Colossians

Colossians

¹From Paul, apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the saints in Colossae and to our faithful brothers in Christ. ²Peace to you, and grace from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. ³We thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we pray for you constantly, ⁴ever since we heard of your faith in Jesus Christ and of how you love all the saints, ⁵because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You heard of it earlier in the word of truth, the teaching of the gospel, ⁶which has reached you. Just as it bears fruit in all the world, it flourishes among you too, from the day you heard and recognized the grace of God in truth. ⁷You learned it from Epaphras our brother, our fellow servant, faithful in Christ, who serves on your behalf. ⁸He told us of your love in the Spirit. ⁹For this reason we too, since the day we heard news of you, have not stopped praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and in all the counsel of the Spirit, ¹⁰so that you may live in a way worthy of God and please him in everything by good deeds, bearing fruit and flourishing in the wisdom of the knowledge of God, ¹¹strengthened with all power according to the might of his glory, in all patience, hope, and joy. ¹²Give thanks to God the Father, who has made us fit to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. ¹³He rescued us from the rule of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, ¹⁴in whom we have found salvation, and our sins are forgiven. ¹⁵He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all his creation. ¹⁶For by him he created everything, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or lordships or rulers or powers. Everything that exists came about by his hand, and everything was created through him. ¹⁷He existed before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸He is the head of the church. For he is the firstborn, the first of all the dead to rise, so that he might be head over all. ¹⁹For it pleased God that all fullness should dwell in him, and through him he reconciles all things. ²⁰He made peace by the blood of his cross for what is in heaven and what is on earth. ²¹You too were once enemies and strangers in your hearts and in your evil deeds. ²²But now he has reconciled you by his physical body and by his death, to make you holy, pure, and chosen in his presence, ²³if you continue firmly in the faith, steadfast, and the solid ground of your foundation is not shaken from the hope of the gospel teaching you heard. It has been preached in all the world under heaven, and I, Paul, have been appointed its herald and servant. ²⁴And now I rejoice in my sufferings, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's sufferings, for the sake of his body, which is his church. ²⁵I have been appointed its servant by the plan of God, which he gave me for your sake, so that I may fully proclaim the word of God, ²⁶the mystery hidden since before the world began and before humankind was created. ²⁷But now it has been revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: it is Christ who dwells in you, the hope of our glory. ²⁸We teach him and call people to him. We admonish everyone and teach everyone his work in all wisdom, so that everyone may stand complete in the faith of Jesus Christ. ²⁹For this I labor and struggle, according to his help, which helps me with power.