American Standard Version of 1901
Versliste
for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily,
and in him ye are made full, who is the head of all principality and power:
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.
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.
So also ye, unless ye utter by the tongue speech easy to be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? for ye will be speaking into the air.
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;
may be strong to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,
and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that ye may be filled unto all the fulness of God.
Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Being therefore justified {Greek: out of.}by faith, {Many ancient authorities read let us have.}we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ;
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.
For he is our peace, who made both one, and brake down the middle wall of partition,
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live;
and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die. Believest thou this?
For as the Father raiseth the dead and giveth them life, even so the Son also giveth life to whom he will.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that {Or, hearken}hear shall live.
and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand.
For our wrestling is not against {Greek: blood and flesh.}flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Jehovah is my strength and my shield;My heart hath trusted in him, and I am helped:Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth;And with my song will I praise him.
A Psalm of David.Jehovah is my light and my salvation;Whom shall I fear?Jehovah is the {Or, stronghold}strength of my life;Of whom shall I be afraid?
{Or, Henceforth}Finally, {Greek: be made powerful.}be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might.
Thou therefore, my child, be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
For the Chief Musician; after the manner of Jeduthun. A Psalm of David.My soul {Hebrew: is silent unto God.}waiteth in silence for God only:From him cometh my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation:He is my high tower; I shall not be greatly moved.
How long will ye set upon a man, {Or, as otherwise read. Ye shall be slain &c.}That ye may slay him, all of you,Like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?
They only consult to thrust him down from his dignity;They delight in lies;They bless with their mouth, but they curse inwardly. [Selah
My soul, {Hebrew: be thou silent unto God.}wait thou in silence for God only;For my expectation is from him.
He only is my rock and my salvation:He is my high tower; I shall not be moved.
With God is my salvation and my glory:The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God.
Trust in him at all times, ye people;Pour out your heart before him:God is a refuge for us. [Selah
Surely men of low degree are {Hebrew: a breath.}vanity, and men of high degree are a lie:In the balances they will go up;They are together lighter than {Hebrew: a breath.}vanity.
Trust not in oppression,And become not vain in robbery:If riches increase, set not your heart thereon.
God hath spoken once,Twice have I heard this,That power belongeth unto God.
Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth lovingkindness;For thou renderest to every man according to his work.
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.
Wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me out of {Or, this body of death}the body of this death?
{Many ancient authorities read But thanks be to God. Compare chapter 6:17.}I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then I of myself with the mind, indeed, serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
Yea verily, and I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ,
and be found in him, {Or, not having as my righteousness that which is of the law}not having a righteousness of mine own, even that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God {Greek: upon.}by faith:
And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
(for we walk by faith, not by {Greek: appearance.}sight);
For our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory;
while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
Now faith is {Or, the giving substance to}assurance of things hoped for, a {Or, test}conviction of things not seen.
holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof: from these also turn away.
Let not your heart be troubled: {Or, ye believe in God}believe in God, believe also in me.
In my Father's house are many {Or, abiding-places}mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
But we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning them that fall asleep; that ye sorrow not, even as the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that are fallen asleep {Greek: through. Or, will God through Jesus}in Jesus will God bring with him.
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we that are alive, that are left unto the {Or, presence}coming of the Lord, shall in no wise precede them that are fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore {Or, exhort chapter 5:11.}comfort one another with these words.
Now we beseech you, brethren, {Greek: in behalf of.}touching the {Greek: presence.}coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him;
to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand;
let no man beguile you in any wise: for it will not be, except the falling away come first, and the man of {Many ancient authorities read lawlessness.}sin be revealed, the son of perdition,
he that opposeth and exalteth himself against all that is called God or {Greek: an object of worship. Acts 17:23.}that is worshipped; so that he sitteth in the {Or, sanctuary}temple of God, setting himself forth as God.
Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season.
For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: {Or, only until he that now restraineth be taken &c.}only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way.
And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord {Some ancient authorities omit Jesus.}Jesus shall {Some ancient authorities read consume.}slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his {Greek: presence.}coming;
even he, whose {Greek: presence.}coming is according to the working of Satan with all {Greek: power and signs and wonders of falsehood.}power and signs and lying wonders,
and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that {Or, are perishing}perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie:
that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you {Many ancient authorities read as firstfruits.}from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and {Or, faith}belief of the truth:
whereunto he called you through our {Greek: good tidings: see chapter 1:8.}gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
So then, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye were taught, whether by word, or by epistle of ours.
Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace,
comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.