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Colossians 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.
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