Book 51 Colossians
001:001 Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God--
and Timothy our brother:
001:002 To the people of God and the believing brethren at Colossae
who are in Christ. May grace and peace be granted to you
from God our Father.
001:003 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
constantly praying for you as we do,
001:004 because we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of
the love which you cherish towards all God's people,
001:005 on account of the hope treasured up for you in Heaven.
Of this hope you have already heard in the Message of the truth
of the Good News.
001:006 For it has reached you, and remains with you, just as it has
also spread through the whole world, yielding fruit there
and increasing, as it has done among you from the day when
first you heard it and came really to know the grace of God,
001:007 as you learned it from Epaphras our dearly-loved fellow servant.
He is to you a faithful minister of Christ in our stead,
001:008 and moreover he has informed us of your love, which is inspired
by the Spirit.
001:009 For this reason we also, from the day we first received these tidings,
have never ceased to pray for you and to entreat that you
may be filled with a clear knowledge of His will accompanied
by thorough wisdom and discernment in spiritual things;
001:010 so that your lives may be worthy of the Lord and perfectly
pleasing to Him, while you exhibit the results of right action
of every sort and grow into a fuller knowledge of God.
001:011 Since His power is so glorious, may you be strengthened
with strength of every kind, and be prepared for cheerfully