Colossians · Unlocked Literal Bible
Colossians 1 Unlocked Literal Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2 to the believers and faithful brothers in Christ who are at Colossae. May grace be to you, and peace from God our Father.
2 to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and we always pray for you.
3 We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
4 We have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all those set apart for God.
4 having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love which you have toward all the saints,
5 You have this love because of the certain hope reserved for you in heaven. You heard about this confident expectation before in the word of truth, the gospel,
5 because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the Good News
6 which has come to you. This gospel is bearing fruit and is growing in all the world. It has been doing this in you also from the day you heard it and learned about the grace of God in truth.
6 which has come to you, even as it is in all the world and is bearing fruit and growing, as it does in you also, since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth,
7 This is the gospel as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf.
7 even as you learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on your behalf,
8 Epaphras has made known to us your love in the Spirit.
8 who also declared to us your love in the Spirit.
9 Because of this love, from the day we heard this we have not stopped praying for you. We have been asking that you will be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
9 For this cause, we also, since the day we heard this, don’t cease praying and making requests for you, that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,
10 We have been praying that you will walk worthily of the Lord in pleasing ways. We have been praying that you will bear fruit in every good deed and that you will grow in the knowledge of God.
10 that you may walk worthily of the Lord, to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God,
11 We pray you may be strengthened in every ability according to the power of his glory into all perseverance and patience.
11 strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, for all endurance and perseverance with joy,
12 We pray that you will joyfully give thanks to the Father, who has made you able to have a share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
12 giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light,
13 He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.
13 who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of his love,
14 In his Son we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
14 in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins.
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God. He is the firstborn of all creation.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16 For by him all things were created, those in the heavens and those on the earth, the visible and the invisible things. Whether thrones or dominions or governments or authorities, all things were created by him and for him.
16 For by him all things were created in the heavens and on the earth, visible things and invisible things, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things have been created through him and for him.
17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
17 He is before all things, and in him all things are held together.
18 He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so he has first place among all things.
18 He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19 For God was pleased that all his fullness should live in him,
19 For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him,
20 and to reconcile through the Son all things to himself. God made peace through the blood of his cross. God reconciled all things to himself, whether the things on the earth or the things in heaven.
20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by him, whether things on the earth or things in the heavens, having made peace through the blood of his cross.
21 At one time, you also were strangers to God and were his enemies in mind and in evil deeds.
21 You, being in past times alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil deeds,
22 But now he has reconciled you by his physical body through death. He did this in order to present you holy, blameless, and above reproach before him,
22 yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and without defect and blameless before him,
23 if you continue in the faith, established and firm, not moved away from the certain hope of the gospel that you heard. This is the gospel that was proclaimed to every person created under heaven. This is the gospel of which I, Paul, became a servant.
23 if it is so that you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Good News which you heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, was made a servant.
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ for the sake of his body, which is the church.
24 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 assembly,
25 It is of this church that I am a servant, according to the responsibility from God that was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God.
25 of which I was made a servant according to the stewardship of God which was given me toward you to fulfill the word of God,
26 This is the secret truth that was hidden for ages and for generations. But now it has been revealed to those who believe in him.
26 the mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations. But now it has been revealed to his saints,
27 It is to them that God wanted to make known the riches of the glory of this secret truth among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
27 to whom God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
28 This is he whom we proclaim. We admonish every person, and we teach every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ.
28 We proclaim him, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus;
29 For this I labor and strive according to his energy that is at work in me in power.
29 for which I also labor, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
People
Epaphras
A faithful minister of Christ who taught the Colossians, wrestled for them in prayer, and was Paul's fellow prisoner.
Cited in the guide: Colossians 1:7; Colossians 4:12; Philemon 23
Cross references (29)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 2 Corinthians 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:1; Philemon 1; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; Romans 1:1
- 2 2 Peter 1:2; Ephesians 1:1; Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Revelation 1:4
- 3 1 Thessalonians 1:2; 2 Timothy 1:3; Colossians 1:9; Romans 1:8–9; 1 Corinthians 1:4
- 4 Ephesians 1:15; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; Hebrews 6:10; Philemon 5
- 5 1 Peter 1:3–4; Ephesians 1:13; 2 Timothy 4:8; Titus 1:2; Colossians 1:27
- 6 John 15:16; Philippians 1:11; Colossians 1:23; 1 Peter 5:12; Romans 10:17–18
- 7 Colossians 4:12; Philemon 23; Hebrews 2:17; Colossians 4:7; Hebrews 3:2
- 8 Romans 15:30; 2 Timothy 1:7; Galatians 5:22; Romans 5:5; Colossians 1:4
- 9 James 3:17; Philippians 1:9–11; James 1:5; Ephesians 1:15–20; Colossians 4:5
- 10 Ephesians 4:1; Hebrews 13:21; 2 Peter 1:2–3; John 15:16; 1 John 3:22
- 11 Ephesians 3:16; Philippians 4:13; Ephesians 6:10; Ephesians 4:2; Romans 5:3–5
- 12 Acts 20:32; Ephesians 1:11; Ephesians 1:18; Acts 26:18; Romans 8:17
- 13 Ephesians 5:8; Acts 26:18; 1 Peter 2:9; Titus 3:3–6; 1 Thessalonians 2:12
- 14 Ephesians 1:7; Romans 3:24–25; 1 Peter 1:19–20; Hebrews 9:12; Hebrews 9:22
- 15 Hebrews 1:3; John 14:9; John 1:1; 2 Corinthians 4:4; John 1:18
- 16 Romans 11:36; John 1:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Hebrews 2:10; 1 Chronicles 29:11
- 17 Hebrews 1:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; John 17:5; John 8:58; John 1:1–3
- 18 Ephesians 1:22–23; Revelation 1:5; Ephesians 4:15–16; 1 Corinthians 15:20–23; Matthew 28:18
- 19 Colossians 2:9; John 1:16; Ephesians 1:23; Colossians 2:3; Colossians 3:11
- 20 2 Corinthians 5:18–21; Ephesians 1:10; 1 John 4:9–10; Ephesians 2:13–17; Colossians 1:21–22
- 21 Ephesians 2:12; Titus 3:3–7; Ephesians 2:1–3; Romans 5:9–10; Ephesians 4:18
- 22 Ephesians 5:27; Ephesians 1:4; Jude 24; Hebrews 10:10; Titus 2:14
- 23 Hebrews 3:14; Hebrews 3:6; Matthew 24:13–14; Galatians 6:9; Hebrews 10:38
- 24 Romans 5:3; 2 Timothy 1:8; 2 Corinthians 1:5–8; 2 Timothy 2:9–10; Philippians 3:10
- 25 Ephesians 3:2; Colossians 1:23; Galatians 2:7–8; 2 Timothy 4:2–5; 1 Thessalonians 3:2
- 26 Luke 8:10; Romans 16:25–26; Ephesians 3:3–10; 1 Corinthians 2:7; Matthew 13:11
- 27 John 14:20; Romans 8:10; Ephesians 3:16–17; 1 John 4:4; Galatians 2:20
- 28 Ephesians 5:27; Jeremiah 3:15; Ephesians 4:11–13; Matthew 5:48; Colossians 3:16
- 29 1 Corinthians 15:10; Ephesians 1:19; 1 Corinthians 9:25–27; Ephesians 3:7; Philippians 2:13
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Holy indeed are all the Epistles of Paul: but some advantage have those which he sent after he was in bonds: those, for instance, to the Ephesians and Philemon: that to Timothy, that to the Philippians, and the one before us: for this also was sent when he was a prisoner, since he writes in it thus: "for which I …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 13 (1889)
This being was endowed with all power by the Father, who placed everything under his authority, the Æons doing so likewise, so that "by him were all things, visible and invisible, created, thrones, divinities, dominions." He then was sent to her along with his contemporary angels.
But yet the Scripture hath not declared that God made this formlessness, any more than it hath declared many other things; as the Cherubim,' and Seraphim,' and those of which the apostle distinctly speaks, Thrones,' Dominions,' Principalities,' Powers,' all of which it is manifest God made.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
For in proof that He meant this, and that before the taking of Jerusalem the gospel was preached, hear what Paul saith, "Their sound went into all the earth;" and again, "The gospel which was preached to every creature which is under Heaven." And seest thou him running from Jerusalem unto Spain?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
… bodies: One the Creator of heaven and earth, the Maker of Angels and Archangels: of many the Creator, but of One only the Father before all ages,--of One only, His Only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, by Whom He made all things visible and invisible.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)