16. For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth,the visible and the invisible,whether thrones or dominionsor rulers or authorities —all things have been created through Him and for Him.
17. He is before all things, and by Him all things hold together.
18. He is also the head of the body, the church;He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He might come to havefirst place in everything.
19. For God was pleased to haveall His fullness dwell in Him,
20. and through Him to reconcileeverything to Himselfby making peace through the blood of His cross —whether things on earth or things in heaven.
21. Once you were alienated and hostile in your minds because of your evil actions.
22. But now He has reconciled you by His physical body through His death, to present you holy, faultless, and blameless before Him —
23. if indeed you remain grounded and steadfast in the faith and are not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard. This gospel has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and I, Paul, have become a servant of it.
24. Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and I am completing in my flesh what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for His body, that is, the church.
25. I have become its servant, according to God’s administration that was given to me for you, to make God’s message fully known,
26. the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints.
27. God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.