Pablo^a, apóstol de Jesucristo por¹ la voluntad de Dios^b, y el hermano Timoteo^c, 2 a los santos y fieles hermanos en Cristo^a que están en Colosas: Gracia a vosotros y paz de parte de Dios nuestro Padre^b.

3 Damos gracias a Dios^a, el Padre de nuestro Señor Jesucristo^b, orando siempre por vosotros, 4 al oír de vuestra fe en Cristo Jesús y del amor^a que tenéis por¹ todos los santos^b, 5 a causa de la esperanza^a reservada para vosotros en los cielos^b, de la cual oísteis antes en la palabra de verdad, el¹ evangelio^c 6 que ha llegado hasta vosotros. Así como en todo el mundo^a está dando fruto constantemente^b y creciendo¹, así lo ha estado haciendo también en vosotros, desde el día que oísteis y comprendisteis la gracia de Dios en verdad^2c; 7 tal como lo aprendisteis de Epafras^a, nuestro amado consiervo^b, quien es fiel servidor de Cristo de parte nuestra¹, 8 el cual también nos informó acerca de vuestro amor en el Espíritu^a.

9 Por esta razón, también nosotros, desde el día que lo supimos^1a, no hemos cesado de orar por vosotros^b y de rogar que seáis llenos del conocimiento² de su voluntad en toda sabiduría y comprensión espiritual^c, 10 para que andéis como es digno del Señor^a, agradándole en todo^b, dando fruto^c en toda buena obra y creciendo en¹ el conocimiento² de Dios; 11 fortalecidos^a con todo poder según la potencia de su gloria, para obtener¹ toda perseverancia y paciencia, con gozo^b 12 dando gracias al Padre^a que nos ha capacitado para compartir¹ la herencia^b de los santos en luz^c.

13 Porque Él nos libró del dominio¹ de las tinieblas^a y nos trasladó al reino de su Hijo amado^2b, 14 en quien tenemos redención: el perdón de los pecados^a. 15 Él es la imagen del Dios invisible^a, el primogénito¹ de toda creación^b. 16 Porque en Él fueron creadas todas las cosas, tanto en los cielos como en la tierra^a, visibles e invisibles; ya sean tronos o dominios o poderes o autoridades^b; todo ha sido creado por medio de Él y para Él^c. 17 Y Él es antes de¹ todas las cosas^a, y en Él todas las cosas permanecen². 18 Él es también la cabeza del cuerpo que es la iglesia^a; y Él es el principio^b, el primogénito¹ de entre los muertos^c, a fin de que Él tenga en todo la primacía. 19 Porque agradó al Padre^a que en Él habitara toda la plenitud^1b, 20 y por medio de Él reconciliar todas las cosas consigo^a, habiendo hecho la paz por medio de la sangre de su cruz, por medio de Él^b, repito, ya sean las que están en la tierra o las que están en los cielos^c. 21 Y aunque vosotros antes estabais alejados y erais de ánimo hostil^1a, ocupados en malas obras, 22 sin embargo, ahora Él os ha reconciliado^a en su cuerpo de carne^b, mediante su muerte, a fin de presentaros santos, sin mancha e irreprensibles^c delante de Él, 23 si en verdad permanecéis en la fe bien cimentados y constantes^a, sin moveros de la esperanza del evangelio que habéis oído^b, que fue proclamado a toda la creación debajo del cielo^c, y del cual yo, Pablo, fui hecho¹ ministro^2d.

24 Ahora me alegro de mis sufrimientos por vosotros^a, y en mi carne, completando lo que falta de las aflicciones de Cristo, hago mi parte por su cuerpo^b, que es la iglesia, 25 de la cual fui hecho ministro^a conforme a la administración¹ de Dios que me fue dada para beneficio vuestro^b, a fin de llevar a cabo la predicación de la² palabra de Dios, 26 es decir, el misterio que ha estado oculto desde los siglos y generaciones pasadas, pero que ahora ha sido manifestado a sus santos^a, 27 a quienes Dios quiso dar a conocer cuáles son las riquezas de la gloria^a de este misterio^b entre los gentiles, que es Cristo en vosotros^c, la esperanza^d de la gloria. 28 A Él nosotros proclamamos, amonestando a todos los hombres, y enseñando a todos los hombres^a con¹ toda sabiduría^b, a fin de poder presentar a todo hombre^c perfecto en Cristo^d. 29 Y con este fin también trabajo, esforzándome^a según su poder¹ que obra poderosamente² en mí^b.

^aPaul, ^ban apostle (special messenger, personally chosen representative) of Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed) ^cby the will of God, and ^dTimothy our brother,

2 To the ^1asaints and faithful ²believers in Christ who are at Colossae: ^bGrace to you and peace inner calm and spiritual well-being from God our Father.

3 ^aWe give thanks to God, ^bthe Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as we pray always for you, 4 ^afor we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus how you lean on Him with absolute confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness, and of the unselfish ^1blove which you have for ^call the saints (God’s people) ; 5 because of the confident ^ahope of experiencing that ^bwhich is reserved and waiting for you in heaven. You previously ^cheard of this hope in the message of truth, the gospel regarding salvation 6 which has come to you. Indeed, just as ^ain the whole world the gospel is constantly bearing ^bfruit and spreading by God’s power, just as it has been doing among you ever since the day you first ^cheard of it and understood the grace of God in truth becoming thoroughly and deeply acquainted with it. 7 You learned it from our representative ^aEpaphras, our ^bbeloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on our behalf 8 and he also has told us of your ^alove well-grounded and nurtured in the Holy Spirit.

9 For this reason, ^asince the day we heard about it, ^bwe have not stopped praying for you, asking specifically that you may be filled with the ^cknowledge of His will in all spiritual ^dwisdom with insight into His purposes, and in understanding of spiritual things, 10 so that you will ^awalk in a manner worthy of the Lord displaying admirable character, moral courage, and personal integrity, ^bto fully please Him in all things, ^cbearing fruit in every good work and steadily growing in the knowledge of God with deeper faith, clearer insight and fervent love for His precepts; 11 we pray that you may be ^astrengthened and invigorated with all power, according to His glorious might, to attain every kind of endurance and patience ^bwith joy; 12 giving thanks to ^athe Father, who has qualified us to share in ^bthe inheritance of the saints (God’s people) in the ^cLight.

13 For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the ^adominion of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of ^bHis beloved Son, 14 ^ain whom we have redemption because of His sacrifice, resulting in the forgiveness of our sins and the cancellation of sins’ penalty.

15 He is the ^aexact living image the essential manifestation of the ^bunseen God the visible representation of the invisible, the ^cfirstborn the preeminent one, the sovereign, and the originator of all creation. 16 For ^1aby Him all things were created ^bin heaven and on earth, things visible and invisible, whether ^cthrones or dominions or rulers or authorities; ^dall things were created and exist through Him that is, by His activity and for Him. 17 And He Himself ^aexisted and is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. His is the controlling, cohesive force of the universe. Prov 8:22-31 18 He is also the ^ahead the life-source and leader of ^bthe body, the ¹church; and He is ^cthe beginning, ^2dthe firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will occupy the first place He will stand supreme and be preeminent in everything. 1+@Cor 15:20 19 For it pleased ^athe Father for all ^bthe fullness of deity—the sum total of His essence, all His perfection, powers, and attributes to dwell permanently in Him (the Son) , 20 and through the intervention of the Son to ^areconcile all things to Himself, making ^bpeace with believers through ^cthe blood of His cross; through Him, I say, ^dwhether things on earth or things in heaven.

21 And although you were ^aat one time estranged and alienated and hostile-minded toward Him, participating in evil things, 22 yet Christ has now ^areconciled you to God in His ¹physical ^bbody through death, in order to ^cpresent you before the Father ^dholy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 and He will do this if you continue in the faith, ^awell-grounded and steadfast, and not shifting away from the confident ^bhope that is a result of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed ^1cin all creation under heaven, ^dand of which gospel I, Paul, was made a ^eminister.

24 ^aNow I rejoice in my sufferings on your behalf. And with my own body ^bI ¹supplement whatever is lacking on our part of Christ’s afflictions, on behalf of ^cHis body, which is the church. 25 ^aIn this church I was made a minister according to the ^bstewardship which God entrusted to me for your sake, so that I might make the word of God fully known among you— 26 that is, ^1athe mystery which was hidden from angels and mankind for ages and generations, but has now been revealed to His saints (God’s people) . 27 ^aGod in His eternal plan chose to make known to them how great for the Gentiles are ^bthe riches of the glory of this mystery, which is ^cChrist in and among you, the ^dhope and guarantee of realizing the glory. 28 We proclaim Him, ^awarning and instructing everyone in all ^bwisdom that is, with comprehensive insight into the word and purposes of God, so that we may ^cpresent every person ^dcomplete in Christ mature, fully trained, and perfect in Him—the Anointed. 29 For this I ^alabor often to the point of exhaustion, ^bstriving ^cwith His power and energy, which so greatly works within me.

^aPaul, ^ban apostle of Jesus Christ ^1cby the will of God, and ^dTimothy ²our brother,

2 To the ^1asaints and faithful brethren in Christ who are at Colossae: ^bGrace to you and peace from God our Father.

3 ^aWe give thanks to God, ^bthe Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4 ^asince we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the ^blove which you have ¹for ^call the ²saints; 5 because of the ^ahope ^blaid up for you in ¹heaven, of which you previously ^cheard in the word of truth, ²the gospel 6 which has come to you, just as ^1ain all the world also it is constantly bearing ^bfruit and ²increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you ^cheard of it and ³understood the grace of God in truth; 7 just as you learned it from ^aEpaphras, our ^bbeloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf, 8 and he also informed us of your ^alove in the Spirit.

9 For this reason also, ^asince the day we heard of it, ^bwe have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the ^1cknowledge of His will in all spiritual ^dwisdom and understanding, 10 so that you will ^awalk in a manner worthy of the Lord, ^1bto please Him in all respects, ^cbearing fruit in every good work and ²increasing in the ³knowledge of God; 11 ^astrengthened with all power, according to ¹His glorious might, ²for the attaining of all steadfastness and ³patience; ^bjoyously 12 giving thanks to ^athe Father, who has qualified us ¹to share in ^bthe inheritance of the ²saints in ^cLight.

13 ¹For He rescued us from the ^2adomain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of ^3bHis beloved Son, 14 ^ain whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

15 ¹He is the ^aimage of the ^binvisible God, the ^cfirstborn of all creation. 16 For ^1aby Him all things were created, ^bboth in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether ^cthrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—^dall things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He ^1ais before all things, and in Him all things ²hold together. 18 He is also ^ahead of ^bthe body, the church; and He is ^cthe beginning, ^dthe firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. 19 For ¹it was ^athe Father’s good pleasure for all ^bthe ²fullness to dwell in Him, 20 and through Him to ^areconcile all things to Himself, having made ^bpeace through ^cthe blood of His cross; through Him, I say, ^dwhether things on earth or things in ¹heaven.

21 And although you were ^aformerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22 yet He has now ^areconciled you in His fleshly ^bbody through death, in order to ^cpresent you before Him ^dholy and blameless and beyond reproach— 23 if indeed you continue in ¹the faith firmly ^aestablished and steadfast, and not moved away from the ^bhope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed ^cin all creation under heaven, ^dand of which I, Paul, ²was made a ^3eminister.

24 ^aNow I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh ^bI ¹do my share on behalf of ^cHis body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking ²in Christ’s afflictions. 25 ^aOf this church I ¹was made a minister according to the ^bstewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might ²fully carry out the preaching of the word of God, 26 that is, ^athe mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His ¹saints, 27 to whom ^aGod willed to make known what is ^bthe riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is ^cChrist in you, the ^dhope of glory. 28 We proclaim Him, ^aadmonishing every man and teaching every man ¹with all ^bwisdom, so that we may ^cpresent every man ^2dcomplete in Christ. 29 For this purpose also I ^alabor, ^bstriving ^caccording to His ¹power, which ²mightily works within me.