Colossians 1
Legacy Standard Bible
Thanksgiving and Prayer
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 in Christ in Colossae: (F)Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 (G)We 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 [d]for (K)all the [e]saints, 5 because of the (L)hope (M)laid up for you in [f]heaven, of which you previously (N)heard in the word of truth, [g]the gospel 6 which has come to you, just as [h](O)in all the world also it is constantly bearing (P)fruit and [i]multiplying, just as it has been doing in you also since the day you (Q)heard and [j]understood the grace of God in truth; 7 just as you learned it from (R)Epaphras, our (S)beloved fellow slave, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 8 who also informed us of your (T)love in the Spirit.
9 For this reason also, (U)since the day we heard, (V)we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the [k](W)full knowledge of His will in all spiritual (X)wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may (Y)walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, [l](Z)to please Him in all respects, (AA)bearing fruit in every good work and [m]multiplying in the [n]full knowledge of God; 11 (AB)being strengthened with all power, according to [o]His glorious might, [p]for the attaining of all steadfastness and [q]patience; (AC)joyously 12 giving thanks to (AD)the Father, who has qualified us [r]to share in (AE)the inheritance of the [s]saints in (AF)light. 13 Who rescued us from the (AG)authority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of (AH)the Son of His love, 14 (AI)in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Firstborn of All Creation
15 [t]Who is the (AJ)image of the (AK)invisible God, the (AL)firstborn of all creation.
16 For [u](AM)in Him all things were created, (AN)both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether (AO)thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—(AP)all things have been created through Him and for Him.
17 And He [v](AQ)is before all things,
And in Him all things [w]hold together.
18 And He is the (AR)head of (AS)the body, the church;
Who is (AT)the beginning, (AU)the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
19 For in Him [x]all (AV)the fullness of God (AW)was pleased to dwell,
20 And through Him to (AX)reconcile all things to Himself, having made (AY)peace through (AZ)the blood of His cross—through Him—(BA)whether things on earth or things in [y]heaven.
21 And although you were (BB)formerly alienated and enemies in mind and in evil deeds, 22 but now He (BC)reconciled you in the (BD)body of His flesh through death, in order to (BE)present you before Him (BF)holy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in [z]the faith firmly (BG)grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the (BH)hope of the gospel, which you have heard, which was proclaimed (BI)in all creation under heaven, (BJ)and of which I, Paul, [aa]was made a [ab](BK)minister.
24 (BL)Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and (BM)I fill up what is lacking of Christ’s afflictions in my flesh, on behalf of (BN)His body, which is the church, 25 (BO)of which I [ac]was made a minister according to the (BP)stewardship from God given to me for you, so that I might [ad]fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is, (BQ)the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His [ae]saints, 27 to whom (BR)God willed to make known what is (BS)the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is (BT)Christ in you, the (BU)hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, (BV)admonishing every man and teaching every man [af]with all (BW)wisdom, so that we may (BX)present every man [ag](BY)complete in Christ. 29 For this purpose I also (BZ)labor, (CA)striving (CB)according to His working, which He works in me in power.
Footnotes
- Colossians 1:1 Lit through
- Colossians 1:1 Lit the
- Colossians 1:2 Or holy ones
- Colossians 1:4 Or toward
- Colossians 1:4 Or holy ones
- Colossians 1:5 Lit the heavens
- Colossians 1:5 Or of the gospel
- Colossians 1:6 Or it is in the world
- Colossians 1:6 Or growing, cf. 2:19
- Colossians 1:6 Or came really to know
- Colossians 1:9 Or true knowledge
- Colossians 1:10 Lit to all pleasing
- Colossians 1:10 Or growing, cf. 2:19
- Colossians 1:10 Or true 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 Or holy ones
- Colossians 1:15 vv 15-20 are formatted to show the chiastic structure of the poem
- Colossians 1:16 Or by
- Colossians 1:17 Or has existed prior to
- Colossians 1:17 Or endure
- Colossians 1:19 Or God was pleased for all the fullness to dwell
- Colossians 1:20 Lit the heavens
- Colossians 1:23 Or in faith
- Colossians 1:23 Lit became
- Colossians 1:23 Or servant
- Colossians 1:25 Lit became
- Colossians 1:25 Lit make full the word of God
- Colossians 1:26 Or holy ones
- Colossians 1:28 Lit in
- Colossians 1:28 Or perfect
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)
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