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Paul an Apostle of Iesus Christe, by the wyll of God, and Timotheus the brother.
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To them which [are] in Colossa, saintes and faythfull brethren in Christe: Grace vnto you, & peace from God our father, and the Lorde Iesus Christe.
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We geue thankes to God and father of our Lorde Iesus Christe, alwayes for you, praying:
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Sence we hearde of your fayth in Christe Iesus, and of the loue which [is] to all saintes,
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For the hopes sake which is layde vp for you in heauen, of which [hope] ye hearde before, in the worde of trueth of the Gospell,
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Which is come vnto you, euen as [it is] into all the worlde, & is fruitfull, as it is also in you, from the day ye hearde [of it] and knewe the grace of God in trueth,
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As ye also learned of Epaphras, our deare felowe seruaunt, which is for you a faythfull minister of Christe:
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Who also declared vnto vs your loue in the spirite.
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For this cause we also, sence ye day we hearde, haue not ceassed to pray for you, and to desire that ye myght be fulfylled with knowledge of his wyll, in all wisdome & spiritual vnderstandyng,
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That ye myght walke worthie of the Lorde in all pleasyng, beyng fruitefull in all good workes, and encreasyng in the knowledge of God,
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Strenthened with all might, through his glorious power, vnto all patience and long sufferyng with ioyfulnesse:
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Geuyng thankes vnto ye father, which hath made vs meete to be partakers of the inheritaunce of the saintes in lyght.
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Who hath delyuered vs from the power of darcknesse, and hath translated vs into the kingdome of his deare sonne.
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In who we haue redemptio through his blood, the forgeuenesse of sinnes:
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Who is the image of the inuisible God, the first borne of all creatures.
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For by him were all thinges created, that are in heaue and that are in earth, visible and inuisible, whether [they be] maiestie or lordeshippe, either rule or power: All thynges were created by hym and for hym.
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And he is before all thynges, and in hym all thynges consist.
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And he is the head of the body of the Churche: he is the begynnyng, the first borne of the dead, that in all thynges he myght haue the preeminence.
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For it pleased [the father] that in hym shoulde all fulnesse dwell,
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And by hym to reconcile all thynges vnto hym selfe, & to set at peace through the blood of his crosse by hym, both the thynges in earth, and thynges in heauen,
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And you which were sometyme straungers, and enemies, by cogitation in euyll workes, hath he nowe yet reconciled,
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In the body of his fleshe, through death, to present you holye, and vnblameable, & without fault in his syght:
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If ye continue grounded & stablisshed in the fayth, and be not moued away from the hope of the Gospell, which ye haue hearde howe it is preached to euery creature which is vnder heauen, wherof I Paul am made a minister.
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Nowe iowe I in my sufferynges for you, and fulfyll that which is behynde of the passions of Christe, in my fleshe, for his bodyes sake, which is ye Church:
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Wherof I am made a minister, accordyng to the dispensation of God, which is geuen to me to youwarde, to fulfyll the worde of God:
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The misterie hyd sence the worlde began, and [sence the begynnyng of] generations: but nowe is opened to his saintes:
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To whom God woulde make knowe what [is] the riches of the glorie of this misterie among the gentiles, which is Christe in you, the hope of glorie:
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Whom we preache, warnyng euery man, and teachyng euery man in all wisdome, to present all men perfect in Christe Iesus:
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Wherunto I also labour striuyng, according to his workyng which worketh in me mightylie.