1. Paul, an apostle of Christ
Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2. To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace
to you from God our Father.
3. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray
for you,
4. because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love
you have for all the saints--
5. the faith and love that spring from the hope that is stored up for
you in heaven and that you have already heard about in the word of truth,
the gospel
6. that 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 understood God's grace in all its truth.
7. You learned it from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is a faithful
minister of Christ on our behalf,
8. and who also told us of your love in the Spirit.
9. For 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
through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
10. And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord
and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing
in the knowledge of God,
11. being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might
so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully
12. giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the
inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light.
13. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us
into the kingdom of the Son he loves,
14. in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.