Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy {Greek: the brother.}our brother,
{Or, to those that are at Colossae, holy and faithful brethren in Christ}to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ that are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.
We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have toward all the saints,
because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the {Greek: good tidings: and so elsewhere; see marginal note on Matthew 4:23.}gospel,
which is come unto you; even as it is also in all the world bearing fruit and increasing, as it doth in you also, since the day ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth;
even as ye learned of Epaphras our beloved fellow-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on {Many ancient authorities read your.}our behalf,
who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit.
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
to walk worthily of the Lord {Or, unto all pleasing, in every good work, bearing fruit and increasing &c.}unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing {Or, by}in the knowledge of God;
{Greek: made powerful.}strengthened {Or, in}with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all {Or, stedfastness}patience and longsuffering with joy;
giving thanks unto the Father, who made {Some ancient authorities read you.}us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;
who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love;
in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins:
who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;
for in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him;
and he is before all things, and in him all things {That is, hold together.}consist.
And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; {Or, that among all he might have &c.}that in all things he might have the preeminence.
{Or, For the whole fullness of God was pleased to dwell in him}For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in him should all the fulness dwell;
and through him to reconcile all things {Or, into him}unto {Or, him}himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross; through him, I say, whether things upon the earth, or things in the heavens.
And you, being in time past alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works,
yet now {Some ancient authorities read ye have been reconciled.}hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without blemish and unreproveable before him:
if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the {Greek: good tidings: and so elsewhere; see marginal note on Matthew 4:23.}gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation under heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church;
whereof I was made a minister, according to the {Or, stewardship See 1 Corinthians 9:17}dispensation of God which was given me to you-ward, to fulfil the word of God,
even the mystery which hath been hid for {Or, from all the ages &c. Greek: from the ages and from the generations.}ages and generations: but now hath it been manifested to his saints,
to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ;
whereunto I labor also, striving according to his working, which worketh in me {Or, in power}mightily.
Querverweise zu Kolosser 1,27 Kol 1,27
But we received, not the spirit of the {See verse 6.}world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God.
Which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; {Or, interpreting spiritual things to spiritual men}combining spiritual things with spiritual words.
Now the {Or, unspiritual Greek: psychical.}natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually {Or, examined}judged.
in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden.
where there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bondman, freeman; but Christ is all, and in all.
because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the {Greek: good tidings: and so elsewhere; see marginal note on Matthew 4:23.}gospel,
But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place.
{Some ancient authorities omit and.}and that he might make known the riches of his glory upon vessels of mercy, which he afore prepared unto glory,
neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is {Or, in the mist of you}within you.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth;My flesh also shall dwell {Or, confidently}in safety.
For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol;Neither wilt thou suffer thy {Or, godly Or, beloved Another reading is, holy ones.}holy one to see {Or, the pit}corruption.
Thou wilt show me the path of life:In thy presence is fulness of joy;In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Seeing it is God, that said, {Genesis 1:3.}Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the {Greek: illumination.}light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
O the depth {Or, of the riches and the wisdom & c.}of the riches {Or, both of wisdom & c.}both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!
He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him.
through whom also we have had our access {Some ancient authorities omit by faith.}by faith into this grace wherein we stand; and {Or, let us rejoice}we {Greek: glory. Verse 11; Hebrew 3:6.}rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me, even from my mother's womb, and called me through his grace,
in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
even the Spirit of truth: whom the world cannot receive; for it beholdeth him not, neither knoweth him: ye know him; for he abideth with you, and shall be in you.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward.
to reveal his Son in me, that I might {See marginal note on Matthew 11:5.}preach him among the Gentiles; straightway I conferred not with flesh and blood:
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;
In that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God.
having the eyes of your heart enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory;
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, to {Greek: bring good tidings of the &c. Compare chapter 2:17.}preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
and to {Some ancient authorities read bring to light what is.}make all men see what is the dispensation of the mystery which for ages hath been hid in God who created all things;
to the intent that now unto the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of God,
Every branch in me that beareth not fruit, he taketh it away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he cleanseth it, that it may bear more fruit.
Already ye are clean because of the word which I have spoken unto you.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Saviour, and Christ Jesus our hope;
that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;
And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them; that they may be one, even as we are one;
Blessed be {Or, God and the Father See Romans 15:6 margin.}the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
And my God shall supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that thou didst send me, and lovedst them, even as thou lovedst me.
unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
and I made known unto them thy name, and will make it known; that the love wherewith thou lovedst me may be in them, and I in them.
And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness.
Know ye not that ye are a {Or, sanctuary}temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
And what agreement hath a {Or, santuary}temple of God with idols? for we are a {Or, santuary}temple of the living God; even as God said, {Leviticus 26:12; Exodus 29:45; Ezekiel 37:27; Jeremiah 31:1.}I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.
My little children, of whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you—
in whom ye also are builded together {Greek: into.}for a habitation of God in the Spirit.
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; to the end that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
Ye are of God, my little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.