1 Paul, apostle of Christ Jesus, by God's will, and Timotheus the brother,2 to the holy and faithful brethren in Christ which {are} in Colosse. Grace to you and peace from God our Father {and Lord Jesus Christ}.3 We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ continually {when} praying for you,4 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and the love which ye have towards all the saints,5 on account of the hope which {is} laid up for you in the heavens; of which ye heard before in the word of the truth of the glad tidings,6 which are come to you, as {they are} in all the world, {and} are bearing fruit and growing, even as also among you, from the day ye heard {them} and knew indeed the grace of God, in truth:7 even as ye learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow-bondman, who is a faithful minister of Christ for you,8 who has also manifested to us your love in {the} Spirit.9 For this reason *we* also, from the day we heard {of your faith and love}, do not cease praying and asking for you, to the end that ye may be filled with the full knowledge of his will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,10 {so as} to walk worthily of the Lord unto all well-pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and growing by the true knowledge of God;11 strengthened with all power according to the might of his glory unto all endurance and longsuffering with joy;12 giving thanks to the Father, who has made us fit for sharing the portion of the saints in light,13 who has delivered us from the authority of darkness, and translated {us} into the kingdom of the Son of his love:14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins;15 who is image of the invisible God, firstborn of all creation;16 because by him were created all things, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones, or lordships, or principalities, or authorities: all things have been created by him and for him.17 And *he* is before all, and all things subsist together by him.18 And *he* is the head of the body, the assembly; who is {the} beginning, firstborn from among the dead, that *he* might have the first place in all things:19 for in him all the fulness {of the Godhead} was pleased to dwell,20 and by him to reconcile all things to itself, having made peace by the blood of his cross-by him, whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens.21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in mind by wicked works, yet now has it reconciled22 in the body of his flesh through death; to present you holy and unblamable and irreproachable before it,23 if indeed ye abide in the faith founded and firm, and not moved away from the hope of the glad tidings, which ye have heard, which have been proclaimed in the whole creation which {is} under heaven, of which *I* Paul became minister.24 Now, I rejoice in sufferings for you, and I fill up that which is behind of the tribulations of Christ in my flesh, for his body, which is the assembly;25 of which *I* became minister, according to the dispensation of God which {is} given me towards you to complete the word of God,26 the mystery which {has been} hidden from ages and from generations, but has now been made manifest to his saints;27 to whom God would make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the nations, which is Christ in you the hope of glory:28 whom *we* announce, admonishing every man, and teaching every man, in all wisdom, to the end that we may present every man perfect in Christ.29 Whereunto also I toil, combating according to his working, which works in me in power.

1 Paulus, 'n apostel van Jesus Christus deur die wil van God, en die broeder Timothes,2 aan die heilige en gelowige broeders in Christus wat in Kolosse is: Genade vir julle en vrede van God onse Vader en die Here Jesus Christus!3 Ons dank die God en Vader van onse Here Jesus Christus altyd as ons vir julle bid,4 omdat ons gehoor het van julle geloof in Christus Jesus en julle liefde tot al die heiliges,5 vanweë die hoop wat vir julle weggelê is in die hemele, waarvan julle vroeër gehoor het deur die woord van die waarheid van die evangelie,6 wat julle sowel as die hele wêreld bereik het; en dit dra vrug, net soos onder julle ook, van die dag af dat julle dit gehoor het en die genade van God in waarheid leer ken het;7 soos julle ook geleer het van pafras, ons geliefde mededienskneg, wat 'n getroue dienaar van Christus vir julle is,8 wat ook julle liefde in die Gees aan ons te kenne gegee het.9 Daarom hou ons ook nie op nie, van die dag af dat ons dit gehoor het, om vir julle te bid en te vra dat julle vervul mag word met die kennis van sy wil in alle wysheid en geestelike insig,10 sodat julle waardiglik voor die Here mag wandel om Hom in alles te behaag en julle in elke goeie werk vrug mag dra en in die kennis van God mag groei,11 en met alle krag bekragtig word volgens die mag van sy heerlikheid tot alle lydsaamheid en lankmoedigheid met blydskap,12 en die Vader mag dank wat ons bekwaam gemaak het om deel te hê aan die erfdeel van die heiliges in die lig --13 Hy wat ons verlos het uit die mag van die duisternis en oorgebring het in die koninkryk van die Seun van sy liefde,14 in wie ons die verlossing het deur sy bloed, naamlik die vergifnis van die sondes.15 Hy is die Beeld van die onsienlike God, die Eersgeborene van die hele skepping;16 want in Hom is alle dinge geskape wat in die hemele en op die aarde is, wat sienlik en onsienlik is, trone sowel as heerskappye en owerhede en magte -- alle dinge is deur Hom en tot Hom geskape.17 En Hy is voor alle dinge, en in Hom hou alle dinge stand.18 En Hy is die Hoof van die liggaam, naamlik die gemeente; Hy wat die begin is, die Eersgeborene uit die dode, sodat Hy in alles die eerste kan wees.19 Want dit het die Vader behaag dat in Hom die ganse volheid sou woon20 en dat Hy deur Hom alles met Homself sou versoen nadat Hy vrede gemaak het deur die bloed van sy kruis -- ek sê deur Hom -- die dinge op die aarde sowel as die dinge in die hemele.21 Ook julle wat vroeër vervreemd was en vyandig gesind deur die bose werke, het Hy nou versoen22 in die liggaam van sy vlees deur die dood, om julle heilig en sonder gebrek en onberispelik voor Hom te stel;23 as julle ten minste gegrond en vas bly in die geloof en julle nie laat afbring van die hoop van die evangelie nie, wat julle gehoor het en wat verkondig is in die ganse mensdom onder die hemel, waarvan ek, Paulus, 'n dienaar geword het.24 Nou verbly ek my in my lyding vir julle en vul in my vlees aan die oorblyfsels van die verdrukking van Christus vir sy liggaam, wat die gemeente is;25 waarvan ek 'n dienaar geword het volgens die bediening van God wat aan my gegee is in julle belang, om die woord van God te vervul,26 naamlik die verborgenheid wat van die eeue en geslagte af verborge was, maar nou geopenbaar is aan sy heiliges,27 aan wie God wou bekend maak wat die rykdom van die heerlikheid van hierdie verborgenheid onder die heidene is, dit is Christus onder julle, die hoop van die heerlikheid.28 Hom verkondig ons, terwyl ons elke mens vermaan en elke mens in alle wysheid onderrig, om elke mens volmaak in Christus Jesus voor te stel;29 waarvoor ek arbei en stry volgens sy werking wat in my werk met krag.