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The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Christians at Colossae. We call this letter
Colossians
Colossians 1:1-2
I, Paul, am sending this letter to you, who are God's people in Colossae. We pray that God will bless you.
1
1 I, Paul, am writing this letter to you, and our fellow believer Timothy is with me. I am an apostle who represents Christ Jesus, because that is what God wanted. 2 I am sending this letter to you who are in Colossae city, and who are God's people, and our faithful fellow believers who have a close relationship with Christ. We pray that God our Father will be acting kindly towards you, and that he will cause you to have inner peace.
Colossians 1:3-8
We thank God for you very often that you believe in Christ Jesus and that you love all God's people.
3 Very often [HYP] we thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, while we are praying for you, 4 because we have heard that you believe in Christ Jesus, and that you love all God's people. 5 You do that because you confidently expect to receive that which God is ◄reserving/keeping safe► for you in heaven, which you heard about previously when you heard the true message, that is, the message about Christ. 6 People proclaimed it [PRS] to you, just like people have proclaimed it in many different countries [HYP, IDM]. The true message is changing more and more people's lives, just like it changed your lives because you heard it and you truly experienced that God acts kindly towards us in ways we do not deserve. 7 That is just what Epaphras taught you would happen. We love Epaphras. He serves Christ together with us and works for Christ faithfully for your benefit. 8 He told us that you love all God's people, just like God's Spirit has enabled you to (OR, spiritually).
Colossians 1:9-12
We have also been praying very often to God for you. We pray that you will know truly all that he wants you to do, in order that you will conduct yourselves as the Lord's people should.
9 Because of what we heard about you, we have also been praying [LIT] very often to God for you [HYP], ever since we heard this report about you. We pray that you will know truly all that God wants you to do; that is, that you will become very wise, and that you will understand spiritual matters well. 10 We have been praying that in order that you will conduct yourselves as the Lord's people should conduct themselves, in order that you will please the Lord in every way. Specifically, we have been praying that in order that you will be doing every sort of good deed [IDM] and in order that you will be getting to know God truly, more and more. 11 And we pray that God will greatly strengthen you spiritually to the extent of the mighty power that he has shown to people, in order that you will always be steadfast and patient when you experience difficulties, while at the same time you will be rejoicing. 12 And we pray that you will be thanking God our Father, because he has qualified you/us so that you/we are also worthy to receive the things that he will give to his people in heaven [SYN].
Colossians 1:13-20
God our Father has caused you to be ruled by his Son, who existed before and ranks above everything that has been created.
13 God our Father rescued us spiritually so that the evil one no longer rules us [MET, MTY], and he transferred us spiritually so that his Son, whom he loves, rules us. 14 That is, because of our relationship with his Son (OR, because of what his Son did), God has redeemed/bought us; in particular, he has forgiven our sins. 15 God's Son reveals perfectly what God, his Father, is like, whom no one can see. God's Son existed before and ranks above everything that God has created. 16 When God created everything that is on the earth, he did it by having his Son do it. He created everything that people can see, and also everything which is in heaven that people cannot see. In particular, his Son created all ranks of important spirit beings. And he ranks above everything, because God created everything by the work of his Son, and because by him all things were created {because God created everything} in order that everything might praise his Son, 17 and because it is his Son who existed before anything else existed, and because God sustains everything by what his Son does. 18 And God's Son ranks above everything, because it is he who rules over his people [MET] as a person's head controls his physical body, because he causes them to live spiritually. His Son is the first one who rose from among those who have died, in order that he should become more important than anything and everyone. 19 He reveals perfectly what God his Father is like, because it is in his Son that his Father chose that he himself would dwell completely. 20 God our Father caused his Son to rule us, because he decided to reconcile to himself everything that is on earth and that is in heaven by what his Son did, in order that everything might honor his Son; that is, God our Father decided to reconcile everything to himself as a result of his Son's blood flowing when he died on the cross.
An alternative arrangement of the sentences of Colossians 1:13-19
The chiastic material is rearranged below so that the directly related propositional clusters are joined together.
13 God our Father rescued us spiritually so that we are no longer ruled by the evil one, and God our Father transferred us spiritually so that we are ruled by his Son whom he loves. 14a That is, by means of what his Son did, we have been redeemed by God, our Father. 14b In particular, our sins have been forgiven by God, our Father. 20 God, our Father, has done this because he decided to reconcile to himself, by means of his Son, everything that is on earth and that is in heaven, in order that his Son might be honored; that is, God, our Father decided to reconcile everything to himself by means of God's Son's blood flowing out when he died on the cross. 15b God cannot be seen by anyone, 15a but his Son reveals perfectly what God—his Father—is like, 19a because it is in his Son that the Father chose 19b that he himself would dwell completely. 15c God's Son ranks above everything 15d that has been created, 16 because it was by means of God's Son that God created everything that is on the earth and that can be seen by people, and also everything that is in heaven and that cannot be seen by people. In particular, all types of important spirit beings were created by means of him, since everything has been created by God by means of God's Son. And his Son ranks above everything, because everything has been created by God, in order that God's Son might be honored by everything, 17 and because it is he who existed before anything else existed, and since everything is sustained by God by means of God's Son. 18 And God's Son ranks above everything because it is he who rules over all believers, just like a person's head controls his physical body, because he causes all believers to live spiritually. His Son is the first one who rose from among those who have died, in order that he should become more important than everything and everyone.
Colossians 1:21-23
As for you, God our Father has now reconciled you to himself.
21 As for you, although formerly God considered you his enemies (OR, God considered you as alienated from him) and although you were formerly hostile to God because you thought evil thoughts and because you did evil deeds, 22 nevertheless, God our Father has now reconciled you to himself. He did that as a result of his Son dying physically. He did it in order that you should be completely holy when he brings you into his presence. 23 But he wants you to continue [DOU] to believe the message about Christ; specifically, he wants you to continue to be stable/steadfast and to continue to confidently expect to receive that which you heard about when you heard that message. That message has been proclaimed {They have proclaimed that message} to people in very many places [HYP]; and I, Paul, have also become one who tells it to people.
Colossians 1:24-29
I am completing what Christ appointed me to do, that I should suffer physically for the benefit of the church. And I proclaim the previously unrevealed message about Christ to every class of persons.
24 At the present time I am rejoicing that I am suffering for your benefit; that is, I am completing what Christ decided that I should suffer physically for the benefit of all believers, who are as dear to him as his own body. 25 I myself became one who serves God's people, because I was appointed { God appointed me} to be responsible to help you who are non-Jews. I became one who serves God's people in order that I should make known to you non-Jews the whole message from/about God. 26 We did not know this message previously; that is, God concealed it from the people who lived in all the previous ages, but he has now revealed it to his people. 27 That is, God decided to reveal to them this message, which declares that he will greatly bless the non-Jews. Specifically, this message declares that Christ, by his Spirit, will live in you who are non-Jews, with the result that you confidently expect that you will share in God's glory. 28 We proclaim about Christ to every class of persons; specifically, we warn them, and specifically, we teach everyone very wisely. We do this in order that every person who ◄has a close relationship with/is united to► Christ may be ◄all that God wants them to be/perfect► when we present them to Christ. 29 In order that I might achieve/accomplish this, I am also working hard; that is, I am exerting myself as a result of Christ's empowering me very greatly.

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Note: The Old Testament in this translation is still being worked on, and is in draft form. Updates will be posted at eBible.org/t4t/.

© 2008-2017 Ellis W. Deibler, Jr.