17. and he himself is before all things, and in him all things are held together,
18. and he himself is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he himself may become first in everything,
19. because he was well pleased for all the fullness to dwell in him,
20. and through him to reconcile all things to himself, by making peace through the blood of his cross, through him, whether things on earth or things in heaven.
21. And although you were formerly alienated and enemies in attitude, because of your evil deeds,
22. but now you have been reconciled by his physical body through death, to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
23. if indeed you remain in the faith, established and steadfast and not shifted away from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister.
24. Now I rejoice in my sufferings on behalf of you, and I fill up in my flesh what is lacking of the afflictions of Christ, on behalf of his body which is the church,
25. of which I became a minister, according to God’s stewardship which was given to me for you, to complete the word of God,
26. the mystery which has been hidden from the ages and from the generations, but has now been revealed to his saints,
27. to whom God wanted to make known what is the glorious wealth of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory,
28. whom we proclaim, by admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, in order that we may present every person mature in Christ,
29. for which purpose also I labor, striving according to his working which is at work powerfully in me.