| New King James Version | New International Version |
| 1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, | 1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, |
| 2To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. | 2To God's holy people in Colossae, the faithful brothers and sisters in Christ: Grace and peace to you from God our Father. |
| 3We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, | 3We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, |
| 4since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of your love for all the saints; | 4because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all God's people-- |
| 5because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, | 5the 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 |
| 6which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; | 6that 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. |
| 7as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, | 7You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf, |
| 8who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. | 8and who also told us of your love in the Spirit. |
| 9For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; | 9For 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, |
| 10that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; | 10so 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, |
| 11strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; | 11being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, |
| 12giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. | 12and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. |
| 13He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, | 13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, |
| 14in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. | 14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. |
| 15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. | 15The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. |
| 16For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. | 16For 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. |
| 17And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. | 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. |
| 18And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. | 18And 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. |
| 19For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, | 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, |
| 20and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. | 20and 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. |
| 21And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled | 21Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. |
| 22in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— | 22But 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-- |
| 23if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. | 23if 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. |
| 24I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, | 24Now 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. |
| 25of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, | 25I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness-- |
| 26the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. | 26the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the Lord's people. |
| 27To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. | 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. |
| 28Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. | 28He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. |
| 29To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily. | 29To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | New International Version (NIV) Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. |
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