to the consecrated and faithful brothers at Colossae who are in union with Christ: spiritual blessing and peace to you from God our Father.

he is the very one who told me of the love awakened in you by the Spirit.

and you will always be thanking the Father who has qualified you to share the lot of His people in the realm of light.

It is God who has delivered us out of the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of His dearly loved Son,

by whom we possess the ransom from captivity, which means the forgiveness of our sins.

Yes, He is the exact likeness of the unseen God, His first-born Son who existed before any created thing,

So you, who were once estranged from Him, and hostile in disposition as shown by your wrongdoings, He has now reconciled

to whom God has chosen to make known how glorious are the riches of this open secret among the heathen, namely, Christ in you the hope of your glorification.

I want you to know what a battle I am fighting for you and for those in Laodicea, yes, for all who have never known me personally,

in whom all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are stored up.

for you were buried with Him in baptism and raised to life with Him through your faith in the power of God who raised Him from the dead.

When Christ, who is our life, appears, you too will appear to be glorified in fellowship with Him.

For the man who wrongs another will be paid back the wrong he has done; and there are no exceptions.

he is accompanied by Onesimus, a faithful and dearly loved brother, who is one of your own number. They will tell you everything that is going on here.

So does Jesus who is called Justus. These are the only converts from Judaism that are fellow-workers with me here for the kingdom of God, who have proved a real comfort to me.