| New International Version | New American Standard Bible 1995 |
| 1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, | 1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, |
| 2To God's holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. | 2To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. |
| 3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, | 3We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, |
| 4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God's people-- | 4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints; |
| 5the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel | 5because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel |
| 6that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world--just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God's grace. | 6which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth; |
| 7You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, | 7just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, |
| 8and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. | 8and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit. |
| 9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, | 9For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, |
| 10so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, | 10so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; |
| 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, | 11strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously |
| 12and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. | 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. |
| 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, | 13For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, |
| 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. | 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. |
| 15The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. | 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. |
| 16For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. | 16For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities-- all things have been created through Him and for Him. |
| 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. | 17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. |
| 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. | 18He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. |
| 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, | 19For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, |
| 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. | 20and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven. |
| 21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. | 21And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, |
| 22But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation-- | 22yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach-- |
| 23if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. | 23if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister. |
| 24Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. | 24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions. |
| 25I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness-- | 25Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, |
| 26the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's people. | 26that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, |
| 27To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. | 27to whom God willed 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. |
| 28He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. | 28We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. |
| 29To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. | 29For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me. |
| New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. | New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org |
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