who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation,

because all [things] in the heavens and on the earth were created by him, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers, all [things] were created through him and for him,

who has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred [us] to the kingdom of the Son {he loves},

and he himself is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself may become first in everything,

that has come to you, just as also in all the world it is bearing fruit and increasing, just as also among you from the day you heard about and understood the grace of God in truth,

whom we proclaim, [by] admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, in order that we may present every person mature in Christ,

Because of this also we, from the day we heard about [it], did not cease praying for you, and asking that you may be filled [with] the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual insight,

[who] also made clear to us your love in the Spirit.

just as you learned [it] from Epaphras, our dear fellow slave who is a faithful minister of Christ [on] our behalf,

Now I rejoice in my sufferings on behalf of you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ, on behalf of his body which is the church,

to whom God wanted to make known what [is] the glorious wealth of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,

giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you for a share of the inheritance of the saints in light,

And {although you were formerly alienated} and enemies in attitude, because of your evil deeds,

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

in whom we have the redemption, the forgiveness of sins,

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

because he was well pleased [for] all the fullness to dwell in him,

and he himself is before all [things], and in him all [things] are held together,

so that you may live in a manner worthy of the Lord, {to please [him] in all respects}, bearing fruit in every good deed and increasing in the knowledge of God,

to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ in Colossae. Grace to you and peace from God our Father.

for which [purpose] also I labor, striving according to his working which is at work powerfully in me.

We give thanks always to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ [when we] pray for you,

because of the hope reserved for you in heaven, which you have heard about beforehand in the word of truth, the gospel,

if indeed you remain in the faith, established and steadfast and not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.

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

enabled with all power, according to his glorious might, for all steadfastness and patience with joy,

but now you have been reconciled by {his physical body} through death, to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,

of which I became a minister, according to God's stewardship which was given to me for you, to complete the word of God,

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