ho heaven ouranos. Of this hos you have heard proakouō before in en the ho word logos of ho truth alētheia, the ho gospel euangelion, which ho has come pareimi to eis you hymeis. Just kathōs as · kai in en the ho entire pas world kosmos it is eimi bearing karpophoreō fruit and kai growing auxanō, so kathōs also kai is it among en you hymeis from apo the hos day hēmera you heard akouō it and kai understood epiginōskō the ho grace charis of ho God theos in en truth alētheia; just kathōs as you learned manthanō it from apo Epaphras Epaphras · ho our hēmeis beloved agapētos fellow syndoulos servant , who hos is eimi a faithful pistos minister diakonos of ho Christ Christos on hyper your hēmeis behalf · ho and kai has told dēloō us hēmeis of ho your hymeis love agapē in en the Spirit pneuma.

For dia this houtos reason , · kai from apo the hos day hēmera we heard akouō about you, we hēmeis have not ou ceased pauō praying proseuchomai for hyper you hymeis and kai asking aiteō that hina you may be filled plēroō with the ho knowledge epignōsis of ho his autos will thelēma in en all pas spiritual pneumatikos wisdom sophia and kai understanding synesis, 10 that you may walk peripateō worthy axiōs of the ho Lord kyrios, fully eis pas pleasing areskeia to him, bearing fruit karpophoreō in en every pas good agathos work ergon, and kai increasing auxanō in the ho knowledge epignōsis of ho God theos, 11 being strengthened dynamoō with en all pas power dynamis according kata to · ho his autos glorious doxa might kratos, · ho for eis the display of all pas endurance hypomonē and kai patience makrothumia; while joyfully meta chara 12 giving thanks eucharisteō to the ho Father patēr, who ho has qualified hikanoō you hymeis to eis · ho share meris in the ho inheritance klēros of the ho saints hagios in en the ho light phōs. 13 He hos has rescued rhyomai us hēmeis from ek the ho tyranny exousia of ho darkness skotos and kai transferred methistēmi us into eis the ho kingdom basileia of ho his autos beloved agapē Son hyios, · ho 14 in en whom hos we have echō · ho redemption apolytrōsis, the ho forgiveness aphesis of ho sins hamartia.

15 He hos is eimi the image eikōn of the ho invisible aoratos God theos, · ho the firstborn prōtotokos over all pas creation ktisis; 16 for hoti in en him autos all pas things ho were created ktizō, in en · ho heaven ouranos and kai on epi · ho earth , things ho visible horatos and kai · ho invisible aoratos, whether eite thrones thronos or eite dominions kyriotēs, whether eite principalities archē or eite powers exousia all pas things ho have been created ktizō through dia him autos and kai for eis him autos. 17 And kai he autos is eimi before pro all pas things , and kai in en him autos all pas things ho hold synistēmi together . 18 And kai he autos is eimi the ho head kephalē of the ho body sōma, the ho church ekklēsia. He hos is eimi the beginning archē, the firstborn prōtotokos from ek the ho dead nekros, in hina order that he autos might be ginomai preeminent prōteuō in en everything pas. 19 For hoti God was pleased eudokeō to have all pas his ho fullness plērōma dwell katoikeō in en him autos, 20 and kai through dia him autos to reconcile apokatallassō · ho all things pas to eis himself autos, · ho whether eite · ho on epi · ho earth or eite · ho in en · ho heaven ouranos, by making peace eirēnopoieō through dia his autos blood haima shed on the ho cross stauros.

21 And kai you hymeis who were eimi at one pote time alienated apallotrioō and kai hostile echthros in ho mind dianoia, doing en ho · ho · ho evil ponēros deeds , 22 he has now nyni · de reconciled apokatallassō in en Christ’ s autos physical sarx · ho body sōma · ho through dia his ho death thanatos, in order to present paristēmi you hymeis holy hagios, · kai without blemish and kai beyond reproach anenklētos in his autos sight katenōpion 23 if ei indeed ge you continue epimenō in the ho faith pistis, stable themelioō and kai steadfast hedraios, · kai not shifting metakineō from apo the ho hope elpis of the ho gospel euangelion that hos you heard akouō, which ho has been proclaimed kēryssō to en every pas creature ktisis · ho under hypo · ho heaven ouranos, and of which hos I egō, Paul Paulos, became ginomai a minister diakonos.

24 I am now nyn rejoicing chairō in en my ho sufferings pathēma on hyper your hymeis behalf, and kai in en my egō flesh sarx am completing antanaplēroō what ho is lacking hysterēma in the ho afflictions thlipsis of ho Christ Christos · ho for hyper the sake of · ho his autos body sōma, which hos is eimi the ho church ekklēsia, 25 of which hos I egō became ginomai a minister diakonos according kata to the ho stewardship oikonomia from ho God theos that ho was given didōmi to me egō for eis your hymeis benefit, to make plēroō the ho word logos of ho God theos fully known , 26 the ho mystery mystērion that ho has been hidden apokryptō for apo · ho ages aiōn and kai · ho generations genea, but de has now nyn been revealed phaneroō to ho his autos saints hagios. 27 To them hos God theos chose thelō · ho to make known gnōrizō how tis great among en the ho Gentiles ethnos are the ho glorious doxa riches ploutos · ho of ho this houtos mystery mystērion, which hos is eimi Christ Christos in en you hymeis, the ho hope elpis of ho glory doxa. 28 He is the one hos we hēmeis proclaim katangellō, warning noutheteō everyone pas anthrōpos and kai teaching didaskō everyone pas anthrōpos with en all pas wisdom sophia, so hina that we may present paristēmi everyone pas anthrōpos mature teleios in en Christ Christos. 29 To eis this hos end · kai I labor kopiaō, striving agōnizomai according kata to · ho his autos power energeia that ho works energeō powerfully en in en me egō.