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Colossians 1
New King James Version

### Greeting

1 Paul, (A)an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 To the saints (B)and faithful brethren in Christ who are in Colosse:

(C)Grace to you and peace from God our Father [a]and the Lord Jesus Christ.

### Their Faith in Christ

3 (D)We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 (E)since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of (F)your love for all the saints; 5 because of the hope (G)which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, 6 which has come to you, (H)as it has also in all the world, and (I)is bringing forth [b]fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew (J)the grace of God in truth; 7 as you also learned from (K)Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who is (L)a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 8 who also declared to us your (M)love in the Spirit.

### Preeminence of Christ

9 (N)For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask (O)that you may be filled with (P)the knowledge of His will (Q)in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 (R)that you may walk worthy of the Lord, (S)fully pleasing Him, (T)being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the (U)knowledge of God; 11 (V)strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, (W)for all patience and longsuffering (X)with joy; 12 (Y)giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of (Z)the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from (AA)the power of darkness (AB)and [c]conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 (AC)in whom we have redemption [d]through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

15 He is (AD)the image of the invisible God, (AE)the firstborn over all creation. 16 For (AF)by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or (AG)dominions or [e]principalities or [f]powers. All things were created (AH)through Him and for Him. 17 (AI)And He is before all things, and in Him (AJ)all things consist. 18 And (AK)He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, (AL)the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

### Reconciled in Christ

19 For it pleased the Father that (AM)in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and (AN)by Him to reconcile (AO)all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, (AP)having made peace through the blood of His cross.

21 And you, (AQ)who once were alienated and enemies in your mind (AR)by wicked works, yet now He has (AS)reconciled 22 (AT)in the body of His flesh through death, (AU)to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— 23 if indeed you continue (AV)in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are (AW)not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard, (AX)which was preached to every creature under heaven, (AY)of which I, Paul, became a minister.

### Sacrificial Service for Christ

24 (AZ)I now rejoice in my sufferings (BA)for you, and fill up in my flesh (BB)what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for (BC)the sake of His body, which is the church, 25 of which I became a minister according to (BD)the [g]stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, 26 (BE)the [h]mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, (BF)but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 (BG)To them God willed to make known what are (BH)the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: [i]which is (BI)Christ in you, (BJ)the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, (BK)warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, (BL)that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me (BM)mightily.

#### Footnotes

1. Colossians 1:2 NU omits and the Lord Jesus Christ
2. Colossians 1:6 NU, M add and growing
3. Colossians 1:13 transferred
4. Colossians 1:14 NU, M omit through His blood
5. Colossians 1:16 rulers
6. Colossians 1:16 authorities
7. Colossians 1:25 dispensation or administration
8. Colossians 1:26 secret or hidden truth
9. Colossians 1:27 M who

#### Cross references

1. Colossians 1:1 : Eph. 1:1
2. Colossians 1:2 : 1 Cor. 4:17
3. Colossians 1:2 : Gal. 1:3
4. Colossians 1:3 : 1 Cor. 1:4; Eph. 1:16; Phil. 1:3
5. Colossians 1:4 : Eph. 1:15
6. Colossians 1:4 : [Heb. 6:10]
7. Colossians 1:5 : [1 Pet. 1:4]
8. Colossians 1:6 : Matt. 24:14
9. Colossians 1:6 : John 15:16
10. Colossians 1:6 : Eph. 3:2
11. Colossians 1:7 : Col. 4:12; Philem. 23
12. Colossians 1:7 : 1 Cor. 4:1, 2; 2 Cor. 11:23
13. Colossians 1:8 : Rom. 15:30
14. Colossians 1:9 : Eph. 1:15–17
15. Colossians 1:9 : 1 Cor. 1:5
16. Colossians 1:9 : [Rom. 12:2]; Eph. 5:17
17. Colossians 1:9 : Eph. 1:8
18. Colossians 1:10 : Eph. 4:1; Phil. 1:27; 1 Thess. 2:12
19. Colossians 1:10 : 1 Thess. 4:1
20. Colossians 1:10 : Heb. 13:21
21. Colossians 1:10 : 2 Pet. 3:18
22. Colossians 1:11 : [Eph. 3:16; 6:10]
23. Colossians 1:11 : Eph. 4:2
24. Colossians 1:11 : [Acts 5:41]; 2 Cor. 8:2; [Heb. 10:34]
25. Colossians 1:12 : [Eph. 5:20]
26. Colossians 1:12 : Eph. 1:11
27. Colossians 1:13 : Eph. 6:12
28. Colossians 1:13 : 2 Pet. 1:11
29. Colossians 1:14 : Eph. 1:7
30. Colossians 1:15 : 2 Cor. 4:4; Heb. 1:3
31. Colossians 1:15 : Ps. 89:27; Rev. 3:14
32. Colossians 1:16 : John 1:3; Heb. 1:2, 3
33. Colossians 1:16 : [Eph. 1:20, 21; Col. 2:15]
34. Colossians 1:16 : John 1:3; Rom. 11:36; 1 Cor. 8:6; Heb. 2:10
35. Colossians 1:17 : [John 17:5]
36. Colossians 1:17 : Heb. 1:3
37. Colossians 1:18 : 1 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 1:22
38. Colossians 1:18 : Rev. 1:5
39. Colossians 1:19 : John 1:16
40. Colossians 1:20 : Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:14
41. Colossians 1:20 : 2 Cor. 5:18
42. Colossians 1:20 : Eph. 1:10
43. Colossians 1:21 : [Eph. 2:1]
44. Colossians 1:21 : Titus 1:15
45. Colossians 1:21 : 2 Cor. 5:18, 19
46. Colossians 1:22 : 2 Cor. 5:18; [Eph. 2:14–16]
47. Colossians 1:22 : [Eph. 5:27]; Col. 1:28
48. Colossians 1:23 : Eph. 3:17; Col. 2:7
49. Colossians 1:23 : [John 15:6]; 1 Cor. 15:58
50. Colossians 1:23 : Mark 16:15; Acts 2:5; Rom. 10:18; Col. 1:6
51. Colossians 1:23 : Acts 1:17; Eph. 3:7; Col. 1:25
52. Colossians 1:24 : 2 Cor. 7:4
53. Colossians 1:24 : Eph. 3:1, 13
54. Colossians 1:24 : [Rom. 8:17; 2 Cor. 1:5; 12:15]; Phil. 2:17
55. Colossians 1:24 : Eph. 1:23
56. Colossians 1:25 : Gal. 2:7
57. Colossians 1:26 : [1 Cor. 2:7]
58. Colossians 1:26 : [2 Tim. 1:10]
59. Colossians 1:27 : 2 Cor. 2:14
60. Colossians 1:27 : Rom. 9:23
61. Colossians 1:27 : [Rom. 8:10, 11]
62. Colossians 1:27 : 1 Tim. 1:1
63. Colossians 1:28 : Acts 20:20
64. Colossians 1:28 : Eph. 5:27
65. Colossians 1:29 : Eph. 3:7

New King James Version (NKJV)

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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