Colossians 1:9–22

⁹For this reason also, ^asince the day we heard, ^bwe have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the ^1cfull knowledge of His will in all spiritual ^dwisdom and understanding,

¹⁰so that you may ^awalk in a manner worthy of the Lord, ^1bto please Him in all respects, ^cbearing fruit in every good work and ²multiplying in the ³full knowledge of God;

^11abeing strengthened with all power, according to ¹His glorious might, ²for the attaining of all steadfastness and ³patience; ^bjoyously

¹²giving thanks to ^athe Father, who has qualified us ¹to share in ^bthe inheritance of the ²saints in ^clight.

¹³Who rescued us from the ^aauthority of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of ^bthe Son of His love,

^14ain whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Firstborn of All Creation

¹⁵¹Who is the ^aimage of the ^binvisible God, the ^cfirstborn of all creation.

¹⁶For ^1ain Him all things were created, ^bboth in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether ^cthrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—^dall things have been created through Him and for Him.

¹⁷And He ^1ais before all things,

And in Him all things ²hold together.

¹⁸And He is the ^ahead of ^bthe body, the church;

Who is ^cthe beginning, ^dthe firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

¹⁹For in Him ¹all ^athe fullness of God ^bwas pleased to dwell,

²⁰And through Him to ^areconcile all things to Himself, having made ^bpeace through ^cthe blood of His cross—through Him—^dwhether things on earth or things in ¹heaven.

²¹And although you were ^aformerly alienated and enemies in mind and in evil deeds,

²²but now He ^areconciled you in the ^bbody of His flesh through death, in order to ^cpresent you before Him ^dholy and blameless and beyond reproach—