1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, 2To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, 4Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints, 5For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; 6Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth: 7As ye also learned of Epaphras our dear fellowservant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; 8Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit. 9For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; 20And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. 21And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; 24Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church: 25Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.
1我是奉上帝旨意做基督耶稣使徒的保罗， 2和提摩太弟兄写信给歌罗西的圣徒，就是忠于基督的弟兄姊妹。
愿我们的父上帝赐给你们恩典和平安！
感恩与祷告
3-4我们听说了你们对基督耶稣的信心和对众圣徒的爱心，为你们祷告的时候，常常感谢我们主耶稣基督的父上帝。 5你们能有这样的信心和爱心是因为那给你们存在天上的盼望，就是你们从前从福音真道中听到的盼望。 6这福音不但传到了你们那里，也传到了世界各地，并且开花结果，信主的人数不断增长，正如你们当初听了福音，因为明白真理而认识上帝的恩典后的情形。 7这福音是你们从我们亲爱的同工以巴弗那里得知的。他代表我们1:7 “我们”有古卷作“你们”。做基督的忠仆， 8并把圣灵赐给你们的爱心告诉了我们。
9因此，从听到你们的消息那天起，我们便不断地为你们祷告，求上帝使你们在一切属灵的智慧和悟性上完全明白祂的旨意， 10以便你们行事为人对得起主，凡事蒙祂喜悦，在一切良善的事上结出果实，对上帝的认识不断增加。 11愿上帝以祂荣耀的权能使你们刚强，无论遇到什么事都能长久忍耐， 12欢喜地感谢天父，因祂使你们有资格跟众圣徒在光明中同享基业。 13祂把我们从黑暗的权势下拯救出来，带进祂爱子的国度里。 14我们借着祂的爱子蒙救赎，罪过得到赦免。
基督超越一切
15基督是那不能看见之上帝的真像，超越1:15 “超越”或译“先存于”，希腊文是“长子”，常用来指地位上的优越或时间上的优先。一切受造之物。 16因为万物都是借着祂创造的，天上的、地上的、有形的、无形的、做王的、统治的、执政的、掌权的，一切都是借着祂也是为了祂而创造的。 17祂存在于万物之前，万物都靠祂而维系。 18祂是教会的头，教会是祂的身体；祂是源头，是首先从死里复活的，这样祂可以在一切事上居首位。 19因为上帝乐意让一切的丰盛住在祂里面， 20又借着祂在十字架上所流的血成就了和平，使天地万物借着祂与上帝和好。
21你们从前与上帝隔绝，行事邪恶，心思意念与祂为敌； 22但现在上帝借着基督肉身的死使你们与祂和好了，让你们在祂面前成为圣洁无瑕、无可指责的人。 23只是你们必须恒心持守所信的道，根基稳固，坚定不移，不要失去你们听到福音后所得到的盼望。这福音传给了天下万民。我保罗也做了这福音的使者。
保罗为教会受苦
24现在我因能够为你们受苦而欢喜，并且我是为基督的身体——教会的缘故，在自己身上补满基督未受的苦难。 25我受上帝的委派成为教会的仆人，要把上帝的道完整地传给你们。 26这道是历世历代一直隐藏的奥秘，现在已经向祂的众圣徒显明了。 27上帝要他们知道这奥秘在外族人中有何等丰富的荣耀，这奥秘就是基督在你们里面，使你们有荣耀的盼望。 28我们传扬基督，用各样的智慧劝诫、教导众人，使他们在基督里长大成熟，好把他们带到上帝面前。 29为此，我按着祂在我身上运行的大能尽心竭力，不辞劳苦。
