Colossians 1Book 51 of 66 · 29 verses · MBT primary, NKJV fallback where MBT pending

  1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother —
  2. to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you, and peace from God our Father.
  3. We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always praying for you,
  4. since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,
  5. because of the hope laid up for you in heaven — of which you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,
  6. which has come to you. Just as in all the world, it is bearing fruit and growing — as it has been doing among you also, since the day you heard and came to know the grace of God in truth,
  7. just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf,
  8. and who has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
  9. For this reason, since the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the full knowledge of His will, in all spiritual wisdom and understanding —
  10. so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him: bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in the full knowledge of God,
  11. being strengthened with all power, according to the might of His glory, for all endurance and patience with joy —
  12. giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light;
  13. who has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of His beloved Son,
  14. in whom we have redemption — the forgiveness of sins.
  15. He is the image of the invisible God — the firstborn over all creation;
  16. for in Him all things were created — in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible — whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things have been created through Him and for Him.
  17. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
  18. And He is the head of the body — the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from among the dead — so that in everything He may have the preeminence.
  19. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him,
  20. and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things — whether things on earth or things in heaven — having made peace through the blood of His cross.
  21. And although you were once alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds —
  22. yet now He has reconciled you in His body of flesh through death — to present you holy, blameless, and beyond reproach before Him,
  23. if indeed you continue in the faith, firmly grounded and steadfast — not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you have heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.
  24. I now rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I fill up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ — for the sake of His body, which is the church —
  25. of which I became a minister, according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fully carry out the word of God:
  26. the mystery hidden from ages and from generations, but now revealed to His saints,
  27. to whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles — which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
  28. Him we proclaim — admonishing every person and teaching every person in all wisdom — so that we may present every person mature in Christ.
  29. For this I labor — striving according to His working which works in me with power.