The Darby Translation DBY
New Century Version NCV
1 Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus, by God's will, and Timotheus the brother,
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From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am an apostle because that is what God wanted. Also from Timothy, our brother.
2 to the holy and faithful brethren in Christ which [are] in Colosse. Grace to you and peace from God our Father [and Lord Jesus Christ].
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To the holy and faithful brothers and sisters in Christ that live in Colossae: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.
3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ continually [when] praying for you,
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In our prayers for you we always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
4 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love which ye have towards all the saints,
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because we have heard about the faith you have in Christ Jesus and the love you have for all of God's people.
5 on account of the hope which [is] laid up for you in the heavens; of which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the glad tidings,
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You have this faith and love because of your hope, and what you hope for is kept safe for you in heaven. You learned about this hope when you heard the message about the truth, the Good News
6 which are come to you, as [they are] in all the world, [and] are bearing fruit and growing, even as also among you, from the day ye heard [them] and knew indeed the grace of God, in truth:
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that was told to you. Everywhere in the world that Good News is bringing blessings and is growing. This has happened with you, too, since you heard the Good News and understood the truth about the grace of God.
7 even as ye learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow-bondman, who is a faithful minister of Christ for you,
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You learned about God's grace from Epaphras, whom we love. He works together with us and is a faithful servant of Christ for us.
8 who has also manifested to us your love in [the] Spirit.
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He also told us about the love you have from the Holy Spirit.
9 For this reason *we* also, from the day we heard [of your faith and love], do not cease praying and asking for you, to the end that ye may be filled with the full knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,
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Because of this, since the day we heard about you, we have continued praying for you, asking God that you will know fully what he wants. We pray that you will also have great wisdom and understanding in spiritual things
10 [so as] to walk worthily of the Lord unto all well-pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing by the true knowledge of God;
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so that you will live the kind of life that honors and pleases the Lord in every way. You will produce fruit in every good work and grow in the knowledge of God.
11 strengthened with all power according to the might of his glory unto all endurance and longsuffering with joy;
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God will strengthen you with his own great power so that you will not give up when troubles come, but you will be patient.
12 giving thanks to the Father, who has made us fit for sharing the portion of the saints in light,
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And you will joyfully give thanks to the Father who has made you able to have a share in all that he has prepared for his people in the kingdom of light.
13 who has delivered us from the authority of darkness, and translated [us] into the kingdom of the Son of his love:
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God has freed us from the power of darkness, and he brought us into the kingdom of his dear Son.
14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins;
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The Son paid for our sins, and in him we have forgiveness.
15 who is image of the invisible God, firstborn of all creation;
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No one can see God, but Jesus Christ is exactly like him. He ranks higher than everything that has been made.
16 because by him were created all things, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or lordships, or principalities, or authorities: all things have been created by him and for him.
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Through his power all things were made -- things in heaven and on earth, things seen and unseen, all powers, authorities, lords, and rulers. All things were made through Christ and for Christ.
17 And *he* is before all, and all things subsist together by him.
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He was there before anything was made, and all things continue because of him.
18 And *he* is the head of the body, the assembly; who is [the] beginning, firstborn from among the dead, that *he* might have the first place in all things:
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He is the head of the body, which is the church. Everything comes from him. He is the first one who was raised from the dead. So in all things Jesus has first place.
19 for in him all the fulness [of the Godhead] was pleased to dwell,
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God was pleased for all of himself to live in Christ.
20 and by him to reconcile all things to itself, having made peace by the blood of his cross -- by him, whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens.
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And through Christ, God has brought all things back to himself again -- things on earth and things in heaven. God made peace through the blood of Christ's death on the cross.
21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in mind by wicked works, yet now has it reconciled
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At one time you were separated from God. You were his enemies in your minds, and the evil things you did were against God.
22 in the body of his flesh through death; to present you holy and unblamable and irreproachable before it,
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But now God has made you his friends again. He did this through Christ's death in the body so that he might bring you into God's presence as people who are holy, with no wrong, and with nothing of which God can judge you guilty.
23 if indeed ye abide in the faith founded and firm, and not moved away from the hope of the glad tidings, which ye have heard, which have been proclaimed in the whole creation which [is] under heaven, of which *I* Paul became minister.
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This will happen if you continue strong and sure in your faith. You must not be moved away from the hope brought to you by the Good News that you heard. That same Good News has been told to everyone in the world, and I, Paul, help in preaching that Good News.
24 Now, I rejoice in sufferings for you, and I fill up that which is behind of the tribulations of Christ in my flesh, for his body, which is the assembly;
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I am happy in my sufferings for you. There are things that Christ must still suffer through his body, the church. I am accepting, in my body, my part of these things that must be suffered.
25 of which *I* became minister, according to the dispensation of God which [is] given me towards you to complete the word of God,
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I became a servant of the church because God gave me a special work to do that helps you, and that work is to tell fully the message of God.
26 the mystery which [has been] hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been made manifest to his saints;
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This message is the secret that was hidden from everyone since the beginning of time, but now it is made known to God's holy people.
27 to whom God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you the hope of glory:
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God decided to let his people know this rich and glorious secret which he has for all people. This secret is Christ himself, who is in you. He is our only hope for glory.
28 whom *we* announce, admonishing every man, and teaching every man, in all wisdom, to the end that we may present every man perfect in Christ.
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So we continue to preach Christ to each person, using all wisdom to warn and to teach everyone, in order to bring each one into God's presence as a mature person in Christ.
29 Whereunto also I toil, combating according to his working, which works in me in power.
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To do this, I work and struggle, using Christ's great strength that works so powerfully in me.
The Darby Translation is in the public domain.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.