Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The first Chapter.

PAul an Apostle of Ie∣su Christ by the will of God, and brother Ti∣motheus.

To y^e sayntes which are at Colossa and bre∣thren that beleue in Christ.

Grace be with you and peace from God oure father & frō the LORDE Iesus Christ.

We geue thankes vnto God and the fa¦ther of oure LORDE Iesus Christ, prayen∣ge allwayes for you (sence we herde of youre faith in Christ Iesu, and of youre loue to all sayntes) for y^e hopes sake which is layed vp in stoare for you in heauen: of the which ye haue herde before by the worde of trueth in the Gospell, which is come vnto you, euē as it is in to all the worlde: and is frutefull, as it is in you, sence y^e daye y^t ye herde and knewe the grace of God in y^e trueth, as ye learned of Epaphras oure deare felowe seruaunt, which is a faithfull mynister of Christ for you, which also declared vnto vs youre loue in the sprete.

For this cause we also, sence the daye y^t we herde of it, ceasse not to praye for you, & desyre that ye mighte be fulfylled with the knowlege of his will, in all wyszdome and spirituall vnderstondinge, that ye migh∣te walke worthy off the LORDE, to please him in all thinges, and to be frutefull in all good workes, and growe in the knowlege of God: & to be strengthed w^t all power acor∣dinge to the mighte of his glory, to all pa∣cience and longsufferynge with ioyfulnes, and geue thankes vnto the father, which hath made vs mete for the enheritaunce of sayntes in lighte.

Which hath delyuered vs frō the power [ B] of darknesse, & translated vs in to the kyng∣dome of his deare sonne ( in whom we ha∣ue redempcion thorow his bloude, namely, the forgeuenes of synnes.) Which is the ymage of the inuisyble God, first begottē be∣fore all creatures. For by him were all thin¦ges created, that are in heauen and earth, thinges vysible and thinges inuysible, whe∣ther they be maiesties or lordshippes, ether rules or powers: All thinges are created by him and in him, and he is before all thinges, and in him all thinges haue their beynge.

And he is the heade of the body, name∣ly, of the cōgregacion: he is the begynnyn¦ge and first begotten from the deed, that in all thinges he mighte haue the preemynen∣ce. For it pleased the father, that in him shul¦de dwell all fulnesse, and that by him all thinges shulde be reconciled vnto himsel∣fe, whether they be thinges vpon earth or in heauen, that thorow the bloude on his crosse he mighte make peace euen thorow his owne selfe. And you (which were in ty∣mes past straungers and enemies, because youre myndes were set in euell workes) hath

[ C] he now reconcyled in the body of his flesh thorow death, to make you holy, and vnbla¦meable & with out faute in his awne sighte, yf ye contynue grounded and stablished in the faith, and be not moued awaye from y^e hope of the Gospell, wherof ye haue herde: which is preached amonge all creatures y^t are vnder heauen, wherof I Paul am made a mynister.

Now ioye I in my sufferynges, which I suffre for you, and fulfill that which is be∣hynde of the passions of Christ in my flesh, for his bodyes sake, which is the congre∣gacion, wherof I am made a mynister, acordinge to y^e Godly office of preachinge, which is geuen vnto me amonge you, that I shulde richely preach the worde of God, namely, that mystery which hath bene hyd sence the worlde beganne, and sence the be∣gynnynge of tymes: but now is opened vn¦to his sayntes, to whom God wolde make knowne the glorious riches of this mistery amōge y^e Heythen: which (riches) is Christ in you, euē he that is the hope of glory, whō we preach, and warne all men, and teach all men in all wyszdome, to make euery man par¦fecte in Christ Iesu: Wherin I also laboure, and stryue acordinge to the workynge of him which worketh mightely in me.

Notes

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• 〈◊〉〈◊〉 4. a
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• 〈◊〉〈◊〉▪ 11. c