Colossians 1:13–29

The Incomparable Christ

13 1For He rescued us from the 2adomain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of 3bHis beloved Son,

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

15 1He is the aimage of the binvisible God, the cfirstborn of all creation.

16 For 1aby Him all things were created, aboth in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether bthrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—call things have been created through Him and for Him.

17 He 1ais before all things, and in Him all things 2hold together.

18 He is also ahead of bthe body, the church; and He is cthe beginning, dthe firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.

19 For 1it was athe Father’s good pleasure for all bthe 2fullness to dwell in Him,

20 and through Him to areconcile all things to Himself, having made bpeace through cthe blood of His cross; through Him, I say, dwhether things on earth or things in 1heaven.

21 And although you were aformerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,

22 yet He has now areconciled you in His fleshly bbody through death, in order to cpresent you before Him dholy and blameless and beyond reproach—

23 if indeed you continue in 1the faith firmly aestablished and steadfast, and not moved away from the bhope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed cin all creation under heaven, dand of which I, Paul, 2was made a 3eminister.

24 aNow I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh bI 1do my share on behalf of cHis body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking 2in Christ’s afflictions.

25 aOf this church I 1was made a minister according to the bstewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might 2fully carry out the preaching of the word of God,

26 that is, athe mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His 1saints,

27 to whom aGod willed to make known what is bthe riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is cChrist in you, the dhope of glory.

28 We proclaim Him, aadmonishing every man and teaching every man 1with all bwisdom, so that we may cpresent every man 2dcomplete in Christ.

29 For this purpose also I alabor, bstriving caccording to His 1power, which 2mightily works within me.