| Berean Study Bible | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, | 1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, and Timothy our brother: |
| 2To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. | 2To the saints in Christ at Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters. Grace to you and peace from God our Father. |
| 3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, | 3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, |
| 4because we have heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints— | 4for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints |
| 5the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel | 5because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel |
| 6that has come to you. All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it has been doing among you since the day you heard it and truly understood the grace of God. | 6that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God's grace. |
| 7You learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, | 7You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, |
| 8and who also informed us of your love in the Spirit. | 8and he has told us about your love in the Spirit. |
| 9For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, | 9For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven't stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, |
| 10so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord and may please Him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, | 10so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, |
| 11being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might so that you may have full endurance and patience, and joyfully | 11being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully |
| 12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. | 12giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints' inheritance in the light. |
| 13He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son, | 13He has rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. |
| 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. | 14In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. |
| 15The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. | 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. |
| 16For in Him all things were created, things 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. | 16For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through him and for him. |
| 17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. | 17He is before all things, and by him all things hold together. |
| 18And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence. | 18He is also the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. |
| 19For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, | 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, |
| 20and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through the blood of His cross. | 20and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. |
| 21Once you were alienated from God and were hostile in your minds because of your evil deeds. | 21Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds expressed in your evil actions. |
| 22But now He has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy, unblemished, and blameless in His presence— | 22But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through his death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before him-- |
| 23if indeed you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant. | 23if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it. |
| 24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions for the sake of His body, which is the church. | 24Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for his body, that is, the church. |
| 25I became its servant by the commission God gave me to fully proclaim to you the word of God, | 25I have become its servant, according to God's commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, |
| 26the mystery that was hidden for ages and generations but is now revealed to His saints. | 26the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. |
| 27To 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. | 27God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. |
| 28We proclaim Him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. | 28We proclaim him, warning and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone mature in Christ. |
| 29To this end I also labor, striving with all His energy working powerfully within me. | 29I labor for this, striving with his strength that works powerfully in me. |
|
