Colossians 1
Revised Standard Version
Salutation
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ at Colos′sae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
Paul Thanks God for the Colossians
3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have for all the saints, 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—so among yourselves, from the day you heard and understood the grace of God in truth, 7 as you learned it from Ep′aphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on our[a] behalf 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
9 And so, from the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 to lead a life worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us[b] to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
The Supremacy of Christ
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; 16 for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. 19 For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
21 And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him, 23 provided that you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
Paul’s Interest in the Colossians
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to the divine office which was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations[c] but now made manifest to his saints. 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we proclaim, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man mature in Christ. 29 For this I toil, striving with all the energy which he mightily inspires within me.
Footnotes
- Colossians 1:7 Other ancient authorities read your
- Colossians 1:12 Other ancient authorities read you
- Colossians 1:26 Or from angels and men
Colossians 1
American Standard Version
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy [a]our brother, 2 [b]to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ that are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have toward all the saints, 5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the [c]gospel, 6 which is come unto you; even as it is also in all the world bearing fruit and increasing, as it doth in you also, since the day ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth; 7 even as ye learned of Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on [d]our behalf, 8 who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 to walk worthily of the Lord [e]unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing [f]in the knowledge of God; 11 [g]strengthened [h]with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all [i]patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks unto the Father, who made [j]us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; 13 who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; 14 in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins: 15 who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; 17 and he is before all things, and in him all things [k]consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; [l]that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 [m]For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the fulness dwell; 20 and through him to reconcile all things [n]unto [o]himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens. 21 And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works, 22 yet now [p]hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him: 23 if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the [q]gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister.
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church; 25 whereof I was made a minister, according to the [r]dispensation of God which was given me to you-ward, to fulfil the word of God, 26 even the mystery which hath been hid [s]for ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to his saints, 27 to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28 whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ; 29 whereunto I labor also, striving according to his working, which worketh in me [t]mightily.
Footnotes
- Colossians 1:1 Greek the brother.
- Colossians 1:2 Or, to those that are at Colossae, holy and faithful brethren in Christ
- Colossians 1:5 Greek good tidings: and so elsewhere. See marginal note on Mt. 4:23.
- Colossians 1:7 Many ancient authorities read your.
- Colossians 1:10 Or, unto all pleasing, in every good work, bearing fruit and increasing etc.
- Colossians 1:10 Or, by
- Colossians 1:11 Greek made powerful.
- Colossians 1:11 Or, in
- Colossians 1:11 Or, stedfastness
- Colossians 1:12 Some ancient authorities read you.
- Colossians 1:17 That is, hold together.
- Colossians 1:18 Or, that among all he might have etc.
- Colossians 1:19 Or, For the whole fulness of God was pleased to dwell in him
- Colossians 1:20 Or, into him
- Colossians 1:20 Or, him
- Colossians 1:22 Some ancient authorities read ye have been reconciled.
- Colossians 1:23 Greek good tidings. See verse 1.
- Colossians 1:25 Or, stewardship. See 1 Cor. 9:17.
- Colossians 1:26 Or, from all ages etc. Greek from the ages and from the generations.
- Colossians 1:29 Or, in power
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