Colossians 1

NEW JERUSALEM	CATHOLIC PUBLIC DOMAIN
1 From Paul, by the wil of God an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Timothy	1 Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy, a 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 saints and faithful brothers in Christ Jesus who are at Colossae.
3 We give thanks for you to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, continual y in our prayers,	3 Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying for you always.
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 of the love that you have toward all the saints,
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 that has been stored up for you in heaven, which you have heard through the Word of Truth in 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 This has reached you, just as it is present in the whole world, where it grows and bears fruit, as it has also done in you, since the day when you first heard and knew 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 just as you learned it from Epaphras, our most beloved fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ Jesus.
8 and it was he who also told us all about your love in the Spirit.	8 And he has also manifested to us 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 Then, too, from the day when we first heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and requesting that you be filled with the knowledge of his will, with all wisdom and spiritual 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 so that you may walk in a manner worthy of God, being pleasing in all things, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God,
11 fortified, in accordance with his glorious strength, with al power always to persevere and endure,	11 being strengthened in every virtue, in accord with the power of his glory, with all patience and longsuffering, 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 God the Father, who has made us worthy to have a share in the portion of the saints, in the 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 For he has rescued us from the power of darkness, and he has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love,
14 and in him we enjoy our freedom, the forgiveness of sin.	14 in whom we have redemption through his blood, the remission 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 first-born of every creature.
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 was created everything in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominations, or principalities, or powers. All things were created through him and in him.
17 He exists before al things and in him al things hold together,	17 And he is before all, and in him all things continue.
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 And he is the head of his body, the Church. He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, so that in all things he may hold primacy.
19 because God wanted al ful ness to be found in him	19 For the Father is well-pleased that all fullness reside in him,
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 that, through him, all things be reconciled to himself, making peace through the blood of his cross, for the things that are on earth, as well as the things that are in heaven.
21 You were once estranged and of hostile intent through your evil behaviour;	21 And you, though you had been, in times past, understood to be foreigners and enemies, with works of evil,
22 now he has reconciled you, by his death and in that mortal body, to bring you before himself holy,faultless and irreproachable-	22 yet now he has reconciled you, by his body of flesh, through death, so as to offer you, holy and immaculate and blameless, 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 So then, continue in the faith: well-founded and steadfast and immovable, by the hope of the Gospel that you have heard, which has been preached throughout all creation under heaven, the Gospel of which I, Paul, have become 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 For now I rejoice in my passion on your behalf, and I complete in my flesh the things that are lacking in the Passion of Christ, for the sake 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 For I have become a minister of the Church, according to the dispensation of God that has been given to me among you, so that I may fulfill 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 which had remained hidden to past ages and generations, but which now is manifested to his saints.
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 them, God willed to made known the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ and the hope of his glory within you.
28 this is the Christ we are proclaiming, admonishing and instructing everyone in all wisdom, to makeeveryone perfect in Christ.	28 We are announcing him, correcting every man and teaching every man, with all wisdom, so that we may offer every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
29 And it is for this reason that I labour, striving with his energy which works in me mightily.	29 In him, too, I labor, striving according to his action within me, which he works in virtue.