ACV(i)
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Timothy the brother,
2 to the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always praying about you,
4 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love toward all the sanctified,
5 because of the hope being reserved for you in the heavens, which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the good news
6 being present for you, just as also in all the world. And it is bearing fruit and increasing, just as also among you from the day that ye heard and recognized the grace of God in truth.
7 Just as also ye learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow bondman, who is a faithful helper of the Christ for you,
8 the man who also made clear to us your love in spirit.
9 Because of this we also, from the day that we heard, cease not praying for you and making request that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
10 For you to walk worthily of the Lord for every desire to please, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing in the knowledge of God,
11 being strengthened in every ability, according to the dominion of his glory, for all perseverance and longsuffering with joy.
12 Giving thanks to the Father who made us qualified for the share of the portion of the sanctified in light.
13 Who rescued us out of the power of darkness, and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of his love,
14 in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
15 who is an image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 Because in him all things were created, things in the heavens and things upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or lordships or principal offices or positions of authority, all things have been created through him, and for him.
17 And he is before all, and in him all things hold together.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might become preeminent in all things.
19 Because in him it was considered good for all the fullness to dwell,
20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross, through him whether things upon the earth or things in the heavens.
21 And you, being formerly alienated and hostile in mind, in works, in things evil. But now he has reconciled
22 in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblemished and unblameable before him.
23 If ye truly continue in the faith, founded, and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the good news that ye heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I Paul became a helper.
24 I now rejoice in sufferings for you, and make complete in my flesh things lacking of the afflictions of the Christ for his body, which is the church.
25 Of which I became a helper according to the administration of God, which was given to me for you to fulfill the word of God,
26 the mystery that was hidden from the ages and from the generations, but has now been made known to his sanctified.
27 To whom God wanted to make known what is the wealth of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28 Whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, so that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
29 For which also I labor, striving according to his working, which works in me with power.