| Chapter
1 |
| 1 | Paul,
an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, |
| 2 | To the saints and faithful
brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. |
|
3 | We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
praying always for you, |
| 4 |
Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to
all the saints, |
| 5 | For the
hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of
the truth of the gospel; |
| 6 |
Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth
fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace
of God in truth: |
| 7 | As ye
also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful
minister of Christ; |
| 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 for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the
knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; |
| 10 | That ye might walk worthy of the
Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in
the knowledge of God; |
| 11 |
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience
and longsuffering with joyfulness; |
|
12 | Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: |
| 13 | Who hath delivered us from the power
of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: |
| 14 | In whom we have redemption
through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: |
|
15 | Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn
of every creature: |
| 16 |
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth,
visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: |
| 17 | And he is before all
things, and by him all things consist. |
| 18 | And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the
beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the
preeminence. |
| 19 | For it
pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; |
| 20 | And, having made peace through the
blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say,
whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. |
| 21 | And you, that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled |
| 22 | In the body of his flesh
through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his
sight: |
| 23 | If ye continue
in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the
gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is
under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; |
|
24 | Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill
up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's
sake, which is the church: |
| 25
| Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God
which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; |
| 26 | Even the mystery which hath been hid
from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: |
| 27 | To whom God would 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 preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all
wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: |
| 29 | Whereunto I also labour, striving
according to his working, which worketh in me mightily. |
