Colossians 1 (BHT-ATN)

“To: The Saints in Colossae”

1 From: Paul, an apostle of Jesus the Messiah by the will of God, and Timothy our brother.

2 To: Those set apart to God as a special holy possession in Colossae, who are faithful brothers and sisters in union with the Messiah.

To all of ᵖyou+ grace, and peace, from God our Father.

“We Give Thanks to God, the Father of Our Lord Jesus the Messiah”

3 We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, praying for you constantly, 4 because we have heard about your faith in Messiah Jesus and the love you have for all the Lord’s holy people,+ 5 on account of the hope that is stored away safely for you in the heavens, the hope of which you learned when you first heard+ the message of truth,+ the gospel 6 that has come to you—just as it is producing fruit and spreading, too, all over the world, in the same way it has done so among you since the day you first heard it and understood+ the gift of God in accordance with the truth,+ 7 just as you were instructed by Epaphras, our dear fellow slave, who is so faithful+ a servant of the Messiah on our behalf— 8 the one who also told us about your love through+ the Spirit. 9 That is the reason why we, too, since the day we first heard about this, have not stopped praying for you, asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through+ every kind of wisdom and understanding given by the Spirit, 10 so that you may live your lives in a manner befitting the Lord and in all respects desire to do what pleases him,+ producing fruit in good deeds of all kinds, and growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened, out of his glorious might, with all power, so that you may have full endurance and patience, 12 joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you for a share of the inheritance prepared for the Lord’s holy people+ in the light.+ 13 He+ has rescued us from the authority of darkness and transferred us to the sovereign authority+ of his beloved Son,+ 14 in union with whom we have experienced paid release from slavery,+ the forgiveness of our sins. 15 The Son+ is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation,+ 16 for through him were created all things in the heavens and on the earth, things visible and things invisible. Whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, in the case of all things it is through him and for him that they have been created. 17 He is before all things, and all things through him+ hold together in their assigned place. 18 He is the head of his body, the assembly; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, and so, just as planned, has become supreme in indeed every respect.+ 19 For in his Son God gladly chose to have his full nature dwell,+ 20 and through him to reconcile the whole creation to himself, by making peace through his blood shed on the cross—through him, whether the things on the earth or the things in the heavens. 21 This includes you. Although at one time you were excluded and enemies in your minds, as shown by your evil deeds,+ 22 now he has reconciled you through the death the Messiah suffered while in his lowly and mortal body,+ in order to present you a special holy possession+ and blameless and free from accusation in his presence+— 23 if indeed you continue in faith,+ firmly established and steadfast and unmoved from the hope of the gospel you heard, which has been proclaimed all over the world,+ and of which I, Paul, became a servant.

“Messiah in You, the Hope of Glory”

24 At present I am full of joy because of the things I am suffering in order to help and serve you; as I serve on the Messiah’s behalf, his sufferings are represented in this weak and mortal body of mine+ for the sake of his body, the assembly,+ 25 of which I became a servant according to the stewardship that God entrusted to me with respect to you, namely, to fully proclaim the word of God,+ 26 the mystery kept hidden for ages+ and generations but now disclosed to his holy people, 27 to whom God chose to make known the glorious riches of this mystery concerning+ the Gentiles,+ which is Messiah in you, the hope of glory. 28 We proclaim the message about him, warning people of all kinds and teaching people of all kinds with wisdom of all kinds, so that we may present people of all kinds blameless+ in union with the Messiah.+ 29 To this end I work my heart out, doing everything I possibly can through his strength, which is at work in me so powerfully.

+1:2Unless otherwise marked (through superscript— ˢyou), all second person pronouns are in the second person plural.+1:4Lit the holy ones/saints.+1:5Or previously heard.+1:5Or the hope of which you learned when you previously heard the word of the truth. Lit which you first heard/heard previously in/through the word of the truth. ME (see UBSHS [Col], 9).+1:6Or came to know.+1:6Or in truth, or truly.+1:7Or trustworthy.+1:8Or in, or by.+1:9Or in, or with.+1:10Lit to all desire to pleasing. ME (see BDAG, 129, sv ἀρεσκεία).+1:12Lit the holy ones/saints.+1:12Cf Ac 26:15-18.+1:13Lit who.+1:13Or to the kingdom. The contrast with ἐκ τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ σκότους ( ek tēs exousias tou skotous) indicates that βασιλεία ( basileia) here is referring to the Messianic authority described in passages like Mt 28:18 and Eph 1:20-23 (exercised to prepare the saints to inherit the coming Kingdom of the Messiah), rather than to the Messianic Kingdom somehow being “realized.”+1:13Cf Mt 28:18-20; Eph 1:20-23; Php 3:20.+1:14Lit in whom we have the redemption. Maintaining consistency in translation with Eph 1:7.+1:15Lit who. “Son” is the antecedent here.+1:15Cf Ps 89:27; Rm 8:29; Heb 1:6; Re 1:5.+1:17Or in him.+1:18Or in everything. Cf Mt 28:18.+1:19Lit For in him he gladly chose all the fullness to dwell, or in him all the fullness gladly chose to dwell. ME (see BDAG, 829, sv 3.b.; UBSHS [Eph], 88; UBSHS [Col], 27). Cf TEV.+1:21Or resulting in evil deeds, or because you did evil things. Cf NET, REB.+1:22Lit in the body of the flesh of him through death. ME (see FBT Chart C, F, G, I, M, N; notes at Rm 8:3; UBSHS [Col], 32). The first preposition is interpreted as signaling accompanying circumstance (see ESS [Col], interpretation 2; cf NASB, NJB, NLT, NRSV). This is also reflected in the translation. Cf Rm 8:3; Php 2:6-11; Heb 2:9.+1:22Lit holy. ME/IT (see Timothy Miller, “Paul’s Priestly Mission and Salvation from the Coming Wrath: A Missiological Probe of Romans 15:16 and the Question of Divine Anger through the Worldview of Leviticus” [PhD diss., Columbia International University, 2024]).+1:22Or in his sight, or before him.+1:23Or continue in the faith, or continue in your faith.+1:23Lit in all creation under the sky. ME (see BDAG, 572, sv κτίσις 2.a.; Ibid, 737, sv οὐρανός, 1.b.; UBSHS [Col], 34). Cf NLT.+1:24Lit and I fill up what is lacking/absent of the of the afflictions of the Messiah in my flesh. ME (see BDAG, 1044, ὑστέρημα 1; ESS [1 Co], 373). Cf translation and notes at 1 Co 16:17 and Php 2:30. “Flesh” is translated according to “Flesh” C, G (see FBT Chart). Cf 2 Co 2:12-17, 4:7-18.+1:24Cf 1 Co 4:6, 11:1.+1:25Or to make the word of God fully known.+1:26Or kept hidden from the spiritual powers. Maintaining consistency in translation with Eph 3:9.+1:27Or among.+1:27Cf Eph 3:6.+1:28Or mature.+1:28Cf Rm 1:14; 2 Co 11:2; Eph 4:13.