¹⁶ For by him all things in heaven and on earth were created,
    things visible and invisible,
        whether they are kings,^[a] lords, rulers, or powers.
All things have been created through him and for him.
¹⁷ He himself existed before anything else did,
    and he holds all things together.
¹⁸ He is also the head of the body,
    which is the church.
He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
    so that he himself might have first place in everything.