Colossians:1

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* Paul , apostle of Christ Jesus , by God 's will , and Timotheus the brother , * 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 ]. * We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ continually [when ] praying for you , * having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus , and the love which ye have towards all the saints , * 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 , * 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 : * even as ye learned from Epaphras our beloved fellow-bondman , who is a faithful minister of Christ for you , * who has also manifested to us your love in [the ] Spirit . * 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 , * [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 ; * strengthened with all power according to the might of his glory unto all endurance and longsuffering with joy ; * giving thanks to the Father , who has made us fit for sharing the portion of the saints in light , * who has delivered us from the authority of darkness , and translated [us ] into the kingdom of the Son of his love : * in whom we have redemption , the forgiveness of sins ; * who is image of the invisible God , firstborn of all creation ; * 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 . * And he is before all , and all things subsist together by him . * 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 : * for in him all the fulness [of the Godhead ] was pleased to dwell , * 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 . * And you , who once were alienated and enemies in mind by wicked works , yet now has it reconciled * in the body of his flesh through death ; to present you holy and unblamable and irreproachable before it , * 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 . * 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 ; * of which I became minister , according to the dispensation of God which [is ] given me towards you to complete the word of God , * the mystery which [has been ] hidden from ages and from generations , but has now been made manifest to his saints ; * 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 : * 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 . * Whereunto also I toil , combating according to his working , which works in me in power .

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