MODERN LITERAL VERSION

1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
1:2 to the holy and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse: grace to you* and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

1:3 We are giving-thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always praying concerning you*,
1:4 having heard of your* faith in Christ Jesus and of the love* which you * have toward all the holy-ones,
1:5 because of the hope that is laid up for you* in the heavens, of which you* heard beforehand in the word of the truth of the good-news.
1:6 This good-news which is present* with you*; just-as it also is in all the world and is bearing-fruit, just-as it also does in you*, since the day you* heard and fully knew the grace of God in truth;
1:7 just-as you* also learned of Epaphras our beloved fellow bondservant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on your* behalf,
1:8 who also indicated to us your* love* in the Spirit.

1:9 Because of this, we also, from the day we heard it, do not cease praying and asking on your* behalf, that* you* may be filled with the full knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
1:10 for you* to walk worthy of the Lord for* pleasing him in everything, bearing-fruit in every good work and growing into the full knowledge of God;
1:11 empowered with all power, according to the dominion of his glory, *for all endurance and patience with joy
1:12 giving-thanks to the Father. He who made us sufficient *for the part of the lot of the holy-ones in light.
1:13 He rescued us out of the authority of darkness and transplanted us into the kingdom of the Son of his love*;
1:14 in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins,
1:15 who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;
1:16 because all things were created by him, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth, the visible and invisible. Whether thrones or lordships or principalities or authorities, all things have been created through him and *for him.
1:17 And he is before all things and all things have been established in him.
1:18 And he is the head of the body, the {F} congregation*; who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that* he might become foremost in all things.
1:19 Because all the fullness was delighted to dwell in him;
1:20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself, whether things upon the earth or things upon the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him.
1:21 And you* were previously alienated and were enemies in your* mind and in your* evil works, yet now he has reconciled you *
1:22 in the body of his flesh through death, to present you* holy and unblemished and irreproachable in the sight of him;
1:23 if actually you* are abiding in the faith, having been founded and being grounded and not moved away from the hope of the good-news which you* heard, which was preached in all creation which is under heaven; of which I, Paul, became a servant.

1:24 Now I am rejoicing in my sufferings on your* behalf and I am filling up in my flesh, the deficit of the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the {F} congregation*;
1:25 of which I became a servant, according to the stewardship of God which was given to me *for you*, to fulfill the word of God,
1:26 the mystery that has been hid from the ages and generations, but now it has been manifested to his holy-ones.
1:27 To whom God willed to make known among the Gentiles what are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you*, the hope of glory.
1:28 The Christ whom we are proclaiming, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that* we may present every man mature in Christ Jesus;
1:29 *for which I also labor, struggling according to his working, which works in power in me.
{Footnotes: Co 1:24 Or: church/the one true church, Eph 4:1-6; discussed more in the Appendix.}