Colossians 1:9–22

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

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

^11astrengthened 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.

The Incomparable Christ

¹³¹For He rescued us from the ^2adomain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of ^3bHis beloved Son,

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

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

¹⁶For ^1aby Him all things were created, both 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.

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

¹⁸He 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.

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

²⁰and 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.

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

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