American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not when they refused him that warned them on earth, much more shall not we escape who turn away from him {Or, that is from heaven}that warneth from heaven:
whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, {Haggai 2:6.}Yet once more will I make to tremble not the earth only, but also the heaven.
And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, that those things which are not shaken may remain.
Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have {Or, thankfulness Compare 1 Corinthians 10:30.}grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with {Or, godly fear Compare chapter 5:7.}reverence and awe:
for our God is a consuming fire.
hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in {Greek: a Son.}his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the {Greek: ages. Compare 1 Timothy 1:17}worlds;
who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
And he that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he saith, {Or, Write, These words are faithful and true.}Write: for these words are faithful and true.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, to the saints that are {Some very ancient authorities omit at Ephesus.}at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be {Or, God and the Father See Romans 15:6 margin}the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ:
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before {Or, him: having in love foreordained us}him in love:
having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
to the praise of the glory of his grace, {Or, wherewith he endued us}which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved:
in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
{Or, wherewith he abounded}which he made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
making known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he purposed in him
unto a dispensation of the fulness of the {Greek: seasons.}times, to sum up all things in Christ, the things {Greek: upon.}in the heavens, and the things upon the earth; in him, I say,
in whom also we were made a heritage, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his will;
to the end that we should be unto the praise of his glory, we who {Or, have}had before hoped in Christ:
in whom ye also, having heard the word of the truth, the {Or, good tidings. See marginal note on Matthew 4:23.}gospel of your salvation,— in whom, having also believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,
which is an earnest of our inheritance, unto the redemption of God's own possession, unto the praise of his glory.
For this cause I also, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which is {Or, in}among you, and {Many ancient authorities omit the love.}the love which ye show toward all the saints,
cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
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;
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,
and what the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to that working of the strength of his might
which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and made him to sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,
far above all rule, and authority, and power, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this {Greek: age.}world, but also in that which is to come:
and he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him to be head over all things to the church,
which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
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.
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away from them.
For if the word spoken through angels proved stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;
how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard;
God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by {Greek: distributions.}gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will.
For not unto angels did he subject {Greek: the inhabited earth.}the world to come, whereof we speak.
But one hath somewhere testified, saying, {Psalm 8:4 ff.}What is man, that thou art mindful of him?Or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Thou madest him {Or, for a little while lower}a little lower than the angels;Thou crownedst him with glory and honor, {Many authorities omit And didst…hands.}And didst set him over the works of thy hands:
Thou didst put all things in subjection under his feet.For in that he subjected all things unto him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we see not yet all things subjected to him.
But we behold him who hath been made {Or, for a little while lower}a little lower than the angels, even Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for every man.
For it became him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, {Or, having brought}in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the {Or, captain}author of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
For both he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
saying, {Psalm 22:22}I will declare thy name unto my brethren,In the midst of the {Or, church}congregation will I sing thy praise.
And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, {Isaiah 8:17 f.}Behold, I and the children whom God hath given me.
Since then the children are sharers in {Greek: blood and flesh. Ephesians 6:12}flesh and blood, he also himself in like manner partook of the same; that through death he {Or, may}might bring to nought him that {Or, hath}had the power of death, that is, the devil;
and {Or, may}might deliver all them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
{Greek: For verily not of angels doth he take hold, but he taketh hold of &c. Compare Isaiah 41:9; Ecclus 4:11; chapter 8, 9 (in the Greek).}For verily not to angels doth he give help, but he giveth help to the seed of Abraham.
Wherefore it behooved him in all things to be made like unto his brethren, that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
{Or, For having been himself tempted in that wherein he hath suffered}For {Or, wherein}in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.
After these things I saw, and behold, a door opened in heaven, and the first voice that I heard, a voice as of a trumpet speaking with me, one saying, Come up hither, and I will show thee the things which must {Or, come to pass. After these things straightway & c.}come to pass hereafter.
Straightway I was in the Spirit: and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting upon the throne;
and he that sat was to look upon like a jasper stone and a sardius: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, like an emerald to look upon.
And round about the throne were four and twenty thrones: and upon the thrones I saw four and twenty elders sitting, arrayed in white garments; and on their heads crowns of gold.
And out of the throne proceed lightnings and voices and thunders. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God;
and before the throne, as it were a {Or, glassy sea}sea of glass like unto crystal; and in the midst {Or, before See chapter 7:17; compare 5:6}of the throne, and round about the throne, four living creatures full of eyes before and behind.
And the first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face as of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle.
And the four living creatures, having each one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about and within: and they have no rest day and night, saying,Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and {Or, who cometh}who is to come.
And when the living creatures shall give glory and honor and thanks to him that sitteth on the throne, to him that liveth {Greek: unto the ages of the ages.}for ever and ever,
the four and twenty elders shall fall down before him that sitteth on the throne, and shall worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and shall cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
Worthy art thou, our Lord and our God, to receive the glory and the honor and the power: for thou didst create all things, and because of thy will they were, and were created.