The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Colossians

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- Chapter 1 -

(Philippians 1:1–2; Philemon 1:1–3)

Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christ, by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother,

To them which are at Colosse, Saintes and faithfull brethren in Christ: Grace bee with you, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Iesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

(1 Corinthians 1:4–9; Philippians 1:3–11)

We giue thankes to God euen ye Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, alway praying for you:

Since wee heard of your faith in Christ Iesus, and of your loue toward all Saintes,

For the hopes sake, which is laide vp for you in heauen, whereof yee haue heard before by the word of trueth, which is the Gospel,

Which is come vnto you, eue as it is vnto al the world, and is fruitful, as it is also amog you, from ye day that ye heard and truely knew ye grace of God,

As yee also learned of Epaphras our deare fellowe seruaunt, which is for you a faithfull minister of Christ:

Who hath also declared vnto vs your loue in the Spirit.

For this cause wee also, since the day wee heard of it, cease not to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be fulfilled with knowledge of his will in all wisdome, and spirituall vnderstanding,

That ye might walke worthy of the Lord, and please him in all things, being fruitefull in all good workes, and increasing in the knowledge of God,

Strengthened with all might through his glorious power, vnto all patience, and long suffering with ioyfulnesse,

Giuing thankes vnto the Father, which hath made vs meete to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saintes in light,

Who hath deliuered vs from the power of darkenesse, and hath translated vs into the kingdome of his deare Sonne,

In whome we haue redemption through his blood, that is, the forgiuenesse of sinnes,

The Supremacy of the Son

(Hebrews 1:1–14)

Who is the image of the inuisible God, the first begotten of euery creature.

For by him were all things created, which are in heauen, and which are in earth, thinges visible and inuisible: whether they be Thrones or Dominions, or Principalities, or Powers, all things were created by him, and for him,

And hee is before all things, and in him all things consist.

And hee is the head of the body of the Church: he is the beginning, and the first begotten of the dead, that in all thinges hee might haue the preeminence.

For it pleased the Father, that in him should all fulnesse dwell,

And through peace made by that blood of that his crosse, to reconcile to himselfe through him, through him, I say, all thinges, both which are in earth, and which are in heauen.

And you which were in times past strangers and enemies, because your mindes were set in euill workes, hath he nowe also reconciled,

In that body of his flesh through death, to make you holy, and vnblameable and without fault in his sight,

If ye continue, grounded and stablished in the faith, and be not moued away from the hope of the Gospel, whereof ye haue heard, and which hath bene preached to euery creature which is vnder heauen, whereof I Paul am a minister.

Paul’s Suffering for the Church

(2 Corinthians 11:16–33)

Now reioyce I in my suffrings for you, and fulfill the rest of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for his bodies sake, which is the Church,

Whereof I am a minister, according to the dispensation of God, which is giuen mee vnto you ward, to fulfill the word of God,

Which is the mysterie hid since the world began, and from all ages, but nowe is made manifest to his Saintes,

To whome God woulde make knowen what is the riches of his glorious mysterie among the Gentiles, which riches is Christ in you, the hope of glory,

Whome we preache, admonishing euery man, and teaching euery man in all wisdome, that we may present euery man perfect in Christ Iesus,

Whereunto I also labour and striue, according to his working which worketh in me mightily.

(Philippians 1:1–2; Philemon 1:1–3)

Paul, an apostle of Christ

(a)

Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

to the saints and faithful brothers(b) in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

(1 Corinthians 1:4–9; Philippians 1:3–11)

We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,

having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have toward all the saints,

because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the Good News

which has come to you, even as it is in all the world and is bearing fruit and growing, as it does in you also, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth,

even as you learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on your

(c)

behalf,

who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.

For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God,

strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy,

giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light,

who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love,

in whom we have our redemption,(d) the forgiveness of our sins.

The Supremacy of the Son

(Hebrews 1:1–14)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

For by him all things were created in the heavens and on the earth, visible things and invisible things, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things have been created through him and for him.

He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.

He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.

For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him,

and through him to reconcile all things to himself by him, whether things on the earth or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross.

You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil deeds,

yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without defect and blameless before him,

if it is so that you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Good News which you heard, which is being proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, was made a servant.

Paul’s Suffering for the Church

(2 Corinthians 11:16–33)

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the assembly,

of which I was made a servant according to the stewardship of God which was given me toward you to fulfill the word of God,

the mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations. But now it has been revealed to his saints,

to whom God was pleased 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.

We proclaim him, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus;

for which I also labor, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily.

Footnotes

(a)1:1 “Christ” means “Anointed One”.

(b)1:2 The word for “brothers” here and where context allows may also be correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.”

(d)1:14 TR adds “through his blood,”