English Standard Version

New King James Version

Greeting

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

Greeting

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

To the saints and faithful brothersa in Christ at Colossae:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father [a]and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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Thanksgiving and Prayer

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,

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Their Faith in Christ

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

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since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints,

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since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints;

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because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,

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because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel,

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which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and increasing — as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth,

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which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth [b]fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth;

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just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant.b He is a faithful minister of Christ on yourc behalf

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as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf,

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and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

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who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.

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And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,

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Preeminence of Christ

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;

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so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

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that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

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being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy;

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strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy;

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giving thanksd to the Father, who has qualified youe to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

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giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

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He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,

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He has delivered us from the power of darkness and [c]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

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in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

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in whom we have redemption [d]through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

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The Preeminence of Christ

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

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

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For byf him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — all things were created through him and for him.

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For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or [e]principalities or [f]powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

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And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

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And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

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And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

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And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

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For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell,

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Reconciled in Christ

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,

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

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and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

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And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,

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And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled

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he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

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in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight —

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if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creationg under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

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if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

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Paul’s Ministry to the Church

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church,

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Sacrificial Service for Christ

I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church,

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of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,

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of which I became a minister according to the [g]stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God,

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the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints.

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the [h]mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

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To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

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To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: [i]which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

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Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.

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Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.

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For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.

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To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

Parallel

English Standard Version

New King James Version

Colossians 1

Colossians 1