 1 From Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother. 2 To the saints and faithful believers+ in Christ who are at Colosse. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We give thanks to our God and Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, praying for you continually+. 4 We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints. 5 Hope is laid up for you in heaven. You heard about this before, in the Word of Truth, in the Gospel 6 that has come to you, as to all the world. It brings forth fruit, as it has in you since the day you heard of it and knew the grace of God in truth. 7 Just as you learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant who is a faithful minister of Christ for you. 8 He also declared to us your love in the Spirit. 9 For this reason+, since the day we heard about this, we have not stopped+ praying for you and desiring that you might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, 10 so that you might walk worthy of the Lord to 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, to all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness. 12 Give thanks to the Father who has made us suitable+ to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 God has delivered us from the power~ of darkness and translated~ us into the kingdom of His dear Son. 14 In Him, we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the very image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation+. 16 By Him, all things were 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 He is before all things and by Him all things consist. 18 He is the head of the body, the assembly+. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that in all things He might have preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell in Him. 20 And by Him, having made peace through the blood of His cross, to reconcile all things to Himself. By Him, I say, whether they be things in Earth or things in Heaven. 21 And you, who were at one time alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled 22 in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless+ and unreprovable in His sight. 23 Continue in the faith, grounded and settled and not moved away from the hope of the Gospel that you have heard as it is proclaimed+ to all creation+ under heaven. For this, I Paul am made a minister. 24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up what is lacking+ through the sufferings+ of Christ in my own flesh, for the sake of His body, which is the whole assembly+ of believers. 25 I have become+ a minister according to the administration+ of God. This assignment was given to me for you, to fulfill the Word of God. 26 The mystery~ that had been hidden for ages and for generations is now revealed+ to His saints. 27 To His saints, God wants+ to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery~ among the Gentiles. It is Christ in you, the hope of glory 28 whom we proclaim+, warning everyone+ and teaching everyone+ in all wisdom so that we may present everyone+ perfect~ in Christ Jesus. 29 To this cause I also labor, striving according to His working, which works in me mightily.
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