The Epistle of PAUL, the Apostle, to the COLOSSIANS CHAPTER I

PAUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of 
God, and Timotheus our brother,
2 To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ
which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, 
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We give thanks to God, and the Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, 
and of the love which ye have to all the saints,
5 For the hope which is laid up for you in 
heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the 
truth in the gospel:
6 Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world;
and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the 
day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:
7 As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellow-
servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ;
8 Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. 
9 For this cause we also, since the day we heard 
it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that 
ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will 
in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;
10 That ye might 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 joyfulness;
12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath 
made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of 
the saints in light:
13  Who hath delivered us from the power of 
darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom 
of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his 
blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the 
first-born of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are 
in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, 
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities,
or powers: all things were created by him, 
and for him: 
17 And he is before all things, and by him all 
things consist,
18 And he is the head of the body, the church:
who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead;
that in all things he might have the pre-eminence. 
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should
all fulness dwell; 
20 And, having made peace through the blood 
of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto 
himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in 
earth, or things in heaven. 
21 And you, that were sometime alienated and 
enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now
hath he reconciled. 
22 In the body of his flesh through death, to 
present you holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable 
in his sight:
23 If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, 
and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, 
which ye have heard, and which was preached to 
every creature which is under heaven; whereof I 
Paul am made a minister;
24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and 
fill up that which is behind the afflictions of Christ
in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church:
25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to 
the dispensation of God which is given to me for 
you to fulfil the word of God;
26 Even the mystery which had been hid from 
ages, and from generations, but now is made manifest
to his saints:
27 To whom God would make known what is 
the riches of the 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 Whereunto I also labour, striving according 
to his working, which worketh in me mightily.