Colossians 1:13-27

¹³God our Father rescued us spiritually so that the evil one no longer rules us MET, MTY, and he caused us now to be ruled by his Son,, whom he loves.

¹⁴That is, because of our relationship with his Son (OR, because of what the one who is also God did), God has redeemed/bought us; in particular, he has forgiven our sins.

¹⁵God's Son reveals perfectly what God, his Father, is like, whom no one can see. God's Son existed before and ranks above everything that God has created.

¹⁶When God created everything that is on the earth, he did it by having his Son do it. He created everything that people can see, and also everything which is in heaven that people cannot see. In particular, his Son created all ranks of important spirit beings. And his Son ranks above everything, because God by the work of had his Son, and because by his Son all things were created {because God had his Son create everything} in order that everything might praise his Son,

¹⁷and because it is his Son who existed before anything else existed, and because God sustains everything by what his Son does.

¹⁸And God's Son ranks above everything, because it is his Son who rules over his people MET as a person's head controls his physical body, because his Son causes his people to live spiritually. God's Son is the first one who became alive again, in order that he should become more important than anything and everyone.

¹⁹God's Son reveals perfectly what God his Father is like, because his Father chose to live completely in him.

²⁰God our Father caused his Son to rule us, because he decided to reconcile with himself everything that is on earth and that is in heaven by what his Son did, in order that everything might honor his Son; that is, God our Father decided to reconcile everything to himself as a result of his Son's blood flowing when he died on the cross. The chiastic material is rearranged below so that the directly related propositional clusters are joined together. 13 God our Father rescued us spiritually so that we are no longer ruled by the evil one, and God our Father caused us now to be ruled by his Son (OR, the man who is also God) whom he loves. 14a That is, by means of what his Son did, we have been redeemed by God, our Father. 14b In particular, our sins have been forgiven by God, our Father. 20 God, our Father, has done this because he decided to reconcile to himself, by means of his Son, everything that is on earth and that is in heaven, in order that his Son might be honored; that is, God, our Father decided to reconcile everything to himself by means of God's Son's blood flowing out when he died on the cross. 15b God cannot be seen by anyone, 15a but his Son reveals perfectly what God—his Father—is like, 19a because it is in his Son that the Father chose 19b that he himself would dwell completely. 15c God's Son ranks above everything 15d that has been created, 16 because it was by means of God's Son that God created everything that is on the earth and that can be seen by people, and also everything that is in heaven and that cannot be seen by people. In particular, all types of important spirit beings were created by means of him, since everything has been created by God by means of God's Son. And his Son ranks above everything, because everything has been created by God, in order that God's Son might be honored by everything, 17 and because it is he who existed before anything else existed, and since everything is sustained by God by means of God's Son. 18 And God's Son ranks above everything because it is he who rules over all believers, just like a person's head controls his physical body, because he causes all believers to live spiritually. His Son is the first one who rose from among those who have died, in order that he should become more important than everything and everyone.

²¹As for you, although formerly God considered you his enemies (OR, God considered you as alienated from him) and although you were formerly hostile to God because you thought evil thoughts and because you did evil deeds,

²²nevertheless, God our Father has now reconciled you with himself. He did that as a result of his Son dying physically. He did it in order that you should be completely holy when he brings you into his presence.

²³He wants you to continue DOU to believe the message about Christ; specifically, he wants you to continue to be stable/steadfast and to continue to confidently expect to receive that which you heard about when you heard that message. That message has been proclaimed {They have proclaimed that message} to people in very many places HYP; and I, Paul, also become someone who tells it to people.

²⁴At the present time I am rejoicing that I am suffering for your benefit; that is, I am completing what Christ decided that I should suffer physically for the benefit of all believers, who are as dear to him as his own body.

²⁵I myself became someone who serves God's people, because I was appointed { God appointed me} to be responsible to help you who are non-Jews. I became one who serves God's people in order that I should make known to you non-Jews the whole message from/about God.

²⁶We did not know this message previously; that is, God concealed it from the people who lived in all the previous ages, but he has now revealed it to his people.

²⁷That is, God decided to reveal to them this message, which declares that he will greatly bless the non-Jews. Specifically, this message declares that Christ, by his Spirit, will live in you who are non-Jews, with the result that you confidently expect that you will experience how glorious God is.