Kolossensern 1

1 Paulus, Jesu Christi Apostel ved Guds Villie, og Broderen Timotheus,2 til de Hellige i Colossen, de troende Brødre i Christus: Naade være med Eder og Fred, fra Gud vor Fader og den Herre Jesus Christus!3 Vi takke Gud og vor Herrens Jesu Christi Fader, idet vi altid bede for Eder,4 da vi have hørt om Eders Tro i Christus Jesus og Eders Kjærlighed til alle Hellige,5 for det Haab, som Eder er henlagt i himlene, om hvilket I have allerede hørt i Evangeliums Sandheds Ord,6 hvilket er kommet til Eder, som og i den ganske Verden, og er frugtbringende, ligesom og ibandt Eder fra den Dag, I hørte og erkjendte Guds Naade i Sandhed;7 ligesom i have lært af Epaphras, vor elskelige Medarbeider, hvilken er en tro Christi Tjener for Eder,8 som ogsaa gav os Eders Kjærlighed i Aanden tilkjende.9 Derfor aflagde vi og ikke fra den Dag, vi hørte det, at bede for Eder og begjere, at I maatte fyldes med hans Villies Erkjendelse i al Viisdom og aandelig Forstand,10 at I kunne omgaaes værdeligen for Herren til at Velbehagelighed og være frugtbare paa al god Gjerning, og voxe til Guds Erkjendelse;11 styrkede med al Styrke efter hans Herligheds Kraft til al Taalmodighed og Langmodighed med Glæde;12 takkende Faderen, som gjorde os dygtige til de Helliges Arvedeel i Lyset,13 som friede os af Mørkets Magt og oversatte os i sin elskelige Søns Rige,14 i hvilken vi have Forløsning ved hans Blod, nemlig Syndernes Forladelse;15 hvilken er den usynlige Guds Billede, al Skabningens Førstefødte;16 thi ved ham ere alle Ting skabte, de i Himlene og de paa Jorden, de synlige og usynlige, være sig Throner eller Herredømmer eller Fyrstendoømmer eller Magter, alle Ting ere skabte ved ham og til ham;17 og han er for alle Ting, og alle Ting bestaae ved ham;18 og han er Legemets Hoved, nemlig Menighedens; han er Begyndelsen, den Forstefødte af de Døde, at han skal være den Ypperste iblandt Alle;19 thi i ham behagede det Faderen at al Fylde skulde boe,20 og ved ham at forlige alle Ting, hvære sig de paa Jorden eller de i Himlene, med sig, idet han gjorde Fred formedelst hans Korses Blod ved ham.21 Ogsaa Eder, som fordum vare fremmede og fjendske af Sindelag i onde Gjerninger,22 har han dog nu forligt i sit kjødelige Legeme ved Døden, for at fremstille Eder hellige og ulastelige og ustraffelige for sit Aasyn;23 saafremt I ellers forblive grundfæstede og stadige i Troen, og ikke lade Eder rokke fra det Evangeliums Haab hvilket I have hørt, hvilket er prædiket for al Skabningen under Himmelen, hvis Tjener jeg Paulus er bleven.24 Nu glæder jeg mig i mine Lidelser for Eder og opfylder det, som fattes i Christi Trængsler, i mit Kjød for hans Legeme, som er Menigheden;25 hvis Tjener jeg er bleven efter det Guds Embede, som er mig givet hos Eder, rigeligen at prædige Guds Ord,26 den Hemmelighed, der var skjult fra alle Tider og Slægter, men nu er aabenbaret for hans Hellige,27 hvem Gud vilde tilkjendegive, hvor stor denne Hemmeligheds herlige Rigdom er iblandt hedningerne, hvilken er Christus iblandt Eder, det Herlighedens Haab.28 Ham forkynde vi, idet vi paaminde hvert Menneske og lære hvert Menneske i al Vissdom, at vi kunne fremstille hvert Menneske fuldkomment i Christus Jesus;29 hvortil jeg og arbeider, stridende ved hans Kraft, som virker mægtigen i mig.

Colossians 1

Salutation

1 From Paul,t an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,

2 to the saints, the faithfult brothers and sisterst in Christ, at Colossae. Grace and peace to yout from God our Father!s

Paul’s Thanksgiving and Prayer for the Church

3 We alwayst give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,4 sincet we heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the saints.5 Your faith and love have arisent from the hope laid upt for you in heaven, which you have heard about in the message of truth, the gospelt6 that has come to you. Just as in the entire world this gospelt is bearing fruit and growing, so it has also been bearing fruit and growingt among you from the first day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth.7 You learned the gospelt from Epaphras, our dear fellow slavet – at faithful minister of Christ on ours behalf –

8 who also told us of your love in the Spirit.

Paul’s Prayer for the Growth of the Church

9 For this reason we also, from the day we heard about you,t have not ceased praying for you and asking Godt to fillt you with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding,10 so that you may livet worthily of the Lord and please him in all respectst – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might for the display oft all patience and steadfastness, joyfully12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to sharet in the saints’t inheritance in the light.13 He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son he loves,t

14 in whom we have redemption,s the forgiveness of sins.

The Supremacy of Christ

15 s He is the image of the invisible God, the firstbornt over all creation,t

16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions,t whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him.

17 He himself is before all things and all things are held togethert in him.

18 He is the head of the body, the church, as well as the beginning, the firstbornt from among the dead, so that he himself may become first in all things.t

19 For Godt was pleased to have all hist fullness dwellt in the Sont

20 and through him to reconcile all things to himself by making peace through the blood of his cross – through him,s whether things on earth or things in heaven.

Paul’s Goal in Ministry

21 And you were at one time strangers and enemies in yourt mindst as expressed throught your evil deeds,22 but now he has reconciled youst by his physical body through death to present you holy, without blemish, and blameless before him –

23 if indeed you remain in the faith, established and firm,t without shiftingt from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has also been preached in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become its servant.
24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I fill up in my physical body – for the sake of his body, the church – what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ.25 I became a servant of the church according to the stewardshipt from God – given to me for you – in order to completet the word of God,26 that is, the mystery that has been kept hidden from ages and generations, but has now been revealed to his saints.27 God wanted to make known to them the glorioust riches of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.28 We proclaim him by instructingt and teachingt all peoplet with all wisdom so that we may present every person maturet in Christ.

29 Toward this goalt I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfullyt works in me.