1 From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from Timothy, who is also a follower.
2 To God's people who live in Colossae and are faithful followers of Christ.
I pray that God our Father will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
A Prayer of Thanks
3 Each time we pray for you, we thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 4 We have heard of your faith in Christ and of your love for all God's people, 5 because what you hope for is kept safe for you in heaven. You first heard about this hope when you believed the true message, which is the good news.
6 The good news is spreading all over the world with great success. It has spread in this same way among you, ever since the first day you learned the truth about God's wonderful kindness 7 from our good friend Epaphras. He works together with us for Christ and is a faithful worker for you. 8 He is also the one who told us about the love that God's Spirit has given you.
The Person and Work of Christ
9 We have not stopped praying for you since the first day we heard about you. In fact, we always pray that God will show you everything he wants you to do and that you may have all the wisdom and understanding his Spirit gives. 10 Then you will live a life that honors the Lord, and you will always please him by doing good deeds. You will come to know God even better. 11 His glorious power will make you patient and strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy.
12 I pray that you will be grateful to God for letting you have part in what he has promised his people in the kingdom of light. 13 God rescued us from the dark power of Satan and brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son, 14 who forgives our sins and sets us free.
15 Christ is exactly like God,
who cannot be seen.
He is the first-born Son,
superior to all creation.
16 Everything was created by him,
everything in heaven
and on earth,
everything seen and unseen,
including all forces
and powers,
and all rulers
and authorities.
All things were created
by God's Son,
and everything was made
for him.
17 God's Son was before all else,
and by him everything
is held together.
18 He is the head of his body,
which is the church.
He is the very beginning,
the first to be raised
from death,
so that he would be
above all others.
19 God himself was pleased
to live fully in his Son.
20 And God was pleased
for him to make peace
by sacrificing his blood
on the cross,
so that all beings in heaven
and on earth
would be brought back to God.
21 You used to be far from God. Your thoughts made you his enemies, and you did evil things. 22 But his Son became a human and died. So God made peace with you, and now he lets you stand in his presence as people who are holy and faultless and innocent. 23 But you must stay deeply rooted and firm in your faith. You must not give up the hope you received when you heard the good news. It was preached to everyone on earth, and I myself have become a servant of this message.
Paul's Service to the Church
24 I am glad I can suffer for you. I am pleased also that in my own body I can continue the suffering of Christ for his body, the church. 25 God's plan was to make me a servant of his church and to send me to preach his complete message to you. 26 For ages and ages this message was kept secret from everyone, but now it has been explained to God's people. 27 God did this because he wanted you Gentiles to understand his wonderful and glorious mystery. And the mystery is that Christ lives in you, and he is your hope of sharing in God's glory.
28 We announce the message about Christ, and we use all our wisdom to warn and teach everyone, so all of Christ's followers will grow and become mature. 29 This is why I work so hard and use the mighty power he gives me.
1 Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ, by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, 2 To them which are at Colosse, Saintes and faithfull brethren in Christ: Grace bee with you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Iesus Christ. 3 We giue thankes to God euen ye Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, alway praying for you: 4 Since wee heard of your faith in Christ Iesus, and of your loue toward all Saintes, 5 For the hopes sake, which is laide vp for you in heauen, whereof yee haue heard before by the word of trueth, which is the Gospel, 6 Which is come vnto you, eue as it is vnto al the world, and is fruitful, as it is also amog you, from ye day that ye heard and truely knew ye grace of God, 7 As yee also learned of Epaphras our deare fellowe seruaunt, which is for you a faithfull minister of Christ: 8 Who hath also declared vnto vs your loue in the Spirit. 9 For this cause wee also, since the day wee heard of it, cease not to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be fulfilled with knowledge of his will in all wisdome, and spirituall vnderstanding, 10 That ye might walke worthy of the Lord, and please him in all things, being fruitefull in all good workes, and increasing in the knowledge of God, 11 Strengthened with all might through his glorious power, vnto all patience, and long suffering with ioyfulnesse, 12 Giuing thankes vnto the Father, which hath made vs meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saintes in light, 13 Who hath deliuered vs from the power of darkenesse, and hath translated vs into the kingdome of his deare Sonne, 14 In whome we haue redemption through his blood, that is, the forgiuenesse of sinnes, 15 Who is the image of the inuisible God, the first begotten of euery creature. 16 For by him were all things created, which are in heauen, and which are in earth, thinges visible and inuisible: whether they be Thrones or Dominions, or Principalities, or Powers, all things were created by him, and for him, 17 And hee is before all things, and in him all things consist. 18 And hee is the head of the body of the Church: he is the beginning, and the first begotten of the dead, that in all thinges hee might haue the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father, that in him should all fulnesse dwell, 20 And through peace made by that blood of that his crosse, to reconcile to himselfe through him, through him, I say, all thinges, both which are in earth, and which are in heauen. 21 And you which were in times past strangers and enemies, because your mindes were set in euill workes, hath he nowe also reconciled, 22 In that body of his flesh through death, to make you holy, and vnblameable and without fault in his sight, 23 If ye continue, grounded and stablished in the faith, and be not moued away from the hope of the Gospel, whereof ye haue heard, and which hath bene preached to euery creature which is vnder heauen, whereof I Paul am a minister. 24 Now reioyce I in my suffrings for you, and fulfill the rest of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his bodies sake, which is the Church, 25 Whereof I am a minister, according to the dispensation of God, which is giuen mee vnto you ward, to fulfill the word of God, 26 Which is the mysterie hid since the world began, and from all ages, but nowe is made manifest to his Saintes, 27 To whome God woulde make knowen what is the riches of his glorious mysterie among the Gentiles, which riches is Christ in you, the hope of glory, 28 Whome we preache, admonishing euery man, and teaching euery man in all wisdome, that we may present euery man perfect in Christ Iesus, 29 Whereunto I also labour and striue, according to his working which worketh in me mightily.