ESV 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, NIV 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, ESV 2 To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. NIV 2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. ESV 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, NIV 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, ESV 4 since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, NIV 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— ESV 5 because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, NIV 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel ESV 6 which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing--as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, NIV 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. ESV 7 just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf NIV 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, ESV 8 and has made known to us your love in the Spirit. NIV 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. ESV 9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, NIV 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, ESV 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. NIV 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ESV 11 May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, NIV 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ESV 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. NIV 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ESV 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, NIV 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ESV 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. NIV 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. ESV 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. NIV 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ESV 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. NIV 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ESV 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. NIV 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ESV 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. NIV 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ESV 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, NIV 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ESV 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. NIV 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. ESV 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, NIV 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ESV 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, NIV 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ESV 23 if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. NIV 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. ESV 24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, NIV 24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. ESV 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, NIV 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— ESV 26 the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. NIV 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. ESV 27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. NIV 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ESV 28 Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. NIV 28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. ESV 29 For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. NIV 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.
NIV 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, NIV 2 To God’s holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. NIV 3 We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, NIV 4 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God’s people— NIV 5 the faith and love that spring from the hope stored up for you in heaven and about which you have already heard in the true message of the gospel NIV 6 that has come to you. In the same way, the gospel is bearing fruit and growing throughout the whole world—just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood God’s grace. NIV 7 You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, NIV 8 and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. NIV 9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, NIV 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, NIV 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, NIV 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. NIV 13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, NIV 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. NIV 15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. NIV 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. NIV 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. NIV 18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. NIV 19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, NIV 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. NIV 21 Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. NIV 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— NIV 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. NIV 24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. NIV 25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— NIV 26 the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people. NIV 27 To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. NIV 28 He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. NIV 29 To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.