Colossians 1:1-14

¹Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, ²to the saints and faithful brethren in Christ that are at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.³We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, ⁴having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of your love toward all the saints, ⁵because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, ⁶which is come unto you; even as it is also in all the world, and is bearing fruit and increasing, as it doth in you also, since the day ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth; ⁷even as ye also learned of Epaphras our beloved fellow servant, who is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, 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 and make request for you, that ye may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, ¹⁰that ye may walk worthily of the Lord unto all pleasing, bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; ¹¹strengthened with all power, according to the might of his glory, unto all patience and long-suffering with joy; ¹²giving thanks unto the Father, who made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light; ¹³who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love; ¹⁴in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of our sins: