Colossians 1

1 an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, 2 and Timothy brother, to the holy and faithful brethren in Christ at Colosse: grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always in prayers for you: 4 (having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and love to all the saints:) 5 for the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which ye have heard before in the word of truth, the gospel; 6 which is come unto you, even as in all the world, and is fruitful; as also among you, from the day in which ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth. 7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ for you; 8 who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. 9 For this we also, from the day that we heard cease not to pray for you, and to request that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding: 10 that ye may walk worthy of the Lord unto 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, unto all patience and long-suffering with joy; 12 giving thanks unto the Father, who hath made us meet for a portion of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13 who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath transferred into the kingdom of his beloved Son: 14 in whom we have redemption by his blood, the remission of sins. 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of the whole creation: 16 for by Him were all created, in heaven, and that on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all were created by Him, and for Him. 17 He is before all, and by Him all subsist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in all He might have the pre-eminence. 19 For it pleased that all fulness should dwell in Him; 20 and by Him to reconcile all to Himself, having made peace by the blood of his cross; by Him whether on earth, or in heaven. 21 And you that were formerly alienated, and enemies in mind by wicked works, 22 yet now hath He reconciled in the body of his flesh, through death, to present you holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable in his sight: 23 if so be ye continue grounded and settled in the faith, and be not moved from the gospel, which ye have heard, which hath been preached throughout the whole creation, of which I Paul am a minister. 24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up what is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25 Of which I was made a minister according to the dispensation of God, which is given me towards you, that I might fully declare the word of God: 26 that mystery which was hid from ages and generations, but is now manifested to his saints: 27 to whom God would make known the rich glory of this mystery, among the gentiles; which is Christ in you the hope of glory: 28 whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29 to which I also labour, striving earnestly according to his energy which operates in me with power.