Colossians 1:15-20

Translation and Paraphrase

Here’s my translation and paraphrase of Colossians 1:15-20, one of the most sublime and important christological texts of the New Testament.

Translation

15 He is the icon of the invisible God, the firstborn of all of creation 16 because in him all things were created in the heavens and upon the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or lords or rulers or authorities, all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things and all things are sustained in him. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the first principle, the firstborn from the dead, in order that in all things he might have preeminence 19 because God was pleased to have the entire pleroma inhabit him 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things by making peace through the blood of his cross, making peace through him whether upon the earth or in the heavens.

Paraphrase

15 Jesus is a living monument to the visible reality of the invisible God, he is the first-ranked son of everything that is, was, or will be. 16 All things, from Alpha Centauri to the Zodiac constellations, whether malevolent powers or the inhabitants of a multiverse, all things were created through him and for his pre-eminence. 17 He existed before time, space, and matter. He is the theory of everything, the reason why we live in an intelligible cosmos rather than in endless chaos. 18 He is the supreme governor of the church which is his own body. He is the origins of creation and the first-ranked son of the new creation, so that in everything the Messiah might hold unrivaled supremacy. 19 God was pleased to allow his divine substance to dwell in his human body 20 and through his blood shed on the cross to bring peace to the sin-stained soil, souls, and spiritual world, so that there would be peace in heaven and upon earth.