Colossians 1:3–18

3 cWe give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, 5 For dthe hope which is elaid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in fthe word of the truth of the gospel; 6 Which is come unto you, gas it is in all the world; and hbringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew ithe grace of God in truth: 7 As ye also learned of kEpaphras our dear lfellowservant, who is for you la mfaithful minister of Christ; 8 Who also declared unto us your nlove oin the Spirit.

9 For this cause we also, csince the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire pthat ye might be filled with qthe knowledge of his will rin all wisdom and spiritual sunderstanding; 10 tThat ye might walk worthy of the Lord uunto all pleasing, hvbeing fruitful in wevery good work, and xincreasing in the knowledge of God; 11 yStrengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and zlongsuffering awith joyfulness; 12 bGiving thanks unto the Father, which hath cmade us meet to be dpartakers of dthe inheritance of the saints in light: 13 Who hath edelivered us from fthe power of gdarkness, and hath translated us hinto the kingdom of †his idear Son: 14 jIn whom we have redemption kthrough his blood, even lthe forgiveness of sins: 15 Who is mthe image of nthe invisible God, othe pfirstborn of every creature: 16 For qby him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be qqthrones, or rdominions, or stprincipalities, or rspowers: qall things were created uvby him, and ufor him: 17 And owhe is before all things, and qby him xall things xxconsist. 18 And yhe is the head of the body, the church: owho is zthe beginning, zathe firstborn from the dead; that ||in ball things he might have the preeminence.