Colossians 1

NEW JERUSALEM	NEW AMERICAN BIBLE
1 From Paul, by the wil of God an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy	1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 to God's holy people in Colossae, our faithful brothers in Christ. Grace and peace to you from God ourFather.	2 to the holy ones and faithful brothers in Christ in Colossae: grace to you and peace from God our Father.
3 We give thanks for you to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, continual y in our prayers,	3 We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
4 ever since we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you show towards all God's holypeople	4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the holy ones
5 because of the hope which is stored up for you in heaven. News of this hope reached you not long agothrough the word of truth, the gospel	5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. Of this you have already heard through the word of truth, the gospel,
6 that came to you in the same way as it is bearing fruit and growing throughout the world. It has had thesame effect among you, ever since you heard about the grace of God and recognised it for what it truly is.	6 that has come to you. Just as in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing, so also among you, from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth,
7 This you learnt from Epaphras, our very dear fel ow-worker and a trustworthy deputy for us as Christ'sservant,	7 as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow slave, who is a trustworthy minister of Christ on your behalf
8 and it was he who also told us all about your love in the Spirit.	8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9 That is why, ever since the day he told us, we have never failed to remember you in our prayers and askthat through perfect wisdom and spiritual understanding you should reach the ful est knowledge of his will	9 Therefore, from the day we heard this, we do not cease praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding
10 and so be able to lead a life worthy of the Lord, a life acceptable to him in all its aspects, bearing fruit in every kind of good work and growing in knowledge of God,	10 to live in a manner worthy of the Lord, so as to be fully pleasing, in every good work bearing fruit and growing in the knowledge of God,
11 fortified, in accordance with his glorious strength, with al power always to persevere and endure,	11 strengthened with every power, in accord with his glorious might, for all endurance and patience, with joy
12 giving thanks with joy to the Father who has made you able to share the lot of God's holy people andwith them to inherit the light.	12 giving thanks to the Father, who has made you fit to share in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.
13 Because that is what he has done. It is he who has rescued us from the ruling force of darkness andtransferred us to the kingdom of the Son that he loves,	13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
14 and in him we enjoy our freedom, the forgiveness of sin.	14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the unseen God, the first-born of al creation,	15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 for in him were created all things in heaven and on earth: everything visible and everything invisible,thrones, ruling forces, sovereignties, powers -- al things were created through him and for him.	16 For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things were created through him and for him.
17 He exists before al things and in him al things hold together,	17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
18 and he is the Head of the Body, that is, the Church. He is the Beginning, the first-born from the dead,so that he should be supreme in every way;	18 He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be preeminent.
19 because God wanted al ful ness to be found in him	19 For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell,
20 and through him to reconcile al things to him, everything in heaven and everything on earth, by makingpeace through his death on the cross.	20 and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross (through him), whether those on earth or those in heaven.
21 You were once estranged and of hostile intent through your evil behaviour;	21 And you who once were alienated and hostile in mind because of evil deeds
22 now he has reconciled you, by his death and in that mortal body, to bring you before himself holy,faultless and irreproachable-	22 he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through his death, to present you holy, without blemish, and irreproachable before him,
23 as long as you persevere and stand firm on the solid base of the faith, never letting yourselves driftaway from the hope promised by the gospel, which you have heard, which has been preached to every creatureunder heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become the servant.	23 provided that you persevere in the faith, firmly grounded, stable, and not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, am a minister.
24 It makes me happy to be suffering for you now, and in my own body to make up all the hardships thatstill have to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church,	24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church,
25 of which I was made a servant with the responsibility towards you that God gave to me, that ofcompleting God's message,	25 of which I am a minister in accordance with God's stewardship given to me to bring to completion for you the word of God,
26 the message which was a mystery hidden for generations and centuries and has now been revealed tohis holy people.	26 the mystery hidden from ages and from generations past. But now it has been manifested to his holy ones,
27 It was God's purpose to reveal to them how rich is the glory of this mystery among the gentiles; it isChrist among you, your hope of glory:	27 to whom God chose to make known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; it is Christ in you, the hope for glory.
28 this is the Christ we are proclaiming, admonishing and instructing everyone in all wisdom, to makeeveryone perfect in Christ.	28 It is he whom we proclaim, admonishing everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.
29 And it is for this reason that I labour, striving with his energy which works in me mightily.	29 For this I labor and struggle, in accord with the exercise of his power working within me.